Anime awards are a way to recognize the best and most popular animated films from all over the world. These awards are presented to the people, staff, and studios behind the creation and production of the series or films annually. This recognition helps to identify and promote the very best in anime-style storytelling.
The anime awards come in many forms. Many series receive public preference awards sponsored by online discussion communities such as Twitter, where viewers can “vote” for their favorite anime. Alternatively, other awards are given by professional critics and anime magazines. The most prestigious awards in the anime industry are governed through the Anime Grand Prix, which is considered the definitive competition for the best series of a given year.
The Biggest Winners in Anime Awards
Anime awards are one of the most exciting parts of watching anime; they allow viewers to see which series were highly praised by professionals and fans alike. It is also a way of honoring the creatives behind the scenes who worked hard to bring their story to the small screen. While there is much debate about which series should have won, we take a look at some of the biggest winners in anime awards in recent years.
Kimi no Na wa
Possibly one of the most successful and talked-about anime films to come out this decade, “Kimi no Na Wa (Your Name)” is no stranger to the anime award circuit. In 2016, the movie won the Best Work Prize at the 39th Japan Academy Awards and Best Animated Feature Film at the 73rd Mainichi Film Awards. It was also nominated for numerous other awards, including Best Feature Film at the 20th Japan Media Arts Festival, and Animation of the Year at the Tokyo Anime Award.
Your Lie in April
This widely beloved anime series was praised by both fans and critically acclaimed professionals. In 2015, it swept through the awards season with a total of four Grand Prix awards, namely Best Work Prize, Best Animation, Best Director and Best Music awards from the Tokyo Anime Award and Japan Media Arts Festival. It was also (among other things) the winner of the Animation of the Year Award at the 18th Annual Tokyo Anime Award and the Movie/Drama Prize for TV Animation at the 2016 Tokyo Anime Award.
My Hero Academia
Widely considered one of the best new anime series of the last decade, My Hero Academia (MHA) has since gone on to win numerous awards. In 2018, the series was the winner of both the Animation of the Year at the 25th Tokyo Anime Award and BTVA Anime Dub Award for Best Anime of the Year. It has also been nominated and won various awards in Japan, including the Animation of the Year at the 2018 Tokyo Anime Award and the Shin-ei Educational prize at the 2019 Shin-ei Film Festival.
Love Live! Sunshine!!
Love Live! Sunshine!! is a spinoff series of the popular idol franchise, Love Live! It was one of the most highly realized shows of the last few years and was recognized by many leading anime award platforms. In 2018, the series was awarded two awards at the 30th Japan Media Arts Festival: Excellence in Animation and the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Prize. It was also the winner of the Best Animation of the Year award at the 24th Tokyo Anime Award.
Sailor Moon Crystal
Sailor Moon Crystal was the rebooted adaptation of Naoko Takeuchi’s original Sailor Moon series, and it was a hit with fans and critics alike. The series had a strong award season in 2016, where it was nominated for numerous awards, including Best Animation at the 15th Tokyo Anime Award. In the end, it won three awards, namely the Blu-ray Disc Award at the 21st Animation Kobe Festival, the Representative Work Prize at the 39th Japan Academy Awards, and Best TV Animation at the 16th Tokyo Anime Award.
Anime awards are a great way to recognize excellence in animation and celebrate the hard work of the people behind the scenes. From Shinkai Makoto’s Kimi no Na wa to the classic Sailor Moon Crystal, the anime awards are a good gauge of the best series of the year. Every anime fan should keep track of the different awards presented each year to better understand the current state of anime and to stay in the loop with newly acclaimed shows and films.
