@ BlackJack
I think that we were mostly just thrown off by the vocals, though they were appropriate to the song.
You were very close score wise. I can tell you what you did right.
You engaged the audience. The waterbottle was precious, I really liked the forethought that went into it. You sang in Japanese. Though almost everyone did, I still appreciate the amount of work that goes into learning to pronounce the words.
Other things we were looking for were
-does the costume match the song? I could totally picture Sakura singing "I need a Ninja", even if she didn't do a traditional filk.
-How much of a skit type thing went on? The more a person acted on stage the better, even if it was just to throw scrolls over the shoulder, or play air guitar swords.
-Were the people playing off eachother, if it was a group?
-Were they outgoing, or if not, were they really overcoming their fears to perform? (I gave a judges choice in Idol for this.)
A person's voice didn't weigh as heavily in this contest, though it was a factor. I think, in the end that was really the only factor that edged you out. Of course, Dane and Zack were not strong singers, but the rest of their act outweighed this.
I know I've said this to everyone, but I MEAN IT! You were really good, and I'd like to see you sing again next year. I know you have a great chance of winning, because it means so much to you.
I hope this was helpful. I'm sorry you felt slighted. If you'd like I will ask the other judges for input to help you in the next competition.
Thanks for listening.