Anime Fans Outraged: Solo Leveling Dominates 2025 Crunchyroll Awards!

At the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, Solo Leveling emerged victorious, claiming four awards such as Anime of the Year and Best Debut Anime Series. However, some fans believe that another show deserved the recognition instead.

On Sunday, May 25th, a live event took place in Tokyo, serving as the venue for the annual awards ceremony. Hosted by Sally Amaki and Jon Kabira, this event celebrated the top anime series of the previous year across over 25 categories, ranging from talent and creators to score and subgenre.

From its launch in 2017, the ceremony operates by initially having an expert judging panel from the anime industry choose the final nominees in each category. Subsequently, both this panel and fans are granted the chance to cast their votes for the winners, with the judges’ votes accounting for 70%, while fan votes make up the remaining 30%.

Previously, the streaming service explained that they set this ratio to avoid “making the awards a popularity contest.” But some people argue that it has actually led to the opposite outcome, as seen with the apparent lack of recognition for Solo Leveling.

2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards face backlash over Solo Leveling wins

Although numerous individuals have celebrated the 2024 anime, some argue that shows like Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and others were unfairly overlooked for the Anime of the Year award.

On Reddit, someone stated, “Since this appears to be a popularity contest, it’s no shock that Solo Leveling emerged as the winner. However, I strongly believe that the other nominated series outshine it significantly, with The Apothecary Diaries and Frieren standing out particularly.

One person commented, “Absolutely, I concur. While it’s possible to make a case that Kaiju No 8 isn’t superior to Solo Leveling, all the other contenders in that category clearly outshine it and should have won over Solo Leveling with greater justification.

One person found it surprising that ‘Solo Leveling’ outranked ‘AOTY’, ‘Apothecary Diaries’, ‘Dandadan’, and ‘Frieren’ in the poll, while another preferred ‘Frieren’ and ‘Dandadan’ over ‘Solo Leveling’. In their opinion, they would have awarded the title to those two series before considering ‘Solo Leveling’.

A voice joined in, “I just can’t wrap my head around the excitement for Solo Leveling. While its action scenes are indeed spectacularly animated, nearly every other aspect of it feels distressingly ordinary.

One anime enthusiast remarked with diplomacy, “I found Solo Levelling quite entertaining and enjoyable. It managed to satisfy my craving for more. However, I must admit that Freiren and Delicious in Dungeon stood out as exceptional for me.

The intricately developed universes and characters within Solo Leveling possess an impressive depth, allowing for multiple layers of analysis. It’s a blend of familiar storytelling elements skillfully combined and polished.

Although many criticisms were directed towards the “Anime of the Year” award, it’s worth noting that there was also strong support for the other categories where “Solo Leveling” triumphed, such as the selection of Sung Jinwoo as the Best Main Character.

One person expressed frustration by saying, “It’s incredibly disappointing to see the main character being JinWoo when we had not just one but TWO exceptional protagonists in contemporary anime – Maomao and Frieren – whose presence was simply remarkable.

It’s crucial that we consider modifications for the Crunchyroll Awards in the forthcoming years, as they seem to be more about popularity rather than acknowledging genuine merit.

People are encouraging fans to check out some underrated titles, such as “Apothecary Diaries,” which they claim is equally enchanting. One fan even stated, “Apothecary Diaries is magical too, but you certainly can’t miss out on Frieren.

A different individual noted, “I’d also suggest Delicious in Dungeon and Apothecary Diaries. DanDaDan is quite extraordinary and delightful, but keep in mind that it has a lot of anime silliness if you’re into that.

To form your own opinion, you’re welcome to explore a variety of titles available on Crunchyroll. For additional recommendations similar to Solo Leveling, discover top-rated shows, popular anime on Crunchyroll, and highly acclaimed action series of all time.

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2025-05-26 13:48