The Crunchyroll Anime Award for Best Drama is a genre-specific award given at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards since its inaugural edition in 2017. It is given for the best drama anime series from the previous year. Winners are determined through a combined voting process by judges and public voting.
Mystery anime Erased by A-1 Pictures first won the award in 2017. In the latest edition in 2026, the second season of The Apothecary Diaries by Toho Animation Studio and OLM won the award.
Winners and nominees In the following list, the first titles listed in gold are the winners; those not in gold are nominees, which are listed in alphabetical order. The years given are those in which the ceremonies took place.
2010s Year Anime Studio(s) 2016(1st) Erased A-1 Pictures Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju Studio Deen Joker Game Production I.G Kiznaiver Studio Trigger Most Popular "Other": Orange TMS Entertainment 2017(2nd) The Ancient Magus' Bride Wit Studio ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. Madhouse Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (season 2) Studio Deen Made in Abyss Kinema Citrus March Comes in Like a Lion (season 2) Shaft Scum's Wish Lerche 2019(4th) Vinland Saga Wit Studio Babylon Revoroot Carole & Tuesday Bones Fruits Basket TMS Entertainment Stars Align Eight Bit The Promised Neverland CloverWorks
2020s Year Anime Studio(s) 2020(5th) Fruits Basket (season 2)| TMS Entertainment|- | Beastars | Orange |- | Great Pretender | Wit Studio |- | Japan Sinks: 2020 | Science SARU |- | Sing "Yesterday" for Me | Doga Kobo
| Somali and the Forest Spirit | Satelight & HORNETS |- ! rowspan="7" style="text-align:center;"| 2021(6th) |- style="background:#FAEB86" | To Your Eternity Brain's Base 86 A-1 Pictures Fruits Basket The Final Season (season 3) TMS Entertainment Kageki Shojo!! Pine Jam Odd Taxi OLM and P.I.C.S. Wonder Egg Priority CloverWorks 2021/2022(7th) Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 (season 4 cour 2)| MAPPA|- | 86 | A-1 Pictures |- | Cyberpunk: Edgerunners | Studio Trigger and CD Projekt |- | Dance Dance Danseur | MAPPA |- | Kotaro Lives Alone | Liden Films |- | Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun (season 2) | Kinema Citrus |- ! rowspan="7" style="text-align:center;"| 2022/2023(8th) |- style="background:#FAEB86" | Attack on Titan: The Final Season The Final Chapters Special 1 (season 4 cour 3)| MAPPA|- | Heavenly Delusion | Production I.G |- | My Happy Marriage | Kinema Citrus |- | Oshi no Ko | Doga Kobo |- | To Your Eternity (season 2) | Drive |- | Vinland Saga (season 2) | MAPPA |- ! rowspan="7" style="text-align:center;"| 2023/2024(9th) |- style="background:#FAEB86;" | Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Madhouse A Sign of Affection Ajiado Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction Production +h. Oshi no Ko (season 2) Doga Kobo Pluto Studio M2 The Apothecary Diaries Toho Animation Studio and OLM 2025(10th) The Apothecary Diaries (season 2) Toho Animation Studio and OLM Anne Shirley The Answer Studio Blue Box Telecom Animation Film Orb: On the Movements of the Earth Madhouse Takopi's Original Sin Enishiya The Summer Hikaru Died CygamesPictures
Records Anime series FranchiseWinsNominationsSeasonsAttack on Titan22The Final Season Part 2, The Final Season The Final Chapters Special 1Fruits Basket13Season 1, Season 2, The Final SeasonThe Apothecary Diaries2Season 1, Season 2To Your EternitySeason 1, Season 2Vinland SagaSeason 1, Season 2860Part 1, Part 2Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo ShinjuSeason 1, Season 2Made in AbyssSeason 1, The Golden City of the Scorching SunOshi no KoSeason 1, Season 2
Studios
Wit Studio and MAPPA were tied for the most wins in an anime studio with 2; the latter along with TMS Entertainment received the most nominations with 4. Attack on Titan became the only anime to win multiple awards. Fruits Basket, which was produced by TMS Entertainment, received the most nominations with 3; it won an award in 2021.
Doga Kobo and Kinema Citrus received the most nominations for an anime studio without a single win with 3. Four anime series (86, Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, Made in Abyss, and Oshi no Ko) have received two nominations, but they did not win a single award. StudioWinsNominationsSeasonsMAPPA24Attack on Titan (The Final Season Part 2, The Final Season The Final Chapters Special 1), Dance Dance Danseur, Vinland Saga (Season 2)Wit Studio3The Ancient Magus' Bride, Great Pretender, Vinland Saga (Season 1)TMS Entertainment14Fruits Basket (Season 1, Season 2, The Final Season), OrangeA-1 Pictures386 (Part 1, Part 2), ErasedMadhouseACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept., Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Orb: On the Movements of the EarthOLMThe Apothecary Diaries (Season 1, Season 2), Odd TaxiToho Animation Studio2The Apothecary Diaries (Season 1, Season 2)Doga Kobo03Oshi no Ko (Season 1, Season 2), Sing "Yesterday" for MeKinema CitrusMade in Abyss (Season 1, The Golden City of the Scorching Sun), My Happy MarriageCloverWorks2The Promised Neverland, Wonder Egg PriorityProduction I.GHeavenly Delusion, Joker GameStudio DeenDescending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (Season 1, Season 2)Studio TriggerCyberpunk: Edgerunners, Kiznaiver
References