Latest news with #CrunchyrollAwards
Japan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Anime's big night out is getting bigger — and more surreal
All eyes at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards turn to NFL defensive end Myles Garrett as he begins to sing the theme from 'Pokemon.' There's a lot happening on the 'orange carpet' ahead of the ninth edition of the anime streaming service's awards ceremony, held on May 25 at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo. Musician Rina Sawayama and Maneskin vocalist Damiano David chat with the media about how Japanese animation has inspired them over the years. On the other side of the aisle, 'Stranger Things' stars Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo joke with one another while photographers snap pictures of them. Still, hearing the massive American football all-pro breaking into song while standing next to Olympic gold medalist and snowboarder Chloe Kim for an interview with Teen Vogue grabs the most attention in this surreal scene. This spectacle is exactly what Crunchyroll wants to project about the current global popularity — and continued growth — of anime. An event that started in 2017 as a low-key affair held in San Francisco has evolved into a glamorous ceremony styled after major events like the Academy Awards. 'We've been putting more production value into it,' Travis Page, Crunchyroll's chief financial officer, tells The Japan Times from a conference room in the hotel a day before the event. 'Every year, we've been leveling up.' While the event itself grows in size and cost annually, Page says the central aim remains the same. 'The team is constantly thinking from first principles — how do we want to celebrate anime?' American snowboarder Chloe Kim and NFL star Myles Garrett attend the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. | Courtesy of Crunchyroll The ninth edition of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards did so by leaning further into the prestige associated with traditional awards ceremonies. For the first time, a kind of lifetime achievement award dubbed the Global Impact Award is bestowed upon critically acclaimed action series 'Attack on Titan.' Host Sally Amaki wears an elegant orange dress reflecting the company's colors. The messaging on screen approaches the self-important tone beloved by the American film industry: 'Anime doesn't just tell stories... it shapes our culture. It shapes our world.' Which isn't to say the peculiarities of the anime community have vanished. Virtual avatar Ironmouse interviews celebrities during the preshow. Winners go on stage holding plush dolls of characters from the series they represent. Crunchyroll devotes space to categories both silly (''must protect at all costs' character') and specific ('best isekai anime,' referring to the genre where characters get transported to new worlds). The celebrity fashion references various series, running from Japanese talent Dean Fujioka's nod to 'Spy × Family' to American country artist Kacey Musgraves channeling 'Sailor Moon.' 'My look today is inspired by Zero Two from 'Darling in the Franxx,' but we had to drag it up a little bit,' says drag queen Plastique Tiara from the orange carpet about their get-up for the awards. 'I think most of my looks are very anime inspired,' Plastique Tiara adds. 'I think it's a world of creativity and like a recycling bin of just fab. I always go to anime.' As has become the norm for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards in recent years, the ceremony itself allows the Sony-owned streaming service to show just how beloved the medium has become via a plethora of famous guests hailing from a variety of fields. It's also an opportunity for Crunchyroll to flaunt its power in the industry. 'We just announced that we've hit 17 million subscribers, up from 15 million last year,' Page says of Crunchyroll's 'exciting' continued growth. 'The confirmation that we are doing our jobs and we are successfully giving customers and fans what they want is the fact that people keep signing up for us.' J-pop artist Lisa performs 'crossing field' from 'Sword Art Online' at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards on May 25. | Courtesy of Crunchyroll Crunchyroll has come under plenty of scrutiny as it has become the key player in anime streaming, most recently facing criticism for expressing interest in experimenting with artificial intelligence (a plan it backtracked from in April). Still, the data coupled with the soft-power pageantry of its Anime Awards underlines its status as interest in the medium continues to grow. 'Lots of young fans are coming in. Gen Z and Gen Alpha tell us that anime is a huge influence in their lives,' says Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini from the orange carpet. That statement is echoed by the younger stars present at the ceremony. 'Through the storytelling aspect of anime with all the complex characters and themes of like, battling yourself, I use that in my music to process emotions in my own life and how I put that to song,' says 20-year-old artist d4vd, adding that anime helped expose him to Japanese artists such as tricot and Eve, who he 'loves.' 'It's such a magical way to portray human emotions and to kind of exaggerate what we feel every day, and it's very beautiful, because sometimes the emotions we feel are exaggerated compared to the context we're in, and it's something that makes you feel very understood,' says Maneskin's David of anime. 'Sometimes it can also give you the strength to talk about something that you don't really feel ready to.' The Crunchyroll Anime Awards also gives the company an opportunity to highlight the global reach of the industry, underlined by the Association of Japanese Anime reporting in its 2024 industry report that the international market has become bigger than the domestic one. Page says the 2024 ceremony saw a greater push to bring in guests from diverse places, an initiative that has continued in 2025 with attendees hailing from the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. '(Anime) is still a bit underground in Chile, but there's so many people watching it overall,' says Chilean American pop star Paloma Mami. Maneskin vocalist Damiano David says anime is "a magical way to portray human emotions." | Courtesy of Crunchyroll This global reach proves to be one of the most interesting developments for Page. 'One of the exciting things to me is seeing which markets and territories really have fallen in love with the dubs we've been producing for them,' he says of Crunchyroll's efforts to offer programs in local languages. 'In India, for example, we're dubbing into three different languages — Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The passion for which viewers are watching in those dubs rather than the subs makes me think we did something right here.' It applies to the shows being produced, too. Page points to the growing number of series being created from intellectual property outside of the usual manga-to-anime pipeline. His go-to example is 'Solo Leveling,' an action-centric series based on a South Korean webtoon. Crunchyroll recently partnered with entertainment company Aniplex to form Hayate, a joint anime production operation aimed at 'being a little more experimental' in creating new titles geared toward the international market, according to Page. Yet signs of the globalization of anime appear frequently at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. 'Solo Leveling,' directed by Shunsuke Nakashige, ends up being the big winner of the night, taking home the anime of the year trophy. The award for best original anime goes to 'Ninja Kamui,' a series animated by a Japanese studio but directed by a South Korean director and premiered on U.S. entertainment block Adult Swim. 'People in many countries have been watching anime for a long time, but thanks to Crunchyroll distributing it worldwide, I can really feel just how many people are watching it and hearing my work. It's become more tangible for us,' says J-pop artist Lisa, who has enjoyed global success via songs tied to anime and will tour North America this June. While the main goal of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards is to celebrate the industry from its birthplace while also flexing the company's strength, the ceremony also offers a kind of best-case scenario for the spread of pop culture, bringing together people from far-flung places thanks to entertainment. 'The fact that an Italian band can collaborate with a Japanese artist ... that's such a long jump, but it's actually possible,' David says, referencing his group's work with the series 'Beastars.' 'Just look at tonight. There's people from all over the world united by their love of art.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Crunchyroll Anