With the continuous development of otaku culture, new traditions are being introduced in the community regarding them as time progresses. One of the most significant traditions is the Crunchyroll Annual Anime Awards, which started in 2017 and now takes place every year from January to March. This time the voting duration was from Jan 19 to Jan 25 where Crunchyroll users could vote for their favourite anime for various categories.
Earlier today, the winners of the latest Crunchyroll Anime Awards were announced. Let’s look at the categories winners and check if some underdogs scored in some categories!
Anime of the Year
Winner: Cyberpunk Edgerunners
- Animation Studios: Studio TRIGGER.
- Number of Episodes: 10 episodes.
Nominees:
- Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
- Lycoris Recoil
- Ranking of Kings (Cour 2)
- SPY x FAMILY
Cyberpunk Edgerunners beat some of the biggest powerhouse shows like Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 and Demon Slayer Season 2 in this category, which is quite a shocker yet satisfying for pure Cyberpunk fans. The anime is a spin-off of the popular game “Cyberpunk 2077” and made an impression on everyone who watched it. Unfortunately, there will be no season 2 of this masterpiece, but this anime deserved the “Anime of the Year” Award. Its insert song, “I just wanna stay at your house”, was one of the big reasons for its popularity.
Best Original Anime
Winner: Lycoris Recoil
- Animation Studio: A-1 Pictures.
- Number of Episodes: 13 episodes.
Nominees:
- BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story-
- Healer Girl
- Lycoris Recoil
- The Orbital Children
- Vampire in the Garden
- YUREI DECO
Lycoris Recoil was a clear winner for this category, as the other nominees were not that popular among anime fans. It is an anime original, and it was created by Spider Lily and Asaura (two talented Japanese authors). Lycoris Recoil was an immediate hit among fans because of its unique plot and fantastic animation, but it did get criticized for not satisfying fans with the ending they wanted. What is even more impressive is that this anime will receive a sequel in the upcoming future, which we can look forward to!
Best Character Design
Winner: Demon Slayer- Entertainment District Arc (Season 2) –Akira Matsushima-
- Animation Studio: ufotable
- Number of Episodes: 11 episodes.
Nominees:
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean
- My Dress-Up Darling
- Ranking of Kings (Cour 2)
- SPY x FAMILY
Demon Slayer Season 2 had to fight a pretty hard battle to win this award, as it beat My Dress Up Darling, Cyberpunk Edgerunners and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean in this category (as all of them had pretty appealing character designs, especially Jojo Stone Ocean). The actual award goes to Akira Matsushima, who was responsible for this design. Demon Slayer Season 2 was known because of its extraordinary animation and was also part of a controversy in China. Season 3 is on its way, and its animation is reported to be even better!
Best Animation
Winner: Demon Slayer- Entertainment District Arc (Season 2)
- Animation Studio: ufotable
- Number of Episodes: 11 episodes
Nominees:
- Akebi’s Sailor Uniform
- Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
- Ranking of Kings (Cour 2)
- SPY x FAMILY
Demon Slayer Season 2 was already the winner of this category as it had gained popularity for its animation like none other. Studio ufotable is known for playing with their colours during animation, and the same was done for this anime, which was beautiful at some point in some fights. An underdog for this category was Akebi’s Sailor Uniform, which also displayed some aesthetic visuals, but if there is Demon Slayer in the list, you know who’s winnin’!
Best New Series
Winner: SPY x Family
- Animation Studio: Wit Studio x CloverWorks.
- Number of Episodes: 12 episodes.
Nominees:
- Call of the Night
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Lycoris Recoil
- My Dress-Up Darling
- SPY x FAMILY
- Ya Boy Kongming!
SPY x Family won this award after beating shows like My Dress Up Darling, Yo Boy Kongming! and Call of the Night, which were all solid contenders as each was a compelling new show and introduced something different in the anime community. SPY x Family is based on a manga that was already a hit. The anime’s most significant sale point was Anya, who became an anime phenomenon and was seen invading other anime series. The author of this anime did have some controversy with his characters, but the series sailed through smoothly, and its sequels are on their way!
Best Continuing Series
Winner: One Piece
- Animation Studio: Toei Animation.
