While the rest of the world debates whether Heath Ledger's Golden Globe for the Joker will translate into an Oscar, animeanime! has announced the 2008 Otaku Awards results.
True Tears
- Fujitsu Ryouta Prize: Kuramoto Kurata no Kuradashi (a collection of stories by Hideyuki Kurata, a novelist and manga/anime script writer)
- Toukaimura Haraya Prize: Masaki Asai (this is a figures award; Asai is behind some of Max Factory's most popular figures-- see here)
- Hidekuni Shida Prize (Game): Monster Hunter Portable 2 G
- Masumi Kurata Prize (Anime): Junjou Romantica
- Hisakichi Maeda Prize (Anime): True Tears
- Housai Tsuruoka Prize: TENGIRL (I can't find info on this beyond the award now, but it appears to be a moe anthropomorphization of sex toys...Oh, Japan.)
ARIA - Shinya Yamada Prize: This appears to have been given to all of the moekabu companies (represented by Production I.G...really?)
- Naoki Ishiguro Prize: ARIA (manga and anime)
- Dorii Osaki Prize: Cloverfield (yes, the JJ Abrams monster flick-- no, NOT the prequel manga)
And the top prize of 2008-- the Best Anime Award? Went to Kitarou, for both Hakaba Kitarou and the fifth iteration of Gegege no Kitarou.
Except Monster Hunter.... people go crazy for that shit in Japan......
But honestly, the best thing that's come out of 2008 for me would probably be Soul Eater. Or I can cheat and say the TTGL Parallel Works, but I don't think those count.