Crunchyroll announces their nominees for their Anime Awards
This year’s nominees for Crunchyroll’s annual awards have been announced and voting has begun on their website. To all those anime fans out there, this year’s nominees span a more diverse range of genres than in previous years, though there are some seminal favorites among them. Somewhat surprisingly, Violet Evergarden and Megalobox lead the nominees this year, which is a much-deserved departure from nominees in previous years. Be sure to go vote for your favorites this year.
- Best Protagonist
- Retsuko – Aggretsuko
- Yumeko Jabami – Kakegurui
- Joe – Megalobox
- Violet Evergarden – Violet Evergarden
- Rimuru Tempest – That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
- Sakuta Azusagawa – Rascal Does Not Drea of Bunny Girl Sempai
Though I loved many of the characters in this category, I had to vote for Violet Evergarden. Her journey in the anime was the most compelling out of all these nominees.
- Best Antagonist
- Ryo Asuka – Devilman Crybaby
- Akane Shinjo – SSSS.Gridman
- All for One – My Hero Academia: Season 3
- Yuri – Megalobox
- Tokushiro Tsurumi – Golden Kamuy
- Momoga – Overlord III
I voted for Yuri, because though I love My Hero Academia, Yuri for embodied a fully fleshed out Antagonist for Joe in Megalobox.
- Best Boy
- Kotaro Tatsumi – Zombieland Saga
- Honda-san – Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san
- Izuku Midoriya – My Hero Academia: Season 3
- Sakuta Azusagawa – Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Sempai
- Halda – Aggretsuko
- Joe – Megalobox
There was no way that I wasn’t voting for Joe from Megalobox. There is only one character and anime out of all the nominees that had me more engrossed and hooked into the story than Joe. This anime grabbed me from the first minutes and hooked me in for the full ride, and a lot of that is owed to the struggles of Joe, and his journey to be the king of the ring.
- Best Girl
- Anzu – Hinamatsuri
- Hinata Miyako – A Place Further Than the Universe
- Lily Hoshikawa – Zonbieland Saga
- Asirpa – Golden Kamuy
- Nadeshiko Kagamihara – Laid-Back Camp
- Mal Sakurajima – Rascal Does Not Dream Of Bunny Girl Sempai
Honestly, I voted for the only anime out of all of these that I had a chance to watch, and that was Anzu from Hinamatsuri. I really liked this anime and Anzu’s story of coming to the story in order to take Hina back to where they came from. When she couldn’t achieve that, she decided to stay in this world and make a way for herself. Sometimes she was lost and homeless, but little by little she made a place in this world, and the story of her journey was a nice subplot to this well-told story.
- Best Opening Sequence
- Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku – Fiction
- Darling in the Franxx – Kiss of Death
- Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler – Deal with the Devil
- Pop Team Epic – Pop Team Epic
- Aggretsuko – Aggretsuko Theme
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golded Wind – Fighting Gold
Though I really liked the openings from Kakegurui and Darling in the Franxx, there was no way that I wasn’t voting for Wotakoi. This anime is an amazing and funny slice of life anime about the pitfall and awkwardness of dating an otaku, especially when both participants are otaku. The opening sequence of this anime was infectious from the first few notes and had me humming it without realizing many times, and if you look up the opening on YouTube, you will find that I’m not the only one who feels that way.
- Best Ending Sequence
- Megalobox – Kakatte Koi Yo
- Attack on Titan: Season 3
- After the Rain – Ref: Rain
- FLCL Alternative – Star Overhead
- Revue Starlight – Fly Me to the Star
- FLCL Progressive – Spiky Seeds
I couldn’t vote for this one, because though I loved Megalobox and its opening, I couldn’t really get behind the ending sequence. It didn’t hit me like the ending sequence animes such as Noragami, Asterisk War, Food Wars, or Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens. In fact, I’m wondering why Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens didn’t get nominated. The ending song is so reminiscent of Cowboy Bebop’s Tank, and so encapsulates the tone of the story of that anime, I don’t know why the nomination board didn’t add it instead of one of the FLCL endings nominated.
- Best VA Performance (JP)
- Mamoru Miyano – Kotaro Tatsumi – Zombieland Saga
- Soma Saito – Honda-san – Skull-Face Bookselle Honda-san
- Megumi Han – Miki Makimura – Devilman Crybaby
- Nao Toyama – Rin Shima – Laid-Back Camp
- Rareko – Retsuko – Aggretsuko
- Reina Ueda – Akane Shinjo – SSSS.Gridman
I didn’t vote for this category, because I didn’t watch any of these animes.
