Inside the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2026: What it’s like attending the Oscars of anime

This might be hard for some of you to believe, but anime was once considered a niche hobby that would more than likely get you bullied in school.

I should know.

However, thanks to the explosive popularity of works like Attack On Titan, Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen, a paradigm shift has occurred in recent years, resulting in anime becoming a mainstream entertainment medium – so much so that there’s now even a black-tie event to commemorate its excellence: The Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

CNA Lifestyle was one of the few international media outlets invited to attend the awards ceremony, which celebrated its landmark 10th anniversary, in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday (May 23).

Here’s what went down.

1PM TO 2PM: ARRIVING AT THE VENUE AND SETTING UP 

This year’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards was held at a ballroom at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa and the place looked gorgeous. The venue was lit up in iridescent colours, and bouquets lined the path to the main award hall.

Even a cynic like me stopped to take photos.

In any case, my main agenda for the day was to conduct celebrity interviews on the red (orange, if we’re being exact) carpet.

Easy. No problem. Been there, done that.

What was unique, however, was how journalists were allocated spots along the orange carpet.

How it usually works at events like these is that the organiser or public relations team will assign each publication a spot. The jury’s out on whether your spot depends on your relationship with them, but let’s just say I’ve been given great vantage views over the years.

Another method is the “random, first-come-first-served” system. In theory, this seems fair until you realise that, without proper allocation, most publications will wind up squeezing together, which severely limits your filming range.

Saturday’s allocation system was a whole different ball game in that it employed Japan’s famous lottery system. Yes, the same method that’s used to assign seats at a Japanese concert.

As such, every journalist on Saturday had to randomly pick a piece of paper that would indicate their position on the carpet. So if you picked number one, you’d be the first to speak with a celebrity.

All in all, there were 28 publications on the orange carpet. Guess the number your boy picked?

Experience has shown that celebs tend to lose steam as they move down the line. Not that I’m blaming them – you try answering the same few questions within 30 minutes.

Furthermore, being at the end of the line means time is against you; many publications tend to exceed their allocated interview limit and those at the back end up getting a shorter session or, worse, get skipped entirely.

So, was your boy cooked? The answer was pointing to “hai”.

2.30PM TO 4:30PM: THE ORANGE CARPET IS IN SESSION

In a plot twist that could have only been crafted by anime writers, number 28 ended up being the best spot on the carpet.

You see, while it’s true that there were 28 journalists present on my side of the carpet, there was also a hidden number – 29: The official Crunchyroll media crew.

Positioned to my right, this team had to speak with most of the celebs present at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

This meant that, by virtue of being their next-door neighbour, I could now capture every single celeb the Crunchyroll team interviewed. Even the ones who weren’t assigned to me – shout out to Ten.
 

At this point, I would like to thank the celebs who did speak with me because every one of them was operating at level 100 and gave insightful answers – even when the question was just “What’s the greatest anime of all time?”

Fashion was another area these celebs absolutely slayed in. It’s rare – and a delight – to see a diverse variety of ensembles on the red carpet.

For instance, celebrity cosplayer Enako turned heads with her royal fit while Mexican pop star Danna channelled magical girl couture with her strapless, corset-style top and giant wand.

6PM TO 8PM: THE 10TH CRUNCHYROLL ANIME AWARDS IS ON 

Following a short break, the international journalists, including yours truly, were brought into the awards hall to catch the opening moments of the ceremony, which featured a rousing medley of theme songs from past Anime of the Year winners, performed by the prestigious Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

The performance culminated in Japanese singer Dean Fujioka taking the stage to perform History Maker, the theme song of Yuri!!! On Ice, the inaugural winner of the Anime of the Year award.

Aside from garnering thunderous applause from the attendees, Fujioka’s impactful singing also made several journalists around me shed tears, with one of them later telling me that it reminded her of how far anime has come.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay in the hall as there was still work to be done: Being in the winners’ room.

And yes, my position in this room was also decided via a lottery system.

Thankfully, I managed to pull a single digit this time around and got a spot in the first row.

Being in the winners’ room was a far more subdued affair. Winners would step onto the platform before us, pose for the cameras and answer a slate of pre-approved questions – which, more often than not, resulted in variations of producers and staff members expressing their gratitude to fans for supporting their work.

Still, it was nice to come face to face with the geniuses behind works like Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia, which picked up the prestigious Film of the Year and Anime of the Year awards, respectively.

CRUNCHYROLL ANIME AWARDS 2026 WINNERS 

Anime of the Year: My Hero Academia Final Season

Film of the Year: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle

Best Original Anime: Lazarus

Best Continuing Series: One Piece

Best New Series: Gachiakuta

Best Opening Sequence: On The Way by Aina The End, Dan Da Dan Season 2

Best Ending Sequence: I by Bump Of Chicken, My Hero Academia Final Season

Best Action: Solo Leveling Season 2 – Arise From The Shadow

Best Comedy: Dan Da Dan Season 2

Best Drama: The Apothecary Diaries Season 2

Best Isekai Anime: Re:Zero – Starting Life In Another World Season 3

Best Romance: The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity

Best Slice of Life: Spy x Family Season 3

Best Animation: Solo Leveling Season 2 – Arise From The Shadow

Best Background Art: Gachiakuta

Best Character Design: Gachiakuta

Best Director: Akinori Fudesaka and Norihiro Naganuma for The Apothecary Diaries Season 2

Best Main Character: Maomao, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2

Best Supporting Character: Katsuki Bakugo, My Hero Academia Final Season

“Must Protect At All Cost” Character: Anya Forger, Spy x Family Season 3

Best Anime Song: Iris Out by Kenshi Yonezu, Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc

Best Score: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, Yuki Kajiura, Go Shiina

Best Voice Artiste Performance (Japanese): Aoi Yuki (Maomao), The Apothecary Diaries (Season 2)

Best Voice Artiste Performance (English): Lucien Dodge (Akaza), Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle

FINAL THOUGHTS

As a longtime anime fan, it’s heartening to see that the medium continues to reach a wider audience every year. In fact, we were told that this year’s Anime Awards saw a record 73 million votes cast by fans worldwide, with some of the top-most-engaged countries this year being the likes of Brazil, Germany, India, Mexico and the United States.

From an entertainment journalist’s POV, the event itself was well-run despite a few minor hiccups along the way. And while having to enter a lottery system just to do my job was certainly a first, it was also an experience I won’t forget any time soon. 

More importantly, the celebrities I spoke to delivered some of the most thoughtful answers I've heard at an event, so everything worked out well in the end.

And that is truly my ninja way.

CNA Lifestyle was at the 10th Crunchyroll Anime Awards at the invitation of Crunchyroll.