Before I start harshly criticizing, or rather whining, I will admit this – the Crunchyroll Anime Awards are a much-needed milestone in the anime industry.
It gives a voice to the fans watching the anime and like Megan Thee Stallion said at the event – we get to know what people are “vibing” with. Above all, the recognition that the industry and artists have overcome this will go a long way in generating positive feedback, which in my personal opinion is quite meaningful in terms of Castle.
Although very strong pros, I feel that the way the winner is decided could have been streamlined and refined a bit more. Because with the current situation, the Anime Awards reflect more on the series’ popularity than its value.
It can be a wise choice for show hosts to base prizes on what fans love. But just because an anime has a large fan base doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best anime. There are many reasons for a series’ popularity, and it’s not a mistake to equate it with excellence.
And branding such a show “best” instead of “most popular” would be crude. disservice.
Usually the suspect
However, the voting system used by Crunchyroll makes it easy for the crowd of participants to vote in their favor.
Currently, the winners are selected through two rounds of voting –
In round one, a panel of judges will determine six nominees for each category. In round two, the same panel will vote along with fans to help determine the Big Winner in each category.
The weight of fan votes in deciding the winner here is quite heavy. And it can be a double-edged sword. Animehunch is part of the jury, so we’re joking too!
This system can be deceiving because it’s all about bragging rights when it comes to the majority of a show’s fans. And if they decide to follow their whims, the concept of winners and losers will become distant.
That has happened in the past and it happened again at this year’s event. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 won a whopping 9 of the 13 categories it was nominated for. On the other hand, other films like Vinland Saga Season 2, Zom 100, Heavenly Delusion could not even win a single award, despite being nominated in this category. many categories.
If these titles were more popular among fans, the results might have been different – trust me.
Like I said, you can consider this the ramblings of a salty fan. Before getting into the swing of things, however, I’d like to note that in a competitive space, fans often lose objectivity when it comes to choosing the best of the lot. Their choice naturally tends towards the title they love the most and the title that is most worthy.
Before you throw accusations of hypocrisy at me, let me make one thing clear – I am a giant Jujutsu Kaisen Fan. I teach Jujutsu Kaisen. I can talk to you about the nuances of Gege’s story and defend the series vehemently when needed. However, to be honest, there are other titles that are better than Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2.
For example, Vinland Saga Season 2 is clearly a better recipient of the Anime of the Year award than its hugely popular counterpart. It has a better theme, consistent animation, and portrays an originality and depth that the other nominees lack.
Shibuya is top notch, I agree, but in terms of overall anime quality, Vinland Saga is superior every day. Ask a neutral person – they might agree with me.
Naturally, that made me wonder – wouldn’t it be helpful to have a panel of judges review the final results to ensure that worthy candidates weren’t thrown out? It would be better if more industry-related personnel participated in the final judging panel, with the winners decided on the basis of a combination of fan votes as well as input from Judges?
Or, Crunchyroll could include separate critics’ awards to ensure that anime doesn’t get overlooked for not being a global hit.
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards is still in its infancy – and it will certainly grow much bigger in the coming years, thanks to the growing popularity of anime globally and also due to how active the platform is being. attract markets around the world.
However, if Crunchyroll wants to turn its special event into a more enjoyable and legitimate experience rather than being labeled as pure fan service – it needs to amend the way it decides winners. However, in the end, the ball was at their feet.