The nominees for Anime Movie of the Year at the 11th Anime Trending Awards have been revealed! These six films were chosen from a selection of 12 anime movies released on Blu-ray/DVD or digital formats from October 15, 2023 to October 15, 2024.
The nominated films are:
Blue Giant
Dai Miyamoto’s life is turned upside down the day he discovers jazz. A former high school basketball player, Dai picks up a saxophone and begins practicing day and night, determined to become one of the greatest of all time. He leaves his sleepy hometown for the bustling nightclubs of Tokyo, but soon finds the life of a professional musician is not for the faint of heart. His passion eventually wins over the cocky but talented pianist Yukinori, and after Dai convinces his friend Shunji to learn the drums, they launch a new jazz trio whose rough sound contains a raw energy that quickly wins attention from local audiences. But what does it take to truly be great? (Source: GKIDS)
His passion eventually wins over the cocky but talented pianist Yukinori, and after Dai convinces his friend Shunji to learn the drums, they launch a new jazz trio whose rough sound contains a raw energy that quickly wins attention from local audiences. But what does it take to truly be great? (Source: GKIDS)
Studio: NUT (The Saga of Tanya the Evil)
Directed by: Yuzuru Tachikawa (Mob Psycho 100)
Cast:Yuuki Yamada, Shoutarou Mamiya, Amane Okayama
Availability (might be region-dependent): Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube Movies and TV
Genre: Music, Drama
GRIDMAN UNIVERSE
Yuta Hibiki can’t remember who he is, and now he’s seeing and hearing things that others don’t! A voice from an old computer tells him to remember his calling, and he sees a massive, unmoving creature in the distance. Nothing’s making sense—until the behemoth springs to life! Suddenly, Yuta is pulled into the digital world, reappearing in the real one as the colossal hero—Gridman! (Source: Crunchyroll)
Studio: TRIGGER (The Saga of Tanya the Evil)
Directed by: Akira Amemiya
Cast:Yume Miyamoto, Shion Wakayama, Junya Enoki, Yuuya Hirose
Availability (might be region-dependent): Crunchyroll
Genre: Action, Sci-fi, Mecha
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid
March begins, and there is only one month left in the third term. Sakuta Azusagawa is about to celebrate the graduation of his girlfriend Mai Sakurajima. As he waits for Mai at Shichirigahama beach, an elementary school-aged girl who looks like Mai did when she was a child actress appears in front of him.
“Who are you, Mister?” she asks.
Is this a dream or an illusion? As he thinks about this mysterious experience, his father calls him.
“It’s about your mother. She says she wants to see Kaede,” he says.
Kaede’s mother never came to terms with what happened to Kaede. Having been hospitalized for so long, their mother finally wants to see her daughter. To fulfill their mother’s wish, Sakuta makes the decision to meet face-to-face — something they haven’t done in a long time. He’s unable to hide his nervousness about all this.
Never-before-seen scars begin to appear on Sakuta’s body. Could these be warning signs of a new type of puberty syndrome? (Source: Aniplex USA)
Studio: CloverWorks (My Dress-up Darling, BOCCHI THE ROCK)
Directed by: Souichi Masui
Cast:Asami Seto, Kaito Ishikawa, Yurika Kubo
Availability (might be region-dependent): Netflix
Genre: Drama, Slice of Life, Supernatural, Romance
SPY x FAMILY: Code White
In an era where countries around the world were engaged in intense covert information warfare, Loid Forger, known as “Twilight,” the highly skilled agent of the Western nation Westerlia’s intelligence agency, WISE, was once again carrying out a mission as usual. However, he received an order to change the person in charge of the ongoing operation Strix. The new person appointed was… a completely incompetent man.
Meanwhile, at Eden Academy, a cooking practical was about to take place, rumored to award the winner with the “Star Stella” prize. In order to show progress in Operation Strix and negotiate for the continuation of the mission with WISE—and ultimately to protect world peace—Loid suggested that Anya make the traditional confectionery Mere Mere from the Frigis region, which was the principal’s favorite. To taste the authentic version, the Forger family decided to take a family trip to Frigis.
During the trip, while aboard a train, Anya discovered a suspicious suitcase. Inside, she found some chocolates… and when the owner of the suitcase returned unexpectedly, Anya accidentally swallowed one of the chocolates in shock. Little did she know, the chocolate contained a critical secret that could shake world peace itself!
And as if that weren’t enough, a series of unexpected incidents began to unfold during their journey. Once again, the fate of the world was placed in the hands of this makeshift family… (Source: SPY x FAMILY: Code White Website)
Studio: WIT Studio (Attack on Titan, Ranking of Kings) and CloverWorks
Directed by: Takashi Katagiri
Cast:Atsumi Tanezaki, Saori Hayami, Takuya Eguchi
Availability (might be region-dependent): Crunchyroll, iQIYi, Disney+, YouTube Movies
Genre: Action, Comedy, Slice of Life
The Boy and The Heron
From the legendary Studio Ghibli and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) comes a new critically-acclaimed fantasy adventure. After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself. (Source: IMDb)
Studio: Ghibli (Grave of the Fireflies, Spirited Away)
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Cast: Souma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Aimyon
Availability (might be region-dependent): Netflix, Apple TV, Max
Genre: Adventure, Drama
THE FIRST SLAM DUNK
Shohoku’s “speedster” and point guard, Ryota Miyagi, always plays with brains and lightning speed, running circles around his opponents while feigning composure. Born and raised in Okinawa, Ryota had a brother who was three years older. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a famous local player from a young age, Ryota also became addicted to basketball.
In his second year of high school, Ryota plays with the Shohoku High School basketball team along with Sakuragi, Rukawa, Akagi, and Mitsui as they take the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship. And now, they are on the brink of challenging the reigning champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School. (Source: GKIDS)
Studio: Toei Animation (Dragon Ball, One Piece, GIRLS BAND CRY), DandeLion Animation Studio
Directed by: Takehiko Inoue (Original Creator)
Cast:Subaru Kimura, Jun Kasama, Shuugo Nakamura, Shinichirou Kamio, Kenta Miyake
Availability (might be region-dependent): Disney+, Netflix, Apple TV
Genre: Action, Drama, Sports
Main characters from The Boy and The Heron and BLUE GIANT, films with no previous TV series, are eligible to be nominated for the Boy of the Year and Girl of the Year awards at the 11th Anime Trending Awards. Their nominations will be determined based on their performance in the wildcard qualifying polls, which will take place from December 25 – 30, 2024.
The Anime Movie of the Year is just one of the 30 awards that will be presented at the upcoming 11th Anime Trending Awards. To view the nominees for the other categories, visit the 11th Anime Trending Awards Portal.
Vote for the following 11th Anime Trending Awards Categories:
See all individual Anime Trending Award nominees by category:
| Anime of the Year | Girl of the Year | Boy of the Year | Movie of the Year |
| Opening Theme | Ending Theme | Aspect Awards | Voice Acting |
| Genre Awards | Couple or Ship | Supporting Girl and Boy |
See the complete list of nominees here!
Learn more about the 11th Anime Trending Awards here!
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