As I’ve said time and time (and time) again, we’re coming off an incredible year of anime. With Crunchyroll’s annual Anime Awards just around the corner, the time has come to assign anime fans the daunting task of picking a favorite amongst an incredible sea of favorites.
I don’t envy y’all.
But also—full disclosure—I’m a judge this year, so I get to attempt to pick a winner in a year that’s given us numerous hits. So you … probably don’t envy me, either.
Voting for the general public begins today and will be open for seven days—no cursed VHS tapes in that deadline, I promise. Fans are encouraged to vote every day for their faves as if it’s actually possible to pick between Draken and Mikey of Tokyo Revengers. As one Miya Chinen of SK8 the Infinity once said, “Life’s brutal, my dudes.”
Here are the nominees!
Anime of the Year
86 EIGHTY-SIX
Attack on Titan Final Season Part 1
JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
ODDTAXI
Ranking of Kings
Sonny Boy
Best Boy
Senku Ishigami – Dr. STONE Season 2
Izumi Miyamura – Horimiya
Odokawa – ODDTAXI
Bojji – Ranking of Kings
Ken ‘Draken’ Ryuguji – Tokyo Revengers
Manjiro ‘Mikey’ Sano – Tokyo Revengers
Best Girl
Vladilena Milizé – 86 EIGHTY-SIX
Tohru Honda – Fruits Basket The Final Season
Nobara Kugisaki – JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
Sarasa Watanabe – Kageki Shojo!!
Shoko Komi – Komi Can’t Communicate
Ai Ohto – WONDER EGG PRIORITY
Best Protagonist
Eren Jaeger – Attack on Titan Final Season Part 1
Yuji Itadori – JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
Joe – MEGALOBOX 2: NOMAD
Odokawa – ODDTAXI
Bojji – Ranking of Kings
Ai Ohto – WONDER EGG PRIORITY
Best Antagonist
Eren Jaeger – Attack on Titan Final Season Part 1
Tomura Shigaraki – My Hero Academia Season 5
Yano – ODDTAXI
Echidna – Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 2
Ainosuke Shindo/”ADAM” – SK8 the Infinity
Tetta Kisaki – Tokyo Revengers
Best Fight Scene
Eren Jaeger vs. War Hammer Titan – Attack on Titan Final Season Part 1
Naruto Uzumaki vs. Isshiki Otsutsuki – Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Yuji Itadori & Aoi Todo vs. Hanami – JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
Yuji Itadori & Nobara Kugisaki vs. Eso & Kechizu – JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
Elma vs. Tohru – Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S
Vivy vs. Yugo Kakitani – Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song-
Best Director
Yuichiro Hayashi – Attack on Titan Final Season Part 1
Sunghoo Park – JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
Yo Moriyama – MEGALOBOX 2: NOMAD
Baku Kinoshita – ODDTAXI
Shingo Natsume – Sonny Boy
Shin Wakabayashi – WONDER EGG PRIORITY
Best Animation
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc
JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Cour 1
Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song-
WONDER EGG PRIORITY
Best Character Design
Tadashi Hiramatsu – JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
Baku Kinoshita and Hiromi Nakayama – ODDTAXI
Atsuko Nozaki – Ranking of Kings
Michinori Chiba – SK8 the Infinity
loundraw (FLAT STUDIO) and Yuichi Takahashi –Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song-
Saki Takahashi – WONDER EGG PRIORITY
Best Score
Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto – 86 EIGHTY-SIX
Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc
Mabanua – MEGALOBOX 2: NOMAD
PUNPEE, VaVa, and OMSB – ODDTAXI
Satoru Kosaki – Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song-“
DÉ DÉ MOUSE and Mito – WONDER EGG PRIORITY
Best VA Performance (Japanese)
Ayane Sakura – Gabi Braun – Attack on Titan Final Season Part 1
Yuki Kaji – Eren Jaeger – Attack on Titan Final Season Part 1
Kiyoshi Kobayashi – Daisuke Jigen (Ep. 0) – LUPIN THE 3rd PART 6
Natsuki Hanae – Odokawa – ODDTAXI
Aoi Yuki – Kumoko – So I’m a Spider, So What?
