The seventh iteration of the biggest awards ceremony for anime worldwide, the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, will take place in Japan for the first time ever in 2023, according to Crunchyroll, the global leader in delivering fans the ideal anime experience everywhere.
The Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa in Tokyo will host the Anime Awards live ceremony on Saturday, March 4, 2023. It will bring together the studios, artists, composers, and voice actors behind the community’s favorite anime series, movies, and music.
Additionally, several of Crunchyroll’s social media outlets will stream the event. The event will be carried out in collaboration between Crunchyroll and Sony Music Solutions, a division of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
Read more to find out about the background, categories, how to vote, where to watch, judges etc.
| Awards given for | Best anime in the preceding year |
| Given by | Crunchyroll |
| First Awards Ceremony | 2017 |
| 2023 anime awards date | March 6, 2023 |
| Place of award | Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa, Tokyo, Japan |
| Hosts | Sally Amaki Jon Kabira |
| Voting Dates | January 19 to 25, 2023 |
| Judges | 56 (see below for list) |
| Categories | 31 (see below for list) |
| Official Website | https://www.crunchyroll.com/animeawards/index.html |
Nominees revealed and voting started – Know how to vote
Crunchyroll has announced that nominees for the awards have been announced and voting has begun. Follow the below steps to know how to vote for your favorite nominations:
Follow easy Steps for voting:
- Visit Crunchyroll website and sign in using your account
- If you do not have an account yet, you can create an account easily by clicking on “Create One”
- Enter your email address and preferred password to create an account
- You will need to validate your account by clicking on the confirmation link sent to your mail
- Voting will begin on January 19, 2023 and end on January 25, 2023
- Now you are eligible to vote everyday during the above period. Click on the following link
- Login and choose the category under which you want to cast your vote
- Find out the nominees mentioned against each category
- Click on the nominee and Cast your vote (as shown in the image below)
- You can even share your vote with friends and social circles!
- The winners will be chosen by a panel of judges (more on it below)
- The live streaming will start from March 4, 2023 across various channels (stay tuned)
The nominations have been revealed and here they are:
| Anime of the Year | Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Ranking of Kings (cour 2) Lycoris Recoil SPY x FAMILY |
| Best Character Design | Cyberpunk: Edgerunners JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc Ranking of Kings (Cour 2) My Dress-Up Darling SPY x FAMILY |
| Best Original Anime | BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story- Healer Girl Lycoris Recoil The Orbital Children Vampire in the Garden YUREI DECO |
| Best Animation | Akebi’s Sailor Uniform Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 Ranking of Kings (Cour 2) Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc SPY x FAMILY |
| Best Continuing Series | Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean One Piece |
| Best New Series | Call of the Night Lycoris Recoil Cyberpunk: Edgerunners SPY x FAMILY My Dress-Up Darling Ya Boy Kongming! |
| Best Ending Sequence | “Akuma no Ko,” Ai Higuchi, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 “My Heart Has Surrendered,” Airi Suzuki, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic- “Comedy,” Gen Hoshino, SPY x FAMILY “Koshaberibiyori,” FantasticYouth, Komi Can’t Communicate (2nd series) “Koi no yukue,” Akari Akase, My Dress-Up Darling “Yofukashino Uta,” Creepy Nuts, Call of the Night |
| Best Opening Sequence | “Chikichiki Banban,” QUEENDOM, Ya Boy Kongming! “Naked Hero,” Vaundy, Ranking of Kings (Cour 2) “Mixed Nuts,” Official HIGE DANdism, SPY x FAMILY “This Fffire,” Franz Ferdinand, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners “The Rumbling,” SiM, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 “Zankyousanka,” Aimer, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc |
| Best Film | Bubble INU-OH Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO One Piece Film Red JUJUTSU KAISEN 0 The Deer King |
| Best Score | Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc Cyberpunk: Edgerunners SPY x FAMILY Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun Ya Boy Kongming! |
| Best Director | Haruo Sotozaki, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc Yosuke Hatta, Ranking of Kings (Cour 2) Kazuhiro Furuhashi, SPY x FAMILY Hiroyuki Imaishi, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Shingo Adachi, Lycoris Recoil Yuichiro Hayashi, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 |
| Best Anime Song | “Chikichiki Banban,” QUEENDOM, Ya Boy Kongming! “My Nonfiction,” Miyuki Shirogane (CV: Makoto Furukawa) & Chika Fujiwara (CV: Konomi Kohara), Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic- “Comedy,” Gen Hoshino, SPY x FAMILY “Shall We Dance?,” ReoNa, SHADOWS HOUSE -2nd Season- “New Genesis,” Ado, One Piece Film Red “The Rumbling,” SiM, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 |
| Best Supporting Character | Ai Hayasaka, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic- Kage, Ranking of Kings (Cour 2) Anya Forger, SPY x FAMILY Tengen Uzui, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc Rebecca, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Yor Forger, SPY x FAMILY |