- Number of Episodes: 1053* episodes (*still airing)
Nominees:
- Attack on Titan (Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2)
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
- Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
- Made in Abyss
- One Piece
One Piece won this award over favourite fan series like Attack on Titan, Kaguya-sama: Love is War and Demon Slayer. No one expected One Piece to win in this category as the other nominees are more popular these days, but, One Piece won this award, proving that even after almost 23 years, this anime still has it. One Piece is based on a manga whose author recently took part in testing the viral CHATGPT program. The anime is currently in the climax stage of Wano, and who knows how long the author will make us wait for the series to end. A very satisfying win indeed!
Best Opening Sequence
Winner: Attack on Titan- Final Season- Part 2 -“The Rumbling” by SIM-
- Animation Studio: MAPPA.
- Number of Episodes: 12 episodes
Nominees:
- Chikichiki Banban,” QUEENDOM, Ya Boy Kongming!
- “Mixed Nuts,” Official HIGE DANdism, SPY x FAMILY
- “Naked Hero,” Vaundy, Ranking of Kings (Cour 2)
- “The Rumbling,” SiM, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
- “This Fffire,” Franz Ferdinand, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- “Zankyousanka,” Aimer, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 was already the winner of this category before the voting started because its opening song was the highest-viewed anime video on Youtube, with almost 60 million views. It competed against popular songs like Mixed Nuts (SPY x Family) and Chikichiki Banban (Yo Boy Kongming!), but nothing stood in the way of The Rumbling. The Final Season of Attack on Titan did break into more parts, and the last part will be released at the end of 2023. But fans want good animation, so the studio should take as much time as they want to complete it.
Best Ending Sequence
Winner: SPY x Family -“Comedy” by Gen Hoshino-
- Animation Studio: Wit Studio x CloverWorks.
- Number of Episodes: 12 episodes.
Nominees:
- “Akuma no Ko,” Ai Higuchi, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
- “Comedy,” Gen Hoshino, Spy x Family
- “My Heart Has Surrendered,” Airi Suzuki, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic-
- “Koi no yukue,” Akari Akase, My Dress-Up Darling
- “Koshaberibiyori,” FantasticYouth, Komi Can’t Communicate (2nd series)
- “Yofukashino Uta,” Creepy Nuts, Call of the Night
SPY x Family winning this award was a reminder from real fans that views are not the only thing that matters. It competed against Akuma no Ko (Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2), Yofukashino Uta (Call of the Night) and Koi no Yukue (My Dress Up Darling), which were all very popular during the airing of their series (Akuma no Ko being the highest viewed anime ending song of 2022). But SPY x Family fans barged in and made it win. A bit surprising for some, but the soothing music of the ending song of SPY x Family is something else!
Best Score (Best Music Composition)
Winner: Attack on Titan- Final Season- Part 2 -Sawano Hiroyuki and Kohta Yamamoto-
- Animation Studio: MAPPA.
- Number of Episodes: 12 episodes
Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 winning this award was expected because of the heavyweights of the anime music industry, Sawano Hiroyuki and Kohta Yamamoto, responsible for its music. This was a bit disappointing for us as we here at Anime Senpai supported the emerging talent Kevin Penkin on his beautiful work on Made in Abyss-The Golden City of the Scorching Sun, in this category. Attack on Titan might have won this because of the names of their music composers, and there is no doubt that Hiroyuki and Yamamoto are one of the most talented musicians in the industry. Still, the future of Kevin Penkin is very bright.
Best Anime Film
Winner: Jujutsu Kaisen 0
- Animation Studio: MAPPA.
- Number of Episodes: 1 episode.
Jujutsu Kasien 0 won in this category by fighting a tough battle with One Piece Film Red, although the latter’s sales did better than the former ones. One Piece Film Red was not a fan favourite because the movie is more song-centred. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 was the adaptation of the prequel volume of the popular manga series- Jujutsu Kaisen. The Season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen is right around the corner, and we might be able to see the hero of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 again in the new season!
Best Anime Song
Winner: Attack on Titan- Final Season- Part 2 -“The Rumbling” by SIM-
- Animation Studio: MAPPA.
- Number of Episodes: 12 episodes
Yes, The Rumbling strikes again!
Best Director
Winner: Demon Slayer- Entertainment District Arc (Season 2) -Haruo Satazaki-
- Animation Studio: ufotable
- Number of Episodes: 11 episodes
Demon Slayer Season 2 won this award because it outdid its animation compared to Season 1, and Haruo Sotozaki deserved all the credit for this. Haruo Sotozaki competed against talented directors like Shingo Adachi (Lycoris Recoil), Yuichiro Hayashi (Attack on Titan), Yosuke Hatta (Ranking of the Kings), Hiroyuki Imaishi (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners) and Kazuhiro Furuhashi (SPY x Family). Guess there could only be one winner!
