The Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2024 has been wrapped up recently with winners across a diverse range of categories created by the Crunchyroll, nominated by the experts and voted by the fans. It is a celebration of the best the anime industry has to offer. With exciting new categories and returning favourites, the awards once again ignited passionate fan discussions and showcased the immense diversity of anime. But how did the 2024 winners compare to their 2023 counterparts? Find out in this article:
List of Crunchyroll anime awards 2024 winners against 2023 winners
The following list consists of winners in each category, you can also refer to the list of Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2024 nominations here.
| Category | 2024 Winner | 2023 Winner |
| Anime of the Year | Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death | Cyberpunk: Edgerunners |
| Best Action | Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc |
| Best Animation | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc |
| Best Anime Song | Idol by Yoasobi (Oshi no Ko) | The Rumbling by SiM, Storyboard and Direction from Takashi Kojima (Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2) |
| Best Art Direction | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc | (This category did not exist previously) |
| Best Character Design | Sayaka Koiso, Tadashi Hiramatsu (Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death) | Hiroyuki Yamamura (Ranking of Kings) |
| Best Cinematography | Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death | (This category did not exist previously) |
| Best Comedy | Spy x Family Season 1 Cour 2 | Spy X Family |
| Best Continuing Series | One Piece | One Piece |
| Best Director | Shota Goshozono (Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death) | Haruo Sotozaki (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Entertainment District Arc) |
| Best Drama | Attack on Titan: The Final Chapters Special 1 | Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 |
| Best Ending Sequence | Akari by Soshi Sakiyama (Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death) | Comedy by Gen Hoshino (Spy X Family) |
| Best Fantasy | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Entertainment District Arc |
| Best Film | Suzume | Jujutsu Kaisen 0 |
| Best Main Character | Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece) | Eren Jaeger (Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2) |
| Best New Series | Chainsaw Man | Spy X Family |
| Best Opening Sequence | Where Our Blue Is by Tatsuya Kitani (Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death) | The Rumbling by SiM, Storyboard and Direction from Takashi Kojima (Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2) |
| Best Original Anime | Buddy Daddies | Lycoris Recoil |
| Best Romance | Horimiya: The Missing Pieces | Kaguya-sama: Love is War -Ultra Romantic- |
| Best Score | Attack on Titan: The Final Chapters Special 1 | Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 |
| Best Slice of Life | Bocchi the Rock! | (This category did not exist previously) |
| Best Supporting Character | Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death) | Loid Forger (Spy x Family) |
| “Must Protect At All Cost” Character | Anya Forger (Spy x Family Season 1 Cour 2) | Anya Forger (Spy x Family) |
Also explore: Spielanime’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2024 winner predictions
A shift in power? Jujutsu Kaisen wins Anime of the Year
Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2024 saw a significant shift in the top honour, with Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death taking home the prestigious Anime of the Year award. This dark fantasy series, brimming with intense action and well-developed characters, dethroned Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the 2023 winner known for its cyberpunk aesthetics and tragic story. While both anime have action, JJK differs in terms of genre with supernatural elements and power.
Ufotable’s achievement
While Demon Slayer lost the top prize in 2024, it continued its reign in the animation category. Both Best Animation in 2023 and Best Art Direction in 2024 went to the franchise, showcasing the Ufotable’s consistently high production quality. The breathtaking visuals, from fluid character movements to stunningly detailed backgrounds, have consistently been praised by the critics and fans alike, so the award was very well-deserved.
Dominance of Shonen
Undoubtedly, Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death (JJK) and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) emerged as the biggest winners in their respective years. However, their dominance also led to a lack of representation in several categories. It could be possible because both the anime have their own power-system so the popularity among fans was anticipated.
- JJK’s 2024 Sweep: JJK secured 8 wins in total including not only Anime of the Year, but also Best Action, Best Character Design, Best Cinematography, and Best Opening Sequence. This sweeps across various categories, particularly within the highly competitive action genre. While this showcases its undeniable impact in the anime scene of 2024, it reduced the recognition of other strong contenders in these categories.
- Demon Slayer in 2023: In 2023, Demon Slayer dominated, bagging Anime of the Year and several other awards. While its presence in 2024 was limited to Best Animation wins, it still signifies a repeated focus on the same series across two award ceremonies.
This dominance raises the question: Did the awards showcase the full breadth of exceptional anime released in both years?
Successive victories of shonen anime
Some of the Shonen fan favourites reappeared in some categories. One Piece continued its streak, winning Best Continuing Series in both years, while Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece) claimed the Best Main Character title in 2024, following Eren Yeager’s (Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2) win in 2023. This consistency demonstrates the enduring popularity of shonen characters and long-running series.
Did the winners deserve the awards or just popularity polls?
Negligence towards Chainsaw Man
While the popular vote system of the Crunchyroll anime awards offers a degree of transparency, it can also be predictable, often favouring whatever shonen is popular in the meantime. Watching the anime awards with JJK winning almost every important category feels like Chainsaw Man being snubbed.
- Though each anime has brilliant action-sequences, Jujutsu Kaisen has more to offer in terms of storytelling with supernatural elements and character growth which could be the reason why it was able to beat Chainsaw Man in the Best Anime category (Despite Chainsaw Man dominating the nominees’ list with 17 nominations this year).
- Chainsaw Man is also R-rated, considering that most of the voters are not adults, we can deduce why it did not win in most categories. Even if it did win, the recognition would not bring in more streams to Crunchyroll than what they are already getting.
Crunchyroll milking Demon Slayer
The dominance of Demon Slayer in the Crunchyroll Awards 2024 categories like Best Animation and Best Art Direction is worth raising eyebrows.
- While the series undeniably boasts impressive animation, it relies heavily on its visuals to compensate for other aspects. Additionally, the Best Fantasy win is also questionable due to the weaker seasons faced by other contenders (Mushoku and Mashle) in the Fantasy category.
- Even though Swordsmith Village Arc was not the best Demon Slayer has ever offered to us, Demon Slayer winning fantasy award for 2 years in a row shows that Crunchyroll wants to milk out the popularity of his Cash-cow.
Also explore: Is the nomination process of Crunchyroll anime awards fair?
Favouring popular anime
Such incidents create biased results with fans favoring only the popular anime rather than who actually deserves to win. Crunchyroll anime awards are based on the voting done by the anime community, while Crunchyroll itself shoves certain anime to the faces of anime communities through heavy promotions and artificial hype.
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Introduction of new categories
Crunchyroll also introduced new awards for the appreciation of heads behind the scenes with awards like Best Cinematography (claimed by JJK) and Best Art Direction (claimed by Demon Slayer). This suggests a growing appreciation for the technical aspects of anime production, with viewers recognizing the hardships behind the animation and camera work. Introducing Slice of Life also ensures the potential of inclusivity of different genres in the anime awards.
Conclusion
While specific titles may change, the awards consistently reflect the core appeal of anime. From the pulse-pounding action of Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer to the heartwarming slice-of-life moments in Bocchi the Rock! viewers connect with the emotions, themes, and characters presented.
In conclusion, the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2024 has showcased a shift in some categories while solidifying the dominance of others. Recognizing the dominance of certain shonen is not what we expect the awards shows to represent however fostering a wider range of genres will ensure these awards truly reflect the diverse anime.