| Best Action | Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Lycoris Recoil JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean SPY x FAMILY |
| “Must Protect At All Costs” Character | Anya Forger, SPY x FAMILY Komi Shouko, Komi Can’t Communicate (2nd series) Bojji, Ranking of Kings (Cour 2) Kage, Ranking of Kings (Cour 2) Marin Kitagawa, My Dress-Up Darling Kotaro Sato, Kotaro Lives Alone |
| Best Drama | 86 EIGHTY-SIX Part 2 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 Kotaro Lives Alone Dance Dance Danseur Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun |
| Best Comedy | Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic- My Dress-Up Darling Kotaro Lives Alone Uncle from Another World SPY x FAMILY Ya Boy Kongming! |
| Best Romance | Call of the Night Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic- Komi Can’t Communicate (2nd Series) Love After World Domination My Dress-Up Darling Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie |
| Best Fantasy | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 1 Part 2 Overlord IV Ranking of Kings (Cour 2) The Case Study of Vanitas (Cour 2) |
| Best VA Performance (Japanese) | Atsumi Tanezaki, Anya Forger, SPY x FAMILY Fairouz Ai, Jolyne Cujoh, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean Chika Anzai, Chisato Nishikigi, Lycoris Recoil Natsuki Hanae, Tanjiro Kamado, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc Misaki Kuno, Faputa and Irumyuui, Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun Yuki Kaji, Eren Yeager, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 |
| Best VA Performance (English) | Amanda Lee (Ama Lee), Marin Kitagawa, My Dress-Up Darling Natalie Van Sistine, Yor Forger, SPY x FAMILY Cherami Leigh, Kotaro Sato, Kotaro Lives Alone Zach Aguilar, David, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners SungWon Cho (AKA ProZD), Kage, Ranking of Kings (Cour 2) Zeno Robinson, Gamma 2, Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO |
Following is the list of the winners in the previous edition in 2022:
| Anime of the Year | Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 1 |
| Best Boy | Bojji — Ranking of Kings |
| Best Girl | Nobara Kugisaki – Jujutsu Kaisen |
| Best Protagonist | Odokawa — Odd Taxi |
| Best Antagonist | Eren Jaeger — Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 1 |
| Best Fight Scene | Yuji Itadori & Aoi Todo vs. Hanami— Jujutsu Kaisen |
| Best Director | Baku Kinoshita — Odd Taxi |
| Best Animation | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc — Ufotable |
| Best Character Design | Tadashi Hiramatsu, original designs by Gege Akutami — Jujutsu Kaisen |
| Best Score | Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc |
| Best VA Performance (JP) | Yuki Kaji as Eren Jaeger — Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 1 |
| Best VA Performance (EN) | David Wald as Ainosuke Shindo — SK8 the Infinity |
| Best Opening Sequence | “Boku no Sensou” by Shinsei Kamattechan — Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 1 |
| Best Ending Sequence | “Shirogane” by LiSA — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc |
| Best Action | Jujutsu Kaisen — MAPPA |
| Best Comedy | Komi Can’t Communicate — OLM |
| Best Drama | To Your Eternity — Brain’s Base |
| Best Romance | Horimiya — CloverWorks |
| Best Fantasy | That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (season 2) — Eight Bit |
| Best Film | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train — Ufotable |
7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2023 – Background
The annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards, often known as The Anime Awards, are presented by the anime streaming platform Crunchyroll to honor the greatest anime of the preceding year.
The awards were first awarded in January 2017 after being announced in December 2016. It is a worldwide celebration that honors the anime artists, series, and creators that are most beloved by fans worldwide, according to Crunchyroll.
Twenty judges representing a variety of backgrounds choose six recent anime titles for each category and then reveal the winners. Each category’s candidates are voted on, with the judges casting 70% of the votes and the general public casting the remaining 30%.
The Main Banquet Hall of the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa in Tokyo, Japan, will host the 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards on March 6, 2023. Since 2020, there have only been virtual ceremonies; the ceremonies in 2021 and 2022 will be the first to be performed in person.
Furthermore, it will be the first physical ceremony to take place in Japan; up until now, they have all taken place in the United States. Nominations for this season are open for anime that debuted on Japanese television or the internet between November 2021 and September 2022. Sally Amaki, a voice actor, and Jon Kabira, a broadcaster, will serve as the ceremony’s hosts.
Crunchyroll and Sony Music Solutions worked together on strategy and execution; Telescope Inc. was in charge of overseeing the voting process.
On December 8, 2022, Crunchyroll revealed the judges and categories. The 31 categories in this edition are split into “major categories” and “fan categories.” While results for the fan categories will be revealed via an earlier worldwide livestream event, victors for the major categories will be revealed physically.
