Crunchyroll’s Anime Awards 2026 is set to take place next month, and the nominees for its most esteemed categories have recently been revealed. As with every year, the awards span a wide range of categories, from the prestigious Anime of the Year to those highlighting voice actors across various regional Best Voice Acting awards. It’s shaping up to be one of the most celebrated anime events of the year, honoring the standout series released over the past year. Among these, one of the most notable categories, arguably even more compelling than Anime of the Year, is Best New Anime Series. With viewers constantly searching for fresh stories, this category defines what truly stood out as “new.”
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The 2025 lineup of new anime fully lives up to that idea. The six nominees were carefully selected, each bringing something distinct that subverts traditional expectations of the medium. The list includes titles like The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity, a clear hit in the romance genre, while shonen entries such as Sakamoto Days and Gachiakuta stood out as refreshing takes on the genre. Meanwhile, The Summer Hikaru Died and Cleavtes offered uniquely original concepts that also earned their place among the nominees. However, it’s clear that the one series that truly deserves this award is Takopi’s Original Sin; nothing else comes close
Crunchyroll’s Darkest Anime in Years Deserves Best New Anime of the Year 2025
Crunchyroll’s Takopi’s Original Sin, released in the summer of 2025, was a truly new anime that took fans by surprise from its debut. Across its brief run of six episodes, the series consistently lived up to expectations, delivering one outstanding episode after another. What set it apart was its refusal to shy away from heavy themes such as suicide, depression, murder, and bullying. While other anime have explored similar ideas, here they form the very core of the story, made even more striking by centering on children under the age of ten who are forced to endure such intense emotions.
From the very first episode, where Shizuka takes her own life after a series of tragic events, using Takopi’s gadget, an alien being who is trying to help her, the anime immediately shocks the viewer. The use of a seemingly innocent gadget leading to such a devastating outcome is deeply unsettling. As the story progresses, Takopi’s attempts to fix everything only unravel more dark and unexpected turns. One of the most compelling aspects of the series is Takopi himself, whose complete lack of understanding of human behavior adds a disturbing yet fascinating layer to the narrative.
Takopi’s journey, trying to help the two main girls while gradually learning human emotions, mirrors that of a toddler grappling with the complexity of human feelings and consequences. This theme is consistently woven throughout the series, keeping it engaging at every moment. Another standout element is the ending, which delivers a powerful message: trauma and the darker aspects of life don’t simply disappear, but remain as scars that shape a person. In just six episodes, Takopi’s Original Sin establishes itself as one of Crunchyroll’s darkest anime in years, and despite strong contenders like Gachiakuta and Sakamoto Days, it unquestionably deserves the award more than any other.
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