The Tokyo Anime Award Festival (TAAF) has revealed the winners of its 2025 Anime of the Year awards. The results, announced on January 31, 2025, celebrate the top anime works and individuals from the 2024 fiscal year, which spans from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024.
The selection process begins with anime fans voting for the 100 best works, which includes 20 theatrical films and 80 TV series. From these, industry professionals—such as producers, creators, and media outlets—vote to determine the “Best Work” awards in both feature film and TV series categories. An additional “Anime Fan Award” is given based on votes from the general public.
In the feature film category, Look Back, an anime adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s coming-of-age manga, won “Best Work.” The 58-minute film, produced by Studio Durian, premiered in Japan on June 28, 2024, and grossed 2.04 billion yen (13 million USD) during its domestic run.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End took home the “Best Work” award in the TV series category. The anime, based on Kanehito Yamada’s story and Tsukasa Abe’s art, aired its first season from September 2023 to March 2024 with a total of 28 episodes. A second season is already in production.
The “Anime Fan Award” went to The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe, which earned 21,316 votes. The film, celebrating the 100th anniversary of GeGeGe no Kitaro creator Shigeru Mizuki, premiered its original PG12-rated version in November 2023, followed by an R15+ rated version in October 2024. Combined, the two versions earned over three billion yen (19 million USD) at the box office.
The festival also honored several individuals with the “Individual Award,” recognizing excellence in specific areas:
Writer: Hiroyuki Yoshino (The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe)
Director: Kiyotaka Oshiyama (Look Back)
Animator: Toko Yatabe (The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe)
Visual Artist: Mai Ichioka (The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe)
Sound Artist: Evan Call (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End)
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