If you’re not a fan of anime or were simply too busy to get in on the action over the weekend then you might not already know that the Crunchyroll Anime Awards happened and Demon Slayer took home the Anime of The Year prize.
We’ve already reported on the lead up to and voting for the fourth annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Hosted by the best known western purveyor of Japanese animated action, the Crunchyroll Anime Awards have become a barometer of the anime industry in the same way that any yearly awards show would be. In this case, it allows fans of anime to cast votes for a range of 18 different awards, all of which were revealed this weekend.
Crunchyroll Awards Demon Slayer Anime of The Year
For anybody who’s been in touch with the Otaku scene this year, many of the awards probably won’t be much of a surprise. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba took the Anime of the Year award, a tale of a young boy who becomes a demon slayer after his family is murdered by his new prey. A range of other awards were handed out as the multi-hour show, hosted by WWE Superstar Xavier Woods and Tim Lyu, ran through every category. Despite its best efforts, the Crunchyroll Awards have been a somewhat controversial affair in previous years either working to get the format quite right or simply skewed by the flavor of the month fandom. With this year’s Naime Marathon and more than a dozen different anime present among the winners, it seems that things are starting to mature nicely.
The Winners
Anime of the Year: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Best Animation: Mob Psycho 100 II
Best Opening Sequence: Mob Psycho 100 II, ♪ 99.9 – MOB CHOIR feat. sajou no hana
Best Ending Sequence: KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR, ♪ Chikatto Chika Chikaa♡ – Konomi Kohara
Best Boy: Tanjiro Kamado, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Best Girl: Raphtalia, The Rising of the Shield Hero
Best Score: Mocky, Carole & Tuesday
Best VA Performance (JP): Yuichi Nakamura voices Bruno Bucciarati in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
Best VA Performance (EN): Billy Kametz voices Naofumi in The Rising of the Shield Hero
Best Director: Tetsuro Araki, Chief Director and Masashi Koizuka, Director – Attack on Titan Season 3
Best Character Design: Satoshi Iwataki, Original Character Design by Hiroyuki Asada, Dororo
Best Protagonist: Senku, Dr. STONE
Best Antagonist : Isabella, The Promised Neverland
Best Fight Scene: Tanjiro & Nezuko vs. Rui, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Best Couple: Kaguya Shinomiya & Miyuki Shirogane, KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR
Best Drama: Vinland Saga, WIT STUDIO
Best Fantasy: The Promised Neverland, CloverWorks
Best Comedy: KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR, A-1 Pictures
Industry Icon: George Wada, WIT STUDIO
While the Anime Awards might not be video game fodder, the overlap of anime and games is obvious to see. Just take a look at almost everything Bandai Namco put out. Games from Dragon Ball Fighterz to out latest hands-on with Granblue Fantasy Versus are a big part of the current landscape. You can catch up on all the details or check out what all the fuss is about over at the Crunchyroll website now.
