Male seiyuu-fronted bands and units put on a dazzling show in 2023, including a long-awaited comeback by a top unit.
From January 5 to 15, 2024, readers and viewers of THTFHQ voted for these awards valuing, first and foremost, talent and quality over popularity.
Nominees were shortlisted by The Hand That Feeds HQ and our readers chose a winner.
To avoid petty fights between fans and disrespect towards seiyuu and their fans, no votes are disclosed in any written features covering THTFHQ AWARDS 2023.
If you want to check the abridged version of the complete results of this year’s edition, those were unveiled on episode 182 of SEIYUU LOUNGE, THTFHQ’s weekly podcast all about male seiyuu music and 2D groups.
#1 Trignal
It went down to the wire for Trignal as they had tough competition from Sir Vanity. However, Trignal took the crown of best band/seiyuu unit of 2023.
The went marked their return from a long hiatus with the release of the mini-album “Ironna Katachi”, one of the best albums of the year – in my opinion, hands down the best album of 2023 – and did so by perfecting what they had been doing right back in “Tricolore”.
The group focused on having every member perform in a style comfortable to them. At the same time, there was a clear separation of vocals to highlight how much every member grew as a singer.
The songs chosen and composed for the group sounded tailormade for their style, vibe, and vocals.
Everything fell into place in the best way possible.
And after so many years away from the public, Trignal left a big mark in 2023, being simultaneously one of the best comebacks of the year as well as your best band/seiyuu unit of 2023.
From this point on, the seiyuu mentioned are not ranked (the order in which they appear below doesn’t correspond to the place they ranked in the final voting):
UMake
In 2023, UMake was back with new music, releasing the new full-length album “ATMOSPHERE”.
And what an album that one is!
It perfectly captures the duo’s laidback, cozy vibe and simple semi-acoustic rock sound. Although the duo has this sound and vibe since their start, they have improved it over the years an in “ATMOSPHERE” you can feel it by how much they experimented with music genres, composition styles, and even their lyrics.
The album showcases the balance between fancy compositions by Kent Ito and vivid lyrics by Yoshiki Nakajima, resulting in feel-good tunes.
What UMake managed to pull off with “ATMOSPHERE” was a fancy, laidback, and incredibly sweet album that many of you wanted to listen to time and time again.
At the same time, the duo held a new live show “U&Make Live Fes 2nd.”.
GRANRODEO
In 2023, GRANRODEO was quieter than usual. The rock band fronted by KISHOW and featuring compositions by e-ZUKA kicked off the year by releasing “Rodeo Note vol.2”, one of the most stylish CDs released in 2023.
The jazz and acoustic covers of their hit songs shone in this second volume, making a lot of fans wish the band would do this kind of unplugged live show more frequently. The CD may have not included new songs but it was still well worth checking out.
Later on, they released the shredding rock single “Tetsu no Ori“.
At the same time, the band was busy during the summer with a new live tour throughout Japan.
Sir Vanity
Sir Vanity continues to be a standout outfit in the rock scene.
The rock band fronted by Yoshiki Nakajima and Yuichiro Umehara released their 1st EP “midnight sun“, one of the best albums released in 2023.
Last year, the band wasn’t shy about trying new things and doing more to showcase the quality of their vocals as well as the uniqueness of their sound – which included, for the first time, acid-jazz and funk.
At the same time, the band held a new live show, Sir Vanity 2nd Live “midnight sun”. To wrap up the year, the band released the digital single “RiR“.
2023 was Sir Vanity’s year and if the band wasn’t voted as the best one of the year, they surely made a good case for themselves as one of the best bands/groups fronted by male seiyuu.
SparQlew
SparQlew continued to ride on a lot of momentum in 2023. The talented quartet released “We will…“, mini-album that raised yet again their quality.
The group’s consistent upward trajectory since “Daybreak” has made their music quite impressive.
“We will…” is filled with highlights, starting with the catchy and exciting “All my heart” which combines a late 90s R&B pop vibe with a cool tropical pop twist.
The sub-unit songs on the album also deserve recognition, with Hozumi and Yoshinaga bringing high-energy, riff-driven rock, while Uemura and Horie deliver a heart-melting rock ballad.
The group was was impressive in 2023, raising yet again expectations for what’s to come in the future.
TRD
TRD, seiyuu unit consisting of Takayuki Kondo and Daisuke Ono, was not as active as in previous years.
Still, the duo released its 2nd single “Cozy Crazy PARTY!” and after that, they went radio silent for the rest of the year.
This was the first time the duo – since their rebranding as TRD – went quiet for this long, wrapping up the year without making much noise.
Thank you to everyone who voted at the THTFHQ AWARDS 2023!