Best Main Character
Winner: Attack on Titan- Final Season- Part 2 -Eren Yeager-
- Animation Studio: MAPPA.
- Number of Episodes: 12 episodes
Nominees:
- Bojji, Ranking of Kings (Cour 2)
- Chisato Nishikigi, Lycoris Recoil
- David Martinez, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Eren Jaeger, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
- Loid Forger, SPY x FAMILY
- Marin Kitagawa, My Dress-Up Darling
Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 won this award for Eren Yeager, who had a transformation this season from a protagonist to an anti-hero. He competed against some of the strongest protagonists this year, like Bojji, Loif Forger, Marin Kitagawa and David Martinez, but no one stands in his way as he will keep moving forward!
Best Supporting Character
Winner: SPY x Family -Anya Forger-
- Animation Studio: Wit Studio x CloverWorks.
- Number of Episodes: 12 episodes.
Nominees:
- Ai Hayasaka, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic-
- Anya Forger, SPY x FAMILY
- Kage, Ranking of Kings (Cour 2)
- Rebecca, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Tengen Uzui, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
- Yor Forger, SPY x FAMILY
SPY x Family won this award for the poster girl of anime 2022, Anya Forger. For this category, Anya had to fight a hard battle with Hayasaka (Kaguya-sama: Love is War) as she had a significant development this year. Still, the cuteness of Anya made everyone’s heart melt.
“Must Protect At All Costs” Character
Winner: SPY x Family -Anya Forger-
- Animation Studio: Wit Studio x CloverWorks.
- Number of Episodes: 12 episodes.
Best Action
Winner: Demon Slayer- Entertainment District Arc (Season 2)
- Animation Studio: ufotable
- Number of Episodes: 11 episodes
With great animation come great fight scenes!
Nominees:
- Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean
- Lycoris Recoil
- SPY x FAMILY
Best Comedy
Winner: SPY x Family
- Animation Studio: Wit Studio x CloverWorks.
- Number of Episodes: 12 episodes.
Nominees:
- Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic-
- Kotaro Lives Alone
- My Dress-Up Darling
- SPY x FAMILY
- Uncle from Another World
- Ya Boy Kongming!
Best Drama
Winner: Attack on Titan- Final Season- Part 2
- Animation Studio: MAPPA.
- Number of Episodes: 12 episodes
Best Fantasy
Winner: Demon Slayer- Entertainment District Arc (Season 2)
- Animation Studio: ufotable
- Number of Episodes: 11 episodes
Nominees:
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
- Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 1 Part 2
- Overlord IV
- Ranking of Kings (Cour 2)
- The Case Study of Vanitas (Cour 2)
Best Romance
Winner: Kaguya-sama: Love is War -Ultra Romantic-
- Animation Studio: A-1 Pictures.
- Number of Episodes: 13 episodes.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War fought a tough battle in this category, as we had much good romance shows in 2022. It fought My Dress Up Darling, Komi can’t communicate, Call of the Night, and Shikimori is just a cutie. The animation of Kaguya-sama: Love is War -Ultra Romantic- was on another level, which was one reason it won in this category. Its sequel is under production, and its manga artist recently retired after completing it. This was indeed a win for the Kaguya fans!
Best Voice Actor (Japanese)
Winner: Attack on Titan- Final Season- Part 2 -Yuki Kaji-
- Animation Studio: MAPPA.
- Number of Episodes: 12 episodes
Attack on Titan won this title solely on the dependence of one person’s throat- Yuki Kaji. He has consistently performed as Eren; some even consider him the best voice actor in modern anime. Even Hajime Isayama, the author of Attack on Titan, considers him one of the reasons why he could continue writing Eren’s character. So, he is something else!
Best Voice Actors (Other than Japanese)
| Language | Winner |
| English | Zach Aguilar |
| Castilian | Jaime Pérez de Sevilla |
| French | Brigitte Lecordier |
| Spanish | Alejandro Orozco |
| Italian | Elisa Giorgio |
| Portuguese | Nina Carvalho |
| German | Nicolás Artajo |
| Arabic | Amal Hawija |
Cyberpunk Edgerunners was the best anime according to Crunchyroll with Attack on Titan also winning in multiple categories. What are your thoughts on this? Are you satisfied with everyone who won in each category? Let us know in the comments down below. We here at Anime Senpai would love to know what you think!
Source: Crunchyroll Anime Awards
