For the second year in a row, Creepy Nuts takes a win in the 12th Anime Trending Awards by winning Opening Theme Song of the Year with their smooth theme for the second season of Call of the Night, “Mirage.” The winner for Ending Theme Song of the Year is the viral song “Kawaii Kaiwai” by PiKi from My Dress-Up Darling Season 2.
Considering that Creepy Nuts also won Opening of the Year in the 11th ATA for “Otonoke” (DAN DA DAN), the hip-hop duo continues to impress fans internationally. Creepy Nuts have not been able to go a year without success since “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” (MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES) managed to put them on the global stage. “Mirage” continues to uphold the high-quality beat and quick wordplay that the duo has become known for, which allowed for the song to achieve the number one spot on Billboard Japan’s Global Japan Songs Excluding Japan chart.
The second season of Call of the Night began airing on July 4, 2025, and was a HIDIVE exclusive. The official music video has accumulated over 11M views.
The anticipated release of My Dress-Up Darling Season 2, continuing the story of Wakana Gojo and Marin Kitagawa’s relationship through artistic expression, came with a song of the summer that was just as creative. The second season premiered on Crunchyroll on July 5, 2025.
My Dress-Up Darling Season 2’s “Kawaii Kaiwai” is a familiar tune for many who have spent even just a little time scrolling through anime social media in the last year. The song by the Japanese idol duo PiKi proves that “cute” is still cool, especially when paired with the ending’s sweet, colorful visuals, which have become an animation trend for artists to replicate with their own favorite characters.
Below is the full list of the songs that competed for the Opening Theme Song of the Year and Ending Theme Song of the Year:
| Opening Theme Song of the Year | ||||
| Rank | Song Title | Artist | Anime | Votes |
| 1 | Mirage | Creepy Nuts | Call of the Night S2 | 2,527 |
| 2 | Watch me! | YOASOBI | WITCH WATCH | 2,374 |
| 3 | MAGIC | Ado | Cat’s Eye | 2,199 |
| 4 | Hyakka Ryoran | Lilas Ikuta | The Apothecary Diaries S2 | 2,001 |
| 5 | Kakumei Dochu | AiNA THE END | DAN DA DAN S2 | 1,796 |
| 6 | BOW AND ARROW | Kenshi Yonezu | Medalist | 1,464 |
| 7 | Spurt Syndromer | 10FEET | Umamusume: Cinderella Gray | 1,464 |
| 8 | THE REVO | PORNO GRAFFITTI | My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON | 1,341 |
| 9 | ReawakeR | LiSA, Felix of Stray Kids | Solo Leveling S2 -Arise from the Shadow- | 1,290 |
| 10 | Ready to Rock | BAND-MAID | Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty | 1,167 |
| 11 | Kusushiki | Mrs. GREEN APPLE | The Apothecary Diaries S2 | 1,135 |
| 12 | Zen | BAND-MAID | ZENSHU | 1,033 |
| 13 | Kaseijin | Yorushika | SHOSHIMIN: How to Become Ordinary S2 | 927 |
| 14 | Ao to Kirameki | Spira Spica | My Dress-Up Darling S2 | 793 |
| 15 | Same Blue | Official HIGE Dandism | Blue Box | 663 |
| 16 | Saikai | Vaundry | The Summer Hikaru Died | 832 |
| 17 | Wo Ai Ni | Wednesday Campanella | Ranma1/2 (2024) S2 | 505 |
| 18 | Summer Time Ghost | Wednesday Campanella | KOWLOON GENERIC ROMANCE | 491 |
| Ending Theme Song of the Year | ||||
| Rank | Song Title | Artist | Anime | Votes |
| 1 | Kawaii Kaiwai | PiKi | My Dress-up Darling S2 | 2,441 |
| 2 | ∞ (mugen) | Tomoyo Takayanagi | Umamusume: Cinderella Gray | 2,360 |
| 3 | Shiawase no Recipe | Dai Hirai | The Apothecary Diaries S2 | 2,057 |
| 4 | I | BUMP OF CHICKEN | My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON | 1,848 |
| 5 | Hitorigoto | Omoinotake | The Apothecary Diaries S2 | 1,642 |
| 6 | Teenage Blue | Eve | Blue Box | 1,638 |
| 7 | Beautiful Colors | One Republic | KAIJU No. 8 S2 | 1,445 |
| 8 | Actor | Lilas Ikuta | SPY x FAMILY S3 | 1,297 |
| 9 | Hydrate | sajou no hana | DanMachi V: Goddess of Fertility Arc | 1392 |
| 10 | Futari | Naomi Ozora, Tomoyo Takayanagi | Umamusume: Cinderella Gray | 1,110 |
| 11 | Dokashiteru | WurtS | DAN DA DAN S2 | 1,006 |
| 12 | With a Wish | Akari Kito | Toilet-bound Hanako-kun S2 | 998 |
| 13 | UN-APEX | TK from Ling tosite sigure | Solo Leveling S2 -Arise from the Shadow- | 927 |
| 14 | Inferia | Shiyui | May I ask for One Final Thing? | 851 |
| 15 | Suisei Hoshimachi | Mo Do Natte mo Ii ya | Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX | 736 |
| 16 | Harenohini | Reira Ushio | The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity | 480 |
| 17 | Yume ja Nai nara Nannanosa | Little Glee Monster | Rock is a Lady’s Modesty | 338 |
| 18 | Tada Kimi no Mama de | Sou | ZENSHU | 285 |
| 19 | Sugariddle | yanaginagi | SHOSHIMIN: How to Become Ordinary S2 | 262 |
To see the full results of the 12th Anime Trending Awards, click here.