Read about previous Crunchyroll Anime winners and categories.
Which categories form part of 2023 Crunchyroll Anime Awards?
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards have modified a few categories for 2022. The Best Girl, Best Boy, Best Antagonist and Best Fight Scene categories have been eliminated.
The Best Anime Song, Best Original Anime, Best Continuing Series, Best Main Character, Best New Series, Best Supporting Character, Special Achievement Award, “Must Protect At All Costs” Character, and Presenter’s Choice categories have all been added in their place.
Anime of the Year, Best Character Design, Best Animation, Best Director, Best Comedy, Best Fantasy, Best Romance, Best Film and Best Score are returning from prior years.
The Special Achievement Award will be given by an industry panel chosen by Crunchyroll, while the Presenter’s Choice award winner will be chosen by special guests of the Anime Awards.
The Special Achievement award honors a current or former individual, studio, or business that has significantly impacted the anime industry. It alludes to being a legend in the field.
How are the Categories Chosen?
Every year, Crunchyroll assesses its categories and occasionally adds new ones in response to user input and advances in the anime business.
Following are the list of categories where award will be given in 2023:
- ANIME OF THE YEAR
- BEST ANIMATION
- BEST CHARACTER DESIGN
- BEST ORIGINAL ANIME
- BEST NEW SERIES
- BEST OPENING SEQUENCE
- BEST ENDING SEQUENCE
- BEST CONTINUING SERIES
- BEST FILM
- BEST SCORE
- BEST MAIN CHARACTER
- BEST DIRECTOR
- BEST ACTION
- “MUST PROTECT AT ALL COSTS” CHARACTER
- BEST SUPPORTING CHARACTER
- BEST MAIN CHARACTER
- BEST COMEDY
- BEST ROMANCE
- BEST FANTASY
- BEST DRAMA
- BEST VA PERFORMANCE (CASTILIAN)
- BEST VA PERFORMANCE (ARABIC)
- BEST VA PERFORMANCE (FRENCH)
- BEST VA PERFORMANCE (ENGLISH)
- BEST VA PERFORMANCE (GERMAN)
- BEST VA PERFORMANCE (ITALIAN)
- BEST VA PERFORMANCE (PORTUGUESE)
- BEST VA PERFORMANCE (JAPANESE)
- BEST VA PERFORMANCE (SPANISH)
- BEST ANIME SONG
Special Categories:
- SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
- PRESENTER’S CHOICE
They will be identified from an industry expert panel or special guests present at the show.
Nominees for the awards
Voting will be out for anime fans shortly after the nominees are revealed in early 2023. The vote results will be revealed to the public on March 4, 2023, during the Crunchyroll’s Anime Awards.
The majority of the categories are simple to comprehend, but two of the new ones are less clear. The Presenter’s Choice award, which might be awarded to a person, studio, or business whom they consider to be a “honored contribution” to the anime community, will be delivered by a special guest.
An industry panel will choose the recipient of the Special Achievement Award, which confers “legendary status” on a contributor to the anime community.
Additionally, fans will be able to vote on categories that will not be present during the live event. The “Must Protect At All Costs” Character, Best Drama, Best Ending Sequence, and Best Main Character are among them.
The Voice Actor Award will feature performers who have worked in a variety of languages, including Arabic, English, French, Castilian, Italian, German, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese. This demonstrates anime’s influence on the whole world and how far the genre has advanced since its inception.
The home of anime itself is the ideal location to celebrate the Anime Awards, according to Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini. Anime is a rich narrative medium that captivates the minds and emotions of viewers around.
We are eager to demonstrate the adoration that anime fans throughout the world have for the production companies, artists, and reliable partners that make anime.
Selection Process for Nomination
They will be chosen by a team of judges from Crunchyroll that includes media experts and business insiders. The six candidates who receive the most mentions in this first round of voting—in which each judge can submit up to five qualified candidates per category via a password-protected digital ballot—become the Round One Nominees. For accuracy and fairness, the partner Telescope will oversee the voting process.
Eligibility criteria for Nomination
Unless otherwise specified, candidates must be a part of or be an anime that satisfies all of the following criteria:
- Are regarded as animated television shows.
- Japan was the location of primary production.
- At least a portion of one episode was shown on Japanese television or online between November 2021 and September 2022. Thus, performances that were shown in the Fall of 2022 are ineligible for this year’s show.
- Between November 2021 and September 2022, at least one episode received its initial legal broadcast outside of Japan.
How to vote?
On January 19th, 2023, online voting for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards will begin, and it will end on January 26th. Anime must have aired at least one episode in Japan between November 2021 and September 2022 in order to be eligible for this year’s awards. As a result, anime from the Fall 2022 season will be eligible next year but not this year.