Kanata Aikawa – Ai Ohto – WONDER EGG PRIORITY
Best VA Performance (English)
Brittany Cox – Fena – Fena: Pirate Princess
Laura Bailey – Tohru Honda – Fruits Basket The Final Season
Adam McArthur – Yuji Itadori – JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
David Wald – Ainosuke Shindo / “ADAM” – SK8 the Infinity
Matt Shipman – Reki Kyan – SK8 the Infinity
Anairis Quiñones – Rika Kawai – WONDER EGG PRIORITY
Best Opening Sequence
Boku no sensou – Shinsei Kamattechan – Attack on Titan Final Season Part 1
Kaibutsu – YOASOBI – BEASTARS
VIVID VICE – Who-ya Extended – JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
Ai no Supreme! – Fhana – Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S
ODDTAXI – Skirt and PUNPEE – ODDTAXI
Cry Baby – Official HIGE DANdism – Tokyo Revengers
Best Ending Sequence
Shogeki – Yuko Ando – Attack on Titan Final Season Part 1
Yasashii Suisei – YOASOBI – BEASTARS
Shirogane – LiSA – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc
Nai Nai – ReoNA – SHADOWS HOUSE
Infinity – YUURI – SK8 the Infinity
Ganbare! Kumoko-san no Theme – “Watashi” (VA: Aoi Yuki) – So I’m a Spider, So What?
Best Action
Attack on Titan Final Season Part 1
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc
JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
SSSS.DYNAZENON
Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song-
WONDER EGG PRIORITY
Best Comedy
Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro
Heaven’s Design Team
Komi Can’t Communicate
Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan
Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S
ODDTAXI
Best Drama
86 EIGHTY-SIX
Fruits Basket The Final Season
Kageki Shojo!!
ODDTAXI
To Your Eternity
WONDER EGG PRIORITY
Best Romance
BEASTARS
Fruits Basket The Final Season
Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro
Horimiya
Komi Can’t Communicate
The Duke of Death and His Maid
Best Fantasy
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Cour 1)
Ranking of Kings
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Season 2)
The Case Study of Vanitas
To Your Eternity
WONDER EGG PRIORITY
Best Film
BELLE
Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish
Shirobako the Movie
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop
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Also, for the first time, Crunchyroll will be honoring voice actors outside of the U.S. and Japan, so let’s check them out!
Best VA Performance (Spanish)
José Vilchis – Spike Spiegel – Cowboy Bebop
Irwin Daayán – Rengoku – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc
Victor Ugarte – Shinji Ikari – Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time
José Gilberto Vilchis – Satoru Gojo – JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
Jessica Ángeles – Kaguya Shinomiya – Kaguya-sama: Love is War
Romina Marroquín – Kumoko – So I’m a Spider, So What?
Best VA Performance (German)
Torsten Münchow – The Count of Monte Chirsto – The Count of Monte Chirsto
Florian Knorn – Tai Yagami – Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna
Rieke Werner – Sakura Matou – Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] THE MOVIE III. spring song
Marios Gavrilis – Dio Brando – Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood
René Dawn-Claude – Satoru Gojo – JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
Tommy Morgenstern – Galo – Promare
Best VA Performance (French)
Enzo Ratsito – Tanjiro Kamado – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc
Mark Lesser – Satoru Gojo – JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
Brieuc Lemaire – Vanitas – The Case Study of Vanitas
Alexis Thomassian – Ombre – Ranking of Kings
Nancy Philippot – Raphtalia – The Rising of the Shield Hero
Olivier Premel – Takemichi Hanagaki – Tokyo Revengers
Best VA Performance (Portuguese)
Hannah Buttel – Vladilena Milizé – 86 EIGHTY-SIX
Amanda Brigido – Nobara Kugisaki – JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
Leo Rabelo – Satoru Gojo – JUJUTSU KAISEN (cour 2)
Carol Valença – Monkey D. Luffy – One Piece
Luísa Viotti – Echidna – Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 2
Luiz Sergio Vieira – Takemichi Hanagaki – Tokyo Revengers
Best VA Performance (Castilian)
Marcel Navarro – Tanjiro Kamado – Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train
Bianca Rada – Tai Yagami – Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna
Albert Trifol Segarra – Shinji Ikari – Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time
Adelaida López – Usagi Tsukino – Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal: The Movie
Blanca Hualde (Neri) – Brunhilde – Record of Ragnarok
Marc Zanni – Tatsu – The Way of the Househusband
Best VA Performance (Russian)
Vlad Tokarev (Влад Токарев) – Eren Jaeger – Attack on Titan Final Season Part 1
Islam Gandzhaev (Ислам Ганджаев) – Tanjiro Kamado – Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train
Olga Matskevich (Ольга Мацкевич) – Mire Yoshizuki – Looking For Magical DoReMi
Polina Rtischeva (Полина Ртищева) – Monkey D. Luffy – One Piece
Elizaveta Sheikh (Елизавета Шейх) – Kumoko – So I’m a Spider, So What?
Tatyana Shamarina (Татьяна Шамарина) – Vivy – Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song-
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You can go and vote for your favorites right over here up until January 25th! The winners will be revealed on February 9, 2022.
Happy voting!
(Image: © K. Horikoshi/Shueisha, My Hero Academia Project)
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