Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2024: Jujutsu Kaisen Culpable on A Night of Revelries and Shockers
Anime lovers worldwide rejoiced over the past weekend as the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2024 took place in Japan. It was indeed a night dedicated to the top anime of 2023 in a grander setup than what is expected, since the competition was strong on the foreground, debuting some revered series like the much-anticipated Shingeki no Kyojin (*Attack on Titan) Roots, Praise Love Eruption and Suffering.
The best title of the night, however, was ‘Jujutsu Kaisen (Season 2),’ which took home nine major awards and was declared as the Best Anime of the Year. But the night goes without surprises or disappointments for some of the fan loved anime.
Best Of the Night
Although Kending Jujutsu Kaisen did rob most of the glory with their wins across majority of the categories, they were not the only winners of the night:
- Kimetsu no Yaiba: Blacksmith Village Arc, two awards for broke the best animated macho power fantasy.
- Pop Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume, named as Best Film.
- Chainsaw Man demi god of explosions that secured the Best Premiere Series award.
- *One Piece blast from the past bolstered the Best Ongoing Anime title which validated its legacy.
Nevertheless, the audience friendly Oshi no Ko after performing strongly in the nominations, suffered only one success, in the Best Anime Song for Idol by YOASOBI.
Luo Hakuram Shizzu: Victorious Birth of the Almighty God
– The Future Children’s Econominz Sourcing their Common Wealth Confession Water Medium Haka and O Tsuka
- Anime of the Year: Jujutsu Kaisen, Season 2
- Film of the Year: Suzume
- Best Debut Series: Chainsaw Man
- Best Running Series: One Piece
- Best New Series: Buddy Daddies
Genre Awards
- Best Action: Jujutsu Kaisen, Season 2
- Best Fantasy: Kimetsu no Yaiba, The Blacksmith Village Arc
- Best Drama: Attack on Titan: Final Season- The Last Chapters 1
- Best Comedy: Spy x Family
- Best Romance: Horimiya: Missing Pieces
- Best Slice of Life: Bocchi the Rock!
Technical Achievements
- Best Direction in a Series: Shota Goshozono, Jujutsu Kaisen, Season 2
- Best Edited Anime: Kimetsu no Yaiba: The Blacksmith Village Arc
- Best Cinematography: Jujutsu Kaisen 2
- Best set design: Kimetsu no Yaibas: Blacksmith Village Arc
- Best Music Score: Attack on titan: The Last Chapters Part 1
Character Awards
- Best Male lead: Monkey D. Luffy, One Piece
- Best Female Lead: Satoru Gojo, Jujutsu Kaisen
- Best Character You Would Die For: Anya Forger, Spy x Family
- Best Character Design Award: Sayaka Koiso & Tadashi Hiramatsu, The Case Study of Vanitas 2
Music Awards
- Best Anime Song: ‘Idol’ by YOASOBI (Oshi no Ko)
- Best Opening Theme: Where Our Blue Is’ by Tatsuya Kitani (Juju Kaisen Sequel – Episode 1)
- Best Ending Theme: Akari’ by Soshi Sakiyama (Jujutsu Kaisen Season Two)
Voice Acting
- Best Japanese Voice Acting Performance: Yuichi Nakamura in the role of Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2)
- Best Spanish Voice Acting Performance: Joel Gómez Jimenez in the role of Denji (Chainsaw Man)
Most Notable Achievements and Oversights
The most important Loser was who took the night’s stage awards in the grand total of 12. It can be said, that MAPPA’s creative output was confirmed to receive an overwhelming positive response from its audience even when there are allegations about their labor abuses. Also, the night had some let downs as well, with shows like *Vinland Saga, Skip and Loafer, or *Tengoku Daimakyo all attempts to be critiques’ favorites but went home empty handed raising the question whether fan favorites are sacrificed for mainstream favorites.
A Brief View Into 2025
2023 turned out to be an eventful year when it comes to the anime world and its creations however we expect Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and The Apothecary Diaries to perform well in the 2025 Crunchyroll awards. Both these big titles broke into the screen in the later part of 2023 and hence did not make it into the nominations this year due to the cut off dates.
Conclusion
The Oscar for the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards was awarded in favor of the most multiculturally rich, as well as elaborative in every sense of the word. Jujutsu Kaisen has become a real cultural phenomenon. It doesn’t really matter, what series you are rooting for, because in unison or even in solo, it’s definitely a showcase of Gundam strength.