More recently, the 2024 edition saw Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End edge out Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Swordsmith Village Arc for the same award. Ufotable’s Demon Slayer had long been the benchmark for dynamic action and CGI integration, but Frieren took a subtler route. Its contemplative pans across quiet landscapes, intricate spell-casting sequences, and delicate character acting were praised for conveying emotion through understated motion. This upset reflected a maturation of audience taste: voters were rewarding a series that trusted silence and stillness as powerful visual tools, pushing back against the notion that only explosive action deserves the top prize.