Crunchyroll Unveils 2018 Anime Awards Nominees, Opens Fan Voting

Crunchyroll has revealed the nominees for the 2018 Anime Awards presented by Devil May Cry 5, with each category now open to fan voting.

Released on Jan. 11, the nominees include both ongoing series and new properties that aired in 2018.

Highly regarded releases like Devilman Crybaby, A Place Further Than the Universe and Violet Evergarden are each up for several nominations, all of which include Anime of the Year and Best Animation.

Meanwhile, the smash hit shonen series My Hero Academia has been nominated once again via its third season, this time for Best Animation and Best Boy.

In a surprise turn however, the new original series Megalobox stands as the most nominated show of the year. It holds nominations in eight different categories, including Best Animation, Best Director and Anime of the Year to name a few.

Fans will be able to vote on their picks until Jan. 18, after which voting will be closed. The winners in each category will be revealed during the 2018 Anime Awards live show on Feb. 16.

The full list of nominees can be viewed down below.

Anime of the Year

• A Place Further Than the Universe
• Devilman Crybaby
• Megalobox
• Violet Evergarden
• Hinamatsuri
• Zombie Land Saga

Best Animation

• Violet Evergarden
• Devilman Crybaby
• Megalobox
• A Place Further Than the Universe
• Bloom into You
• My Hero Academia Season 3

Best Opening Sequence

• Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku
• Darling in the Franxx
• Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler
• Pop Team Epic
• Aggretsuko
• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind

Best Ending Sequence 

• Megalobox
• Attack on Titan Season 3
• After the Rain
• FLCL Alternative
• Revue Starlight
• FLCL Progressive

Best Film

• Night is Short, Walk On Girl
• My Hero Academia: Two Heroes
• Mirai of the Future
• Liz and the Blue Bird
• Mazinger Z: Infinity
• Fireworks

Best Character Design

• Violet Evergarden
• Devilman Crybaby
• Zombie Land Saga
• Megalobox
• Aggretsuko
• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind

Best Boy

• Kotaro Tatsumi
• Honda-san
• Izuku Midoriya
• Sakuta Azusagawa
• Haida
• Joe

Best Girl

• Anzu
• Hinata Miyake
• Lily Hoshikawa
• Asirpa
• Nadeshiko Kagamihara
• Mai Sakurajima

Best VA Performance (JP)

• Mamoru Miyano
• Soma Saito
• Megumi Han
• Nao Toyama
• Rareko
• Reina Ueda

Best VA Performance (EN)

• Kari Wahlgren
• Christopher Sabat
• Erica Mendez
• David Wald
• Tia Ballard
• Erika Harlacher

Best Director

• Masaaki Yuasa
• Atsuko Ishizuka
• You Moriyama
• Yohei Suzuki
• Taichi Ishidate
• Hiroko Utsumi

Best Protagonist

• Retsuko
• Yumeko Jabami
• Joe
• Violet Evergarden
• Rimuru Tempest
• Sakuta Azusagawa

Best Antagonist

• Ryo Asuka
• Akane Shinjo
• All For One
• Yuri
• Tokushiro Tsurumi
• Momonga

Best Fight Scene Presented by Capcom

• Hina vs Anzu
• All for One vs All Might
• Naruto & Sasuke vs Momoshiki
• Jiren vs Goku
• Yami vs Licht
• Satan vs Devilman

Best Continuing Series Presented by VRV

• The Ancient Magus’ Bride
• Dragon Ball Super
• Black Clover
• March comes in like a lion
• One Piece
• Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

For more on the nominees, check out our op-eds on how one of Megalobox’s strongest points is its ’90s anime aesthetic, while Devilman Crybaby’s old-school use of violence and gore is to its benefit.