AnimeReactor Awards 2011

Every year, selected members from the AnimeReactor (ARC) forum community come together to pick what they think were the best anime they've seen in the previous year, and organise them into roughly two dozen award categories. Hundreds of titles are considered by the jury before the nominees are finalised and revealed to the public in the ARC forums, after which forum members can freely cast their votes on the polls associated with each award category for the anime they feel should win. The votes are counted a few weeks later and the anime with the highest number of votes in each category becomes the winner. The ARC Awards may be unofficial, but it gives us a good idea which shows are popular with anime fans outside of Japan.

The anime that received the most nominations this year is Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (with 16 nominations), followed by Mawaru Penguindrum (15 nominations) and Steins;Gate (13 nominations). In the end, Steins;Gate became the biggest winner of ARC Awards 2011, taking home 6 awards including Best Anime Overall, Best Science-Fiction Anime, Best Story and Best Cast.


BEST ANIME OVERALL
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai
Colorful
Hourou Musuko
Karigurashi no Arrietty
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
Mawaru Penguindrum
Steins;Gate *Winner* *Jury's Pick*
Usagi Drop


BEST STORY
Colorful
Hourou Musuko
Karigurashi no Arrietty
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
Mawaru Penguindrum
Souten Kouro
Steins;Gate *Winner* *Jury's Pick*


BEST DRAMA ANIME
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai *Winner* *Jury's Pick*
Colorful
Hourou Musuko
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
Mawaru Penguindrum
Otona Joshi no Anime Time: Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze
Steins;Gate
Usagi Drop


BEST FANTASY ANIME
Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo
Karigurashi no Arrietty
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica *Winner* *Jury's Pick*
Mawaru Penguindrum
Natsume Yuujinchou San
Out of Sight
Tegami Bachi Reverse


BEST SCIENCE-FICTION ANIME
Break Blade
Fractale
Level E
Redline
Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto
Steins;Gate *Winner* *Jury's Pick*
Tiger & Bunny
Uchuu Show he Youkoso


BEST HORROR / THRILLER / MYSTERY ANIME
C
Dantalian no Shoka
Gosick
Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Hakairoku Hen
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica *Winner* *Jury's Pick*
Mawaru Penguindrum
Steins;Gate
Un-Go


BEST ROMANCE ANIME
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai *Jury's Pick*
Hanasaku Iroha
Hourou Musuko
Kimi ni Todoke 2nd Season *Winner*
Mawaru Penguindrum
Otona Joshi no Anime Time: Kawamo wo Suberu Kaze


BEST ACTION ANIME
Ao no Exorcist
Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail *Winner*
Break Blade
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
Redline *Jury's Pick*
Souten Kouro
Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto
Tiger & Bunny


BEST COMEDY ANIME
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
Level E
Mawaru Penguindrum
Nichijou *Winner* *Jury's Pick*
Working'!!


BEST SLICE-OF-LIFE ANIME
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
Hanasaku Iroha
Hourou Musuko
Ikoku Meiro no Croisée
Natsume Yuujinchou San
Nichijou
Usagi Drop *Winner* *Jury's Pick*


BEST ECCHI ANIME
Ben-Tou *Winner* *Jury's Pick*
Freezing
IS: Infinite Stratos
Maken-ki!
Manyuu Hikenchou *Jury's Pick*
Queen's Blade: Utsukushiki Toushitachi


BEST QUICK WATCH (Anime that are less than 3 hours long)
Colorful
Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo
Karigurashi no Arrietty
Mai Mai Shinko to Sennen no Mahou
Redline *Winner*
Ojii-san no Lamp
Out of Sight *Jury's Pick*
Uchuu Show he Youkoso


BEST NEWCOMER (Ongoing anime that started in 2011)
Chihayafuru *Jury's Pick*
Fate/Zero *Winner*
Gintama'
Kimi to Boku.
Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam
Mardock Scramble
Towa no Quon


BEST CAST
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai
Bakuman
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
Hourou Musuko
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
Mawaru Penguindrum
Nichijou
Steins;Gate *Winner*
Usagi Drop *Jury's Pick*
Working'!!


