Leading global anime brand Crunchyroll revealed Friday night the winners of its fifth annual Anime Awards, a celebration of the best and brightest in Japanese animation from last year. Crunchyroll recently announced that it has surpassed four million subscribers and 100 million registered users, just six months after breaking the three million subscriber mark.
This year, 15 million global votes for the Anime Awards were cast across 18 categories from fans celebrating their favorite characters, series and creators, eclipsing the 11 million votes cast in 2020. The top three countries that voted this year (out of over 200 countries and territories!) were the United States, Brazil and Mexico. Winners were announced during a virtual event hosted by Tim Lyu and Crunchyroll’s beloved princess, Crunchyroll-Hime! The show will also be available to watch on Crunchyroll on-demand.
And the winners are…
Anime of the Year – JUJUTSU KAISEN
Best Animation – Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
Best Fantasy – Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- (Season 2)
Best Drama – Fruits Basket (Season 2)
Best Comedy – Kaguya-sama: Love Is War?
Best Girl – Kaguya Shinomiya, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War?
Best Boy – Shoyo Hinata, HAIKYU!! TO THE TOP
Best Protagonist – Catarina Claes, My Next Life As a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
Best Antagonist – Ryomen Sukuna, JUJUTSU KAISEN
Best Fight Scene – Deku Vs. Overhaul, My Hero Academia Season 4
Best Score – Kevin Penkin, Tower of God
Best Director – Masaaki Yuasa, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
Best Character Design – Mayuka Ito, Original Designs by Aidairo, Toilet-bound Hanako-kun
Best Couple – Nasa Yuzaki & Tsukasa Yuzaki, TONIKAWA: Over the Moon for You
Best VA Performance (JP) – Yusuke Kobayashi as Natsuki Subaru, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- (Season 2)
Best VA Performance (EN) – Zeno Robinson as Hawks, My Hero Academia Season 4
Best Opening Sequence (OP) – “Wild Side” (ALI), BEASTARS
Best Ending Sequence (ED) – “LOST IN PARADISE” (ALI feat. AKLO), JUJUTSU KAISEN
In addition to the night’s big winners, Crunchyroll revealed five new titles coming to the platform:
- Tokyo Revengers | This action-packed series follows young Takemichi Hanagaki after a tragic event sends him back in time and provides him with an opportunity to change the fate of his loved ones and to build a new future. (Trailer)
- ZOMBIE LAND SAGA REVENGE | This second season of the cutting-edge zombie idol anime follows the undead idol group Franchouchou as they embark on their latest adventures towards legendary fame. (Trailer)
- I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years | This comedic series follows a powerful witch who would rather not work too hard, but somehow finds herself in a variety of curious adventures.
- JORAN THE PRINCESS OF SNOW AND BLOOD | This anime, set in 1931, follows Sawa Yukimura, a member of the secret organization Nue, who has dedicated her life to avenging the death of her family.
- ODDTAXI | An original anime series focused on a solitary taxi driver.
The 2021 Crunchyroll Anime Awards was sponsored by Princess Connect! Re: Dive, the latest addition to the Crunchyroll Games portfolio. (Check it out here.)
