March means it’s time for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, held in Tokyo last weekend. And while we’re always passionate about the nominees, voting and results, this year, we were even more invested as we were actually on the judging panel. Let’s see if our input and choices helped to sway the results and get our favourite shows the recognition they deserve.
We start with the big one, Anime of the Year, and that honour goes to Jujutsu KaisenSeason Two. In fact, looking at this year’s list of winners, it feels like JJK activated its Domain Expansion: Win Every Category and swept the board, and it would probably be quicker to tell you the categories that it didn’t win. But we certainly have no complaints about this win – JJK S2 was absolutely sensational, and we put it third in our 2023 Anime of the Year list, so this is a worthy win.
Best Original Anime went to comedy Buddy Daddies, and with its only real rivals here being Gundam: The Witch From Mercury and Do It Yourself! we reckon this was the pick of the bunch.
JJK S2 was back to win Best Character Design, and while it had strong competition from the likes of Chainsaw Man and Demon Slayer, this was another well-deserved win.
Best Animation went to Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc, which is not surprising as ufotable delivered some eyeball-melting levels of sakuga with last year’s Demon Slayer instalment. We would have been happy to see JJK S2 or Chainsaw Man win this category, as both shows went hard on the animation, but Demon Slayer deserves the recognition it received here.
Chainsaw Man was named Best New Series, and we couldn’t be happier about that. We’re huge fans of both the show and the manga, and while the competition was strong, with the likes of Oshi no Ko, Zom 100 and Bocchi The Rock also in this category, Chainsaw Man was our pick, and we’re very glad it won.
JJK S2 was back to win Best Cinematography, and, honestly, there were no bad picks here. Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man, Attack on Titan and Heavenly Delusion could have easily won and deserved it, but again, we have no problem seeing Jujutsu Kaisen on top once more.
Best Art Direction went to Demon Slayer, a worthy win, while Bocchi The Rock took home the award for Best Slice of Life, to the surprise of precisely nobody. One Piece, meanwhile, was named Best Continuing Series, and as we can’t actually picture a time when it’s not still being made, it’s probably got this award in the bag for the foreseeable future…
Jujutsu Kaisen won both Best Opening Sequence and Best Ending Sequence, and both were good, but… In terms of OPs, Chainsaw Man had Kick Back, Hell’s Paradise had Work, Oshi no Ko had Idol, and these were all bangers. And so were Demon Slayer‘s Koi Kogare, Spy x Family‘s Color and Oshi no Ko‘s Mephisto. Probably the first result we have to disagree with…
We have no complaints with Attack on Titan Final Season The Final Chapters Special 1 winning Best Score, though, as it was simply too epic to be stopped. Equally, Suzume wholeheartedly deserved its Best Film win, as we absolutely adored this gorgeous-looking tear-jerker.
Best Anime Song went to Oshi no Ko‘s Idol, no surprises there, to be honest, as it was all over YouTube and social media when the show was airing, while JJK S2 won Best Director for Shota Goshozono’s work, another worthy victory, even with strong competition from usual suspects Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man and Attack on Titan.
One Piece‘s Monkey D. Luffy was named Best Character, blue-eyed dream boy Satoru Gojo won Best Supporting Character, while adorable esper Anya Forger was named “Must Protect At All Costs” Character for the second year running.
There was not a single dud among the Best Action nominees, and whether Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man or Attack on Titan had taken home the award, we would have been totally happy. But Jujutsu Kaisen‘s insane battles meant it took home yet another – deserved – win here.
Spy x Family Season 1 Cour 2 took home the award for Best Comedy, and while it had strong competition from the likes of Zom 100 and Mashle, it definitely earned its win here.
Attack on Titan Final Season The Final Chapters Special 1 was named Best Drama, and, honestly, we would have rioted if it hadn’t, and it was an easy win for Demon Slayer in the Best Fantasy category. And, finally, Best Comedy went to Horimiya: The Missing Pieces, and while it’s not a show we can write about for SciFiNow, we absolutely adored it, so that made us very happy indeed.
Check out more anime news and features – including our Top Ten Anime of 2023 – at SciFiNow