BEST CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai
Colorful
Hourou Musuko
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica *Jury's Pick*
Mawaru Penguindrum
Steins;Gate *Winner, tie with Usagi Drop*
Usagi Drop *Winner, tie with Steins;Gate*


BEST MALE LEAD CHARACTER
Baka Ki El Dogra (Level E)
Cao Cao (Souten Kouro)
Kaburagi T. Kotetsu (Tiger & Bunny)
Kawachi Daikichi (Usagi Drop)
Natsume Takashi (Natsume Yuujinchou San)
Nitori Shuuichi (Hourou Musuko)
Okabe "Hououin Kyouma" Rintarou (Steins;Gate) *Winner* *Jury's Pick*
Takakura Shouma (Mawaru Penguindrum)


BEST FEMALE LEAD CHARACTER
Akemi Homura (Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica) *Jury's Pick*
Arrietty (Karigurashi no Arrietty)
Inami Mahiru (Working`!!)
Kaga Rin (Usagi Drop) *Winner* *Jury's Pick*
Kaname Madoka (Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica)
Makise Kurisu (Steins;Gate)
Matsumae Ohana (Hanasaku Iroha)
Takatsuki Yoshino (Hourou Musuko)


BEST SUPPORTING MALE CHARACTER
Hashida "Daru" Itaru (Steins;Gate)
Hisakawa "Poppo" Tetsudou (Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai)
Kraft (Level E)
Niizuma Eiji (Bakuman) *Winner*
Nyanko-sensei (Natsume Yuujinchou San) *Jury's Pick*
Senji Kiyomasa (Deadman Wonderland)
Suguro Ryuuji (Ao no Exorcist)


BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE CHARACTER
Amane Suzuha (Steins;Gate)
Maekawa (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko)
Miyoshi Kaya (Bakuman)
Oginome Ringo (Mawaru Penguindrum) *Winner* *Jury's Pick*
Sakura Kyouko (Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica)
Sarashina Chizuru (Hourou Musuko)
Tomoe Mami (Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica)
Tsurugi Minko (Hanasaku Iroha)


BEST VILLAIN
Albert Maverick (Tiger & Bunny)
FB (Steins;Gate)
Haru (Karigurashi no Arrietty)
Hayami Seigen (Un-Go)
Kiryuu Moeka (Steins;Gate)
Kyuubey (Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica) *Winner* *Jury's Pick*
Matoba Seiji (Natsume Yuujinchou San)
Tamaki Tsunenaga (Deadman Wonderland)
Watase Sanetoshi (Mawaru Penguindrum)


BEST ANIMATION/ARTWORK
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo
Karigurashi no Arrietty
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica *Jury's Pick*
Mawaru Penguindrum
Redline *Winner*
Uchuu Show he Youkoso


BEST SOUNDTRACK
Ao no Exorcist
Break Blade
C
Karigurashi no Arrietty
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica *Winner* *Jury's Pick*
Mawaru Penguindrum
Tegami Bachi Reverse


BEST OPENING/ENDING (Combination of opening/ending animations and songs)
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai *Winner*
Fractale
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
Mawaru Penguindrum
Natsume Yuujinchou San
Nichijou
Un-Go
Usagi Drop *Jury's Pick*



Below are past winners of the Best Anime Overall award. Click on a year to see all the winners for that particular year.

2010 (Best Anime Overall / Jury's Pick: Fullmetal Alchemist (2009))
2009 (Best Anime Overall: Bakemonogatari; Jury's Pick: Eve no Jikan)
2008 (Best Anime Overall / Jury's Pick: Kaiba)
2007 (Best Anime Overall: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann; Jury's Pick: Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo)
2006 (Best Anime Overall: Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu; Jury's Pick: Mushishi)
2005 (Best Anime Overall: School Rumble; Jury's Pick: Hachimitsu to Clover)
2004 (Best Anime Overall / Jury's Pick: Fullmetal Alchemist)
2003 (Best Anime Overall: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex; Jury's Pick: Juuni Kokuki)
2002 (Best Anime Overall: Azumanga Daiou; Jury's Pick: Haibane Renmei)
2001 (Best Anime Overall / Jury's Pick: Seikai no Senki II)
2000 (Best Anime Overall / Jury's Pick: Great Teacher Onizuka)