So the Anime of the Year award at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards went to the show basically everybody was talking about all year—honestly, it wasn’t that shocking. I watched it as soon as it started airing because the hype was unreal, and I can see why it won. The animation was insane, the music slapped, and every episode made Twitter go wild.

Still, I kinda felt like it was a safe pick. People online were split: some thought it deserved it, but others kept saying a lesser-known anime should have won instead. I get where they’re coming from—there was a detective anime that had smart writing but didn’t get much attention because it wasn’t all flashy battles. But in awards like this, it’s usually the most talked-about series that takes the spotlight.

I don’t hate the choice even if it wasn’t my favorite. What’s cool is that thanks to these awards, more people might check out both the winner and the shows that didn’t win, which is always good for the community. I’ll probably rewatch the winning show anyway—it’s got that rewatch value.