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards, chosen by fans and judges from across the world, honor the best anime series, characters, and artists in streaming, cinema, and music.
Last year, approximately 40 anime studios were represented by the candidates, who received a record 16.9 million votes across a record-breaking eight streaming platforms.
Voting Process
This year, Crunchyroll and Telescope will work together to manage the voting process. They have powered voting for important program and events for 19 years, assisting in ensuring voting security and accuracy across several platforms (https://telescope.tv).
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards feature two rounds of voting, much like in years past.
Final Grand Winners will be revealed live during the March 4, 2023 Crunchyroll Anime Awards presentation.
Requirements for Voting
Fans merely must enter their email address to participate. This will enable fans to choose a Grand Winner for each category and share their choices with friends once every day.
Where to watch Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2023 for free?
Creators and artists will perform at the awards event, which will be aired on Crunchyroll’s social media channels.
Although further specifics about who has not yet been revealed, they most likely will be closer to the awards event. Sally Amaki and Jon Kabira will serve as hosts for the inaugural ceremony, which will take place in Japan.
You can watch the entire streaming of Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2023 ceremony on social networks and YouTube. You can also watch the video of on the official website of Crunchyroll.
Watch the teaser for the 2023 awards and categories from here:
Watch the 2022 Crunchyroll Anime Awards winners from the below YouTube video:
Who are the hosts for the show?
The hosts, acclaimed voice actress Sally Amaki and well-known performer Jon Kabira, have been poked by Crunchyroll. Early in the following year, they will serve as hosts of the 2023 Crunchyroll Anime Awards for the country of Japan.
Rahul Purini, President of Crunchyroll, said “Sally and Jon and I both have a strong love for anime, and we are so thrilled to have their enthusiasm and passion live alongside us at the Anime Awards next year.” “We cannot wait to reveal more soon as we look forward to honouring the minds behind anime’s most popular series.”
Sally Amaki, a native of Los Angeles, is a participant in the 22/7 (Nanabun no Nijuni) digital voice actor idol project, a partnership between Sony Music and ANIPLEX. A host and mc with a long career in entertainment, Jon Kabira has worked in radio, music, sports, and other areas for many years.
Judges for the choosing the winners
Crunchyroll has announced the list of judges who are going to choose the winners. They are eminent people and avid anime followers. The list of judges on the panel for award is as follows:
- Anne Delseit
- Capitán Urías
- Alejo N. Correa
- Christoph Alge
- Clayton Ferreira
- cavernadiplatone
- Clément Cusseau
- Damien Hilaire
- Clémence Duneau
- Daryl Surat
- Dewang Ruke
- Daniel Rodríguez Carranza
- Dion Dassanayake
- Eric Vilas-Boas
- Diego Lima
- Fábio Garcia
- Fonzy
- Eugene Sowah
- Gerald
- Helder Archer
- Isaiah Colbert
- James Perkins
- Hussain Ali Sahlan
- Jan Felix Wuttig
- Jérôme Lachasse
- James Whitbrook
- Karama Horne
- Kate Sánchez
- Kaho Shibuya
- Lynzee Loveridge
- Marta – GiapCult
- Kwok-Wai Hanson
- Matheus Bianezzi
- Mike Mamon
- Martina – GiapCult
- Moo
- Palmer Haasch
- Miki
- Rafael Jiback
- Rafael Jiback
- Pri Ganiko
- RocketsSnorlax
- Roland Kelts
- Rayan Sayyed
- Ryota Fujitsu
- Sven Raabe
- Ryo Koarai
- Tamoor
- Thomas
- Tadashi Sudo
- Toan Nguyen
- Toussaint Egan
- TiamaT
- Tristan “Arkada” Gallant
- Viet
Industry experts who have been selected for Crunchyroll panel of judges based on their impeccable reputations, breadth and variety of expertise, and capacity to remain objective.
How to receive latest updates about the awards
Follow the latest updates on all the happenings from the following Twitter Stream:
Alternatively you may visit the official website of Crunchyroll and register yourself for the newsletter to stay up to date on the awards. Once you register, you will receive updates directly to your mailbox as soon as something new is posted.
Final Thoughts
Fans of anime and manga in more than 200 countries and territories may access the programmes and activities they enjoy thanks to Crunchyroll. Crunchyroll provides the anime community with events, theatrical productions, games, consumer goods, collectibles, and manga publishing services in addition to free, ad-supported, and premium material available only through subscription.
Through Crunchyroll, anime lovers have exposure to one of the biggest libraries of licenced anime, which has been translated into many different languages for viewers all around the world. Simulcasts are popular shows that are made available to viewers right away following their Japanese broadcast.
Let us know who should be winning the awards in each category on the comments section below,
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