It’s that time of year again! Crunchyroll is asking us, the users and viewers, to choose what anime are worthy of awards in a large span of categories. I thought I’d write up what I’m voting for and why for your amusement. This post covers the third group, which we’ll be voting on next week (02/05-02/11).
Hit the jump, and let’s dive right in!
My notes & votes – the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2018
Part I – Part II – Part III
Here’s the categories we’ll get to vote on this week:
Let’s run ’em down category by category!
Best Hero
- Izuku “Deku” Midoriya (My Hero Academia 2)
- Gin Minowa (Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru: Washio Sumi no Shou)
Atsuko “Akko” Kagari (Little Witch Academia)Kukuri (Magical Circle Guru Guru)- Chise Hatori (Ancient Magus Bride)
- Nanachi (Made in Abyss)
I have seen all of these except Little Witch Academia and Magical Circle Guru Guru.
Last Spring and Summer seasons, mostly inspired by My Hero Academia, there was a ton of discussion about what makes a hero. I suspect the nature of the show will lead to Deku being the overwhelming pick in this category. But for me, he’s too perfect – he’s a good character, but created to a Great Hero. Even though I picked him to lead my fantasy anime hero team, I can’t pick him as the Best Hero.
For me the only obvious choice is Minowa Gin (Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru: Washio Sumi no Shou). An ordinary girl thrown into extraordinary circumstances by and against forces beyond her control. A girl who chose to rise to the moment against impossible odds when her world was in danger of destruction. A hero who sought to preserve that world not for herself, not from or for some noble abstract, but to ensure the survival of her dear friends.
A hero whose actions did something Deku has never managed – to bring tears to my eyes.
Best Villain
- Stain (My Hero Academia 2)
Tanya Degurechaff (Saga of Tanya the Evil)- Bondrewd (Made in Abyss)
- Cartaphilus (Ancient Magus Bride)
- Hiro Shishigami (Inuyashiki)
Usagi (Juuni Taisen)
I have seen all of these except for Saga and Juuni Taisen.
What makes a hero is a common topic of discussion. What makes a great villain comes up much less often… Too big a topic to discuss in detail here, but I’ll take some small bites explaining why I might choose one of these over another. Stain is an obvious choice, as the rare villian with a clearly articulated philosophy for his actions. (And the most likely winner in this category.) Bondrewd is more amoral than a classic cardboard villain. Hiro Shishigami is a problematic choice… As first seen, he’s an amoral sociopath – but they drive that into the ground turning him from an interesting villain into someone you’re just tired of seeing.
None of these choices really excite me.
Instead, my vote will be a write-in: Minnie C. of Alice & Zouroku. An interesting character because by her lights, she isn’t a villain. (A trait shared with Stain and Bondrewd.) She has a classic tragic backstory to give meaning to her actions. And her single-minded pursuit of her goal gives her a certain… nobility? I don’t know the term I’m quite reaching for here.
You could argue that Stain shares many of these traits, but he’s a megalomaniac and that’s just too pat and common. I find Minnie C.’s highly personal monomania much more interesting. I guess in the end you could say that Minnie C. is Minowa Gin (my choice for Best Hero) in a mirror universe.
Best Boy
- Shoto Todoroki (My Hero Academia 2)
- Rei Kiriyama (March comes in like a Lion)
- Kazuma (Konasuba 2)
- Izuku “Deku” Midoriya (My Hero Academia 2)
- Fafnir (Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid)
Yakumo Yuurakutei (Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Descending Stories)
I’ve seen all of these except Descending Stories.
For me, Best Boy (and Best Girl) is all about your personal relationship with the character. It can be about whether you admire them. Whether you empathize with them. Whether you’d want them to being your friend and hang with them. Whether you find them attractive or sexy. Whatever. It’s a difficult category to explain and even harder to justify. Though, frankly, you could also argue that as a personal category one that needs the least justification.
And honestly, this year there was no male character that rose to that level. Mizushino Souta from Re:Creators comes close… But not enough to get a nod.
