Every art form deserves a moment of recognition a space where the people who shape it are celebrated not for their popularity or platform placement, but for what they contributed to the culture. That’s what awards are supposed to be: a pause in the void, a look back, a measure of what mattered.
But in the world of anime, that moment has become increasingly complicated.
Each year, the Crunchyroll Anime Awards are promoted as a global celebration of excellence in the medium. For many fans around the world, it’s the most visible and arguably, most influential recognition the industry receives. But it’s time to ask a difficult question: Should one of anime’s largest streaming platforms also be the institution handing out its most prominent honors?
Imagine a world where a single record label owned and operated the Grammys. Where the very same company distributing the music was also awarding it. Few would consider that a fair system. Yet, in anime, we accept that Crunchyroll a subsidiary of Sony, and by far the most powerful platform in the space plays both judge and distributor. And increasingly, it shows.
Year after year, titles primarily hosted on Crunchyroll seem to dominate the Anime Awards. Meanwhile, critically beloved series ones that push boundaries or tell quieter, more introspective stories are overlooked. These aren’t minor titles, nor are they simply “fan favorites.” They are works of art that stay with people, long after the season ends.
Take Vinland Saga Season 2, for instance a meditative reflection on violence, guilt and redemption. Or Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, a quiet, spellbinding journey through memory and grief, wrapped in the clothing of fantasy. Both were lauded by critics, embraced by audiences, and crafted with uncommon care. Neither walked away with the top honors they deserved.
This isn’t about a single show losing an award. It’s about what the pattern reveals.
When visibility is conflated with value, and awards seem to follow streaming rights rather than artistic merit, we’re no longer celebrating anime’s richness we’re streamlining it. The danger isn’t just that worthy shows are overlooked. It’s that future creators begin to believe only certain types of stories are worth telling.
Crunchyroll has undeniably done more than perhaps any other company to bring anime to a global audience. That reach comes with power and with it, responsibility. But when a brand becomes both the platform and the institution of record, the lines blur. The Anime Awards risk becoming less a reflection of artistry and more an annual marketing campaign dressed in prestige.
It’s not enough to simply gather votes and count clicks. True recognition requires thoughtful curation, meaningful context and, above all, independence. What anime needs and deserves is an award system rooted in integrity.
Picture an alternative: a coalition formed industry wide critics, animators, translators, producers, fan organizations, and industry veterans. A diverse, international jury that values not just what was loudest, but what lingered. A system where audience input matters, but doesn’t dominate. Where corporate sponsorships don’t dictate outcomes. Where excellence is measured in craft, innovation, and emotional resonance not in streaming metrics.
Why does it matter?
Because awards shape perception. They decide what gets remembered, what gets funded, what gets translated, what inspires the next generation. If the system prioritizes reach over risk, spectacle over substance, we risk losing the very things that make anime profound.
Sometimes, the most meaningful stories are the ones told in silence the ones that didn’t go insanely viral, but changed someone’s life. The show that taught a teenager how to grieve. The episode that reminded someone they weren’t alone. The scene that sparked a dream.
Those moments deserve to be honored, too.
Crunchyroll can continue to be a platform, a partner, even a promoter of excellence. But it should not be the one defining it. As the anime industry continues to grow into a multi-billion dollar medium of entertainment, it needs an awards institution that matches its depth and diversity one that’s unafraid to say the quiet show mattered more.
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Please note that this article is simply the opinion of Kiran Mckee.
