It’s “Oscar” time again, as we look back on the best of 2020 in anime. This is a very special edition for a couple of reasons, though. First, it’s the 10th Anniversary of the LiA Oscars (hard as that is for me to believe)! And second, I decided to do things a little differently this year, what with the YouTube channel being up and running. If there were ever a feature that naturally suits that format, it’s this one.
So here’s what I’m going to do. I’ll give you the list of winners here, and dig into the details in the YouTube video. I promise, no annoying hosts (well – maybe just one) with lame monologues and no endless production numbers.
And the winners are:
Best Song: “Easy Breezy” by Chelmico – Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na! OP
Honorable Mention: “Great Pretender” by Freddie Mercury (Great Pretender ED), “Claraland ~Miracle Chuchuchu” by the Valac Clara and family (Mairimashita! Iruma-kun insert song)
Best Soundtrack: Golden Kamuy Season 3
Honorable Mention: Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun, Great Pretender
Best Original Screenplay: Great Pretender
Honorable Mention: Fugou Keiji: Balance:Unlimited, Gegege no Kitarou 2018
Best Adapted Screenplay: Golden Kamuy 3rd Season
Honorable Mention: Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun, Kitsutsuki Tanteidokoro
Best Art Direction: Takeda Yuusuke, (Great Pretender)
Honorable Mention: Yesterday wo Utatte, Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun, Mugen no Juunin: Immortal
Best Animation: Great Pretender
Honorable Mention: Somali to Mori no Kamisama, Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na!
Best Character Design: Sadamoto Yoshiyuki, (Great Pretender)
Honorable Mention: Jibaku Shounen Hanaku-kun, Yesterday wo Utatte
Best Supporting Actress: Horie Yui as Aiba Minami (Boku no Hero Academia 4th Season)
Honorable Mention: Asai Araka as Valac Clara (Mairimashita! Iruma-kun), Anzai Chika as Nanamine Sakura (Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun)
Best Supporting Actor: Furukawa Toshio as Nezumi-otoko (Gegege no Kitarou 2018)
Honorable Mention: Yamadera Kouichi as Tobita Danjurou (Boku no Hero Academia 4th Season), Terasoma Masaki as Kiroranke (Golden Kamuy 3rd Season)
Best Actress: Sugiyama Riho as Koda Minare (Nami yo Kiite Kure)
Honorable Mention: Hanamori Yumiri as Fujito Chiyuki (Runway de Waratte), Fujiwara Natsumi as Shigeno Daigo (Major 2nd Season 2)
Best Actor: Kobayashi Chikahiro as Uozomi Rikuo (Yesterday wo Utatte)
Honorable Mention: Kobayashi Chikahiro as Sugimoto Saichi (Golden Kamuy 3rd Season), Sakurai Takahiro as Kindaichi Kyousuke (Kitsutsuki Tanteidokoro) and Richard Ranashinha de Vulpian (Housekishou Richard-shi no Nazo Kantei)
Best Director: Hamasaki Hiroshi, Mugen no Juunin: Immortal
Honorable Mention: Nanba Hitoshii (Golden Kamuy 3rd Season), Andou Masaomi (Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun)
Best Romance: Tonikaku Kawaii
Honorable Mention: Yesterday wo Utatte
Best Comedy: Nami yo Kiite Kure
Honorable Mention: Mairimashita! Iruma-kun, Tonikaku Kawaii
Best Drama: Golden Kamuy 3rd Season
Honorable Mention: Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun, Yesterday wo Utatte, Major 2nd Season 2
Best Series: Golden Kamuy
Honorable Mention: Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun, Major 2nd Season 2
Best Picture: Made in Abyss Movie 3: Fukaki Tamashii no Reimei
Honorable Mention: Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu
So, Golden Kamuy 3rd Season and Great Pretender take home the most statues this year with four (including a sweep of the visual categories for GP). Despite not winning any category outright Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun deserves a special shout-out, with an LiA Oscars record eight “Honorable Mention” nods.
As always, my sincere thanks to everyone for visiting LiA and being part of the community. And while is may seem as if this message is on an annual loop, the need for financial support for LiA is greater than ever. I’ve just had to upgrade my hosting once again in order to keep the site going (at basically double the cost), and it gets more and more difficult to justify the massive amount of time I put into it – apart from the fact that it’s a labor of love. If you’re inclined to consider helping out, please visit one of the links in the sidebar. Patreon patrons, Paypal subscribers or one-time contributors – you all have my everlasting gratitude.
Above and beyond that, I hope you’ll check out the new LiA YouTube channel, and consider subscribing there if you haven’t already. I’m excited about the possibilities that new creative outlet offers, and looking forward to exploring it in the coming years.
Stay frosty, and have a wonderful 2021!
Enzo
Snowball
January 24, 2021 at 9:50 pmBoth Great Pretender and Golden Kamuy have four awards, GK wins best series, best drama, best adapted screenplay and best soundtrack.
Guardian Enzo
January 24, 2021 at 10:22 pmOopsie! Thanks for the catch.
Collectr
January 24, 2021 at 10:50 pmWell-deserved recognition for Nami yo Kiite Kure and the breakout work by Sugiyama Riho in the lead role. Also nice to see GeGeGe 2018 make the list too.
Guardian Enzo
January 25, 2021 at 7:32 amI feel like I could recognize GGGnK in the acting categories many times over. Fuji Shinshuu just missed in the supporting actor category for Nami. He was great.
Red
January 25, 2021 at 10:21 amI believe golden kamuy is as much comedy as it is drama so not seeing it in the best comedy category even as an honorable mention, though there’s a brief mention in the video, is a bit of a surprise.
Guardian Enzo
January 25, 2021 at 11:51 amMaybe it’s a technicality, but I think a genre award like “Best Comedy” should be for a series where comedy is a primary driver. If the aware were “Funniest Series” I suspect it would have won it outright.
Toni
January 25, 2021 at 7:52 pmI know you didn’t like the show, but to give the best art direction to Great Pretender the year when Dorohedoro aired is a classic Oscar Injustice. It didn’t even get honorable mention.
IMHO it’s a contender for best art direction of the decade, at least.
Those backgrounds!
Guardian Enzo
January 25, 2021 at 9:03 pmI only have so many spots, and we all have our own opinions.