Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2024 winners will be revealed on March 2

The Crunchyroll Anime Awards will take place on Saturday, March 2, 2024, with a live ceremony hosted by renowned voice actress Sally Amaki and popular entertainer Jon Kabira. Fans can follow the event on Crunchyroll channels on YouTube and Twitch.

The Crunchyroll Anime Awards is the leading yearly awards program celebrating the fan-favorite anime series, characters, and creators across streaming, film, and music. Global anime fans cast more than 34 million votes this year (up from 18 million votes last year).

THIS YEAR CATEGORIES ARE:
• Anime of the Year - This is the show that sets the standard for anime over the last year. Its compelling story, beautiful artistic execution, and unforgettable characters all combine in a unique way to create a masterpiece that deserves singular recognition.
• Best Action - This category rewards a show with action at its core. Featuring awe-inspiring scenes of heroes battling villains, life-threatening situations, or overcoming incredible odds, these anime get the pulse racing.
• Best Animation - Anime that are visually stunning in the ways they bring their stories to life. No matter the style of animation, these shows put on a visual spectacle for viewers to enjoy, immersing audiences into previously unimaginable worlds.
• Best Anime Song - This category celebrates a song played during any part of an anime series, including the opening and ending sequences.
• Best Art Direction (New) - Art direction involves all things visual to create the look and feel of an anime. Color, design, and animation style are only some of the considerations, as the tiniest of details must be kept in mind so that a show feels like a cohesive and distinct work of art.
• Best Character Design - This category celebrates artists who have either created iconic anime characters or breathed life into one from other sources.
• Best Cinematography (New) - Cinematography focuses on the composition of individual scenes, paying particular attention to the use of light and shadow, camera angles, depth of field, and scene transitions.
• Best Comedy - Whether it's a surprising fresh perspective, or the witty exchanges could've come from a comedy mastermind, the humor in these shows make you laugh out loud and have your side hurting by the end.
• Best Continuing Series - This category celebrates the shows that hook audiences with their absorbing storylines, compelling characters, and attention-grabbing artwork.
• Best Director - Of central importance, directors work behind the scenes, conveying their vision to animators, making critical decisions, and managing the creative aspects of production.
• Best Drama - These anime convey something essential about the human experience. Their mastery of building and relieving tension sets fans on the edge of their seats, feeling all their feelings, and compelling them to invest deeply in the characters and their stories.
• Best Ending Sequence - Similar to the opening, an unforgettable ending sequence pairs design and music to delight and surprise.
• Best Fantasy - These shows don’t just take us to other worlds, they craft deep, original universes full of mythical creatures where even the smallest detail is fueled by ideas that previously were unthought of.
• Best Film - Celebrates non-episodic anime with runtimes longer than a standard episode, whether they were released in theaters, on DVD, or online.
• Best Main Character - Whether hero, anti-hero, or villain, a main character is the face of their series. But it’s not just their personalities or characteristics that make them beloved, it’s their well-developed stories and the journeys they take us on that make them worthy.
• Best New Series - While countless new anime are created each year, this category honors the series and spin-offs that stand out.
• Best Opening Sequence - Through striking visuals and irresistible music, a great opening sequence sets the tone for what’s to come.
• Best Original Anime - An original anime is not adapted from source material like manga or light novels; it is a new creation. These original works of art mesmerize audiences with the quality of their stories.
• Best Romance - A great romance can thaw the heart of the coldest cynic. These captivating stories draw us in and remind us of the best part of being alive.
• Best Score - A vital part of an unforgettable anime is the original music composed for it. A well-crafted score adds another dimension of depth and emotion to any scene, with compositions that are not only tightly associated with an anime, but can also stand alone as masterpieces of music.
• Best Slice of Life (New) - While these anime focus on everyday events, the best are anything but ordinary. Capturing quiet moments in breathtaking ways, these nominees provide relief from the frantic pace of the world, placing relationships—with all their emotion, humor, and heartbreak—front and center.
• Best Supporting Character - They come in all shapes and sizes, but the best among them can shine as brightly as their main character counterparts when called upon.
• Best Voice Actor Performance - Renowned voice artists breathe additional life into a character, adding depth and realism or re-envisioning what they sound like in a different language . Through their command of tone and the emotions their voices elicit, these talented artists help transform anime characters into anime icons.
• “Must Protect At All Cost” Character - These are the characters that make the world feel like a kinder, more special place. Whether they're an earnest protagonist who always gets back up or a pure-hearted cinnamon roll who holds a group together, these characters remind us that there are some things in life worth protecting.