- Best VA Performace (EN)
- Karl Whalgren – Haruko Haruhara – FLCL Progressive
- Christopher Sabat – All Might – My Hero Academia: Season 3
- Erica Mendez – Retsuko – Aggretsuko
- David Wald – Narrator – Mr Tonegawa: Middle Management Blues
- Tia Ballard – Zero Two – Darling in the Franxx
- Erika Harlacher – Violet Evergarden – Violet Evergarden
Though I loved everything about Darling in the Franxx and Violet Evergarden, it truly was a flip of the coin for me between these two performances. I love Tia Ballard saucy, yet harsh portrayal of Zero; and I love the way Erica Harlacher portrayed Violet journey to understanding what it actually means when someone says that they love you, and how she took Violet from being this wooden, autonomous shell to a woman learning and understanding what it means to be a feeling human being full of emotion. I literally had to flip a coin, and Tia Ballard won the coin flip.
- Best Director
- Masaaki Yuasa – Devilman Crybaby
- Atsuko Ishizuka – A Place Further Than The Universe
- You Moriyama – Megalobox
- Yohei Suzuki – Planet With
- Taichi Ishidate – Violet Evergarden
- Hiroko Utsumi – Banana Fish
Again, another toss-up between Megalobox and Violet Evergarden. Both animes hit me in different ways, but they both hooked me in for the ride and didn’t let go for days and weeks after I finish their tellings. Violet Evergarden won the coin flip.
- Best Animation
- Violet Evergarden – Kyoto Animation
- Devilman Crybaby – Science Saru
- Megalobox – TMS Entertainment/3XCube
- A Place Further than the Universe – Madhouse
- Bloom Into You – Troyca
- My Hero Academia: Season 3 – Bones
I’ve seen at least some of all of these animes, and the clear winner here is Megalobox in my mind. I love the feel of softness and the way first love would look to someone in Bloom into You. I felt the balls to the walls action of the visuals in My Hero Academia. I feel the pure insanity of Devilman Crybaby even from one episode; I felt the tone and color palette change in Violet Evergarden, but it was the tone and animation style of the fights in Megalobox that won my vote.
- Best Film
- The Night is Short, Walk on Girl – Science Saru
- My Hero Academia: Two Heroes – Bones
- Mirai of the Future – Studio Chizu
- Liz and the Blue Bird – Kyoto Animation
- Mazinger Z: Infinity – Toei Animation
- Fireworks – Shaft – Shaft
I didn’t watch any of these movies, unfortunately, so I couldn’t vote on this one. That being said, I’d love to see a few of these.
- Best Character Design
- Violet Evergarden
- Devilman Crybaby
- Zombieland Saga
- Megalobox
- Aggretsuko
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
I gotta say that though I want to pick Megalobox or Violet Evergarden, from what I’ve seen of the anime, I have no choice but to pick Devilman Crybaby for its unique and insanity-fueled designs.
- Anime of the Year
- A Place Further than the Universe
- Devilman Crybaby
- Megalobox
- Violet Evergarden
- Hinamatsuri
- Zombieland Saga
There is no way that I’m not voting for Violet Evergarden. This anime took me completely by surprise. It reached in grabbed a hold of heart. Next, it ripped out my heart stomped on it repeatedly, and just for kicks decided to stab it a few times for good measure. I mean I’ve shed a few tears while watching certain animes like The Ancient Magus’ Bride or Snow White with the Red Hair, but no anime and very few movies have ever made me unabashedly ball and sob like a newborn baby. This anime has left its mark in my heart, and I dare anyone who has a heart to watch this anime and not be affected in some way, and that’s why it’s my choice for Anime of the Year.
- Best Fight Scene (sponsored by Capcom)
- Hina vs Anzu – Hinamatsuri
- All for One vs All Might – My Hero Academia: Season 3
- Naruto & Sasuke vs Momoshiki – Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
- Jiren vs Goku – Dragon Ball Super
- Yami vs Licht – Black Clover
- Satan vs Devilman – Devilman Crybaby
Since I’ve only seen one of these fights, I couldn’t possibly vote on this award.
- Best Continuing Series (presented by VRV)
- The Ancient Magus’ Bride
- Dragon Ball Super
- Black Clover
- March comes in like a lion
- One Piece
- Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Out of all these amazing animes, I have personally loved the Ancient Magus’ Bride the most, since it first released, so that’s the one I voted for.
So let me know in the comments, what anime shows did you like in 2018? Which ones would you have nominated and for the Anime Awards? Do you plan to vote, if so which ones from the nominees did you like? Again thanks for reading and supporting me. If you like this article or any of the articles on my blog, please be sure to like and/or subscribe.
