Jujutsu Kaisen wins Anime of the Year at the Anime Awards, but fans think one major Netflix anime was ignored

Jujutsu Kaisen season 2
(Image credit: Gege Akutami/Shueisha, JUJUTSU KAISEN Project)

The winners of Crunchyroll’s 2024 Anime Awards have been announced. Taking place in Tokyo on March 2, the likes of Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and Attack on Titan all took home awards – though some fans felt a certain Netflix anime was left short-changed.

Jujutsu Kaisen season 2, which aired from July to December, won the coveted Anime of the Year ahead of Bocchi The Rock, Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer, Oshi No Ko, and (my personal favorite) Vinland Saga season 2.

Elsewhere, One Piece won for Best Continuing Anime series, Suzume won Best Anime Film, Demon Slayer won Best Art Direction and Best Animation, and Attack on Titan won Best Drama and Best Anime Score.

Those who have kept on top of anime this year – especially on Netflix – might notice a handful of absentees. Most notably, Pluto was left off the list, a decision that drew the ire of some fans.

"Was Pluto released too late to be included in anime awards stuff? Or was its existence completely ignored?" one fan asked on Twitter.

"While not an immediate disqualification factor, being on Netflix, batch release and thus not being a huge series all hurt it," read one reply. Another added, “Netflix jail + batch release = zero hype on platforms that drive the awards.”

In truth, it’s a little somewhere in the middle. Crunchyroll’s terms and conditions state that, to be eligible for voting, the show must have "aired on television or online in Japan between October 2022 and September 2023, at least in part."

Unfortunately for Pluto-heads, the acclaimed Netflix anime – revolving around detectives on the hunt of a robot murderer – aired in October 2023 and doesn’t appear to be eligible.

The full list of Anime Awards winners can be found on the Crunchyroll website.

For more from the world of anime, be sure to dive into our guides on 2024’s new anime and the best anime you should be watching right now. Need more? Here’s the latest on Demon Slayer season 4 and Jujutsu Kaisen season 3.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.