Best Girl
- Atsuko “Akko” Kagari (Little Witch Academia)
- Ochako Uraraka (My Hero Academia)
- Moriko Morioka (Confessions of an MMO Junkie)
Serval (Kemono Friends)- Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia)
- Chise Hatori (Ancient Magus Bride)
Best Girl, is like Best Boy – so rather than retyping what I just wrote, you can scroll up and read it again.
There’s quite a few good choices there, all women with at least something to recommend them… but none that I resonate with.
Though Kato Megumi is Best Girl of the series, my vote for Best Girl of the year is a write-in and goes to Eriri Spencer (Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend Flat) – on the strength of the moment in the screenshot… Because I’ve been there. The struggling creative, and the moment when it all falls into place. It’s a powerful and indescribable moment. Either you’ve felt it, or you haven’t, and it’s impossible to convey if you haven’t.
Anime of the Year
- March comes in like a Lion Season 2
- Made in Abyss
- Land of the Lustrous
- My Hero Academia Season 2
Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju Season 2Little Witch Academia
I’ve seen all but the last two… and from the list my choice was easy.
Though I briefly considered Tsuki ga Kirei and Girls Last Tour as write-ins… Made in Abyss is well out in front of the rest of the pack. It’s a rare anime where all the pieces fall into place.
Manga of the Year
Golden Kamuy Vol. 1My Lesbian Experience with LonelinessMy Brother’s Husband Vol. 1In This Corner of the WorldDescending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo ShinjuDelicious in Dungeon Vol. 1
The only manga I read on a regular basis is Sweetness & Lightning, and that will be my write-in vote. Not just because it’s the only manga I read, but because it deserves it. If you saw the anime in 2016, you’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. Tsumugi is now in second grade and facing a different set of challenges and adventures than she saw as a kindergardner. Kouhei, as a parent, is struggling with the idea that his daughter is a growing person and reaching the age where she starts to have more independence and interests/relationships beyond him. Kotori Lida (sadly marginalized in the anime) is now a third year on the cusp of graduating and struggling with her future.
And there you have it! The final set of notes & votes, what I’m voting for and why. What are your choices this week? Drop a comment and share your thoughts.
Apprentice Mages Lounge. 
Best Hero:
I don’t know what to do here. I’m unsure how to interpret the category, and I can’t interpret it in my own way, since I don’t care much for the category. It’s either Akko for fitting the hero trope and not annyoing me too much, or either Nanachi or Chise for doing what they have to in the situations that present themselves. Kukuri is a surprise nomination and would make for an excellent outsider vote just for that, but the meta implications make my head spin (Guru Guru is a spoof of video game heroes, and Kukuri is the uncoditional believer rather than the hero – the implications of voting for her are actually appealing… I’m overthinking this.)
I can’t make my mind up; I don’t need to make my mind up. I’ll sit this one out.
Best Villain:
Similar concerns as for hero, but Usagi from Juuni Taisen is such a fun trash character, that the choice is easy. (Good write-in, though. I could get behind this.)
Best Boy:
Yakumo, no doubt. (I’m sure you’re surprised I would for a Rakugo character…)
Best Girl:
Out of those, probably Moriko. I’m usually too lazy to write-in stuff, but I’m considering Kobayashi from Dragon Maid; one of the best characters of the year.
Anime of the Year:
Rakugo (or write-in Eccentric Family 2 – it’s a toss-up)
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I presumed that Rakugo and Eccentric Family would figure highly among your choices. :)
Sometimes I wish I wish I’d watched Juuni Taisen, among the crap there did seem to some good bits. But I bounced so hard off of the first ep, and Fall was so crowded. We were busy Fri/Sat and caught up on all our shows so easily on Sun. We got so so used to being crowded, we keep feeling like we’re missing something this season…
I can easily see Kobayashi as Best Girl… But I empathize with Eriri too much.
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Eriri was great this year. Season 2 of Saekano belonged to her, no contest.
Honestly, Juuni Taisen is good camp fun to me, but plenty of people were just bored. What you see is what you get. If you didn’t like ep1, there’s little reason to think you’d like the rest (unless it’s the boar in particular that put you off, since she’s basically gone from the show [except for zombie appearance and back-story cameo]).
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