Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2024: ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ Dominates
‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ Season 2 emerged as the big winner at Crunchyroll’s Anime Awards in Tokyo over the weekend. The show clinched the top honour for anime of the year and triumphed in 10 other categories, including best director, best character design, best action, and best cinematography. The best film award went to Makoto Shinkai’s anime blockbuster ‘Suzume’, while ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc’ took home multiple key categories, such as best animation and best fantasy.
In its eighth year, the annual awards show recognizes outstanding achievements in Japanese animation across various categories, with winners determined by a global popular vote. The event was broadcast live on Crunchyroll, the anime streaming platform owned by Sony Group, and later released on the brand’s YouTube and Twitch channels. The show was hosted by Japanese entertainer Jon Kabira and voice actress Sally Amaki.
The Anime Awards have gained popularity in recent years, thanks to the participation of international celebrities who are known anime enthusiasts serving as presenters and performers.
This year’s eclectic lineup included multi-Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion, Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho (‘Parasite’), Japanese singer-songwriter LiSA, Oscar-winning duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller (‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’), filmmaker Joaquim Dos Santos (‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’), NFL star DeMarcus Lawrence, actress Iman Vellani (‘The Marvels”), former WWE champion Mercedes Varnado, Indian actor Rashmika Mandanna, recording artist Labrinth, actor-entrepreneur Liza Soberano, Japanese TV personality So Takei, actor-singer-model Chiaki Kuriyama and Japanese personality Roland.
Viewers were treated to musical performances, including the first live rendition of the new official “Anime Awards Theme Song,” created and performed by composers Hiroyuki Sawano (‘Attack on Titan,’ ‘Solo Leveling’) and Kohta Yamamoto (‘Attack on Titan’, ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’).
There was also a performance of ‘battlecry,’ the opening song of Samurai Champloo, in commemoration of the show’s 20th anniversary, and a rendition of ‘Idol’ by the popular Japanese pop duo Yoasobi, who will perform at Coachella soon. A live orchestra played a medley of iconic anime songs to celebrate fan-favourite series reaching milestones this year.
A full list of 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards winners follows:
Anime of the Year: ‘Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death’
Best Action: ‘Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death’
Best Animation: ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village ‘Arc
Best Anime Song: ‘Idol’ by Yoasobi for Oshi no Ko
Best Comedy: ‘Spy x Family’ Season 1 Cour 2
Best Continuing Series: ‘One Piece’
Best Director: Shota Goshozono, ‘Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death’
Best Drama: ‘Attack on Titan: The Final Chapters Special 1’
Best Fantasy: ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc’
Best Film: ‘Suzume’
Best Main Character: Monkey D. Luffy from ‘One Piece’
Best New Series: ‘Chainsaw Man’
Best Original Anime: ‘Buddy Daddies’
Best Romance: ‘Horimiya: The Missing Pieces’
Best Score: ‘Attack on Titan: The Final Chapters Special 1’
Best Supporting Character: Satoru Gojo from ‘Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death’
– Farheen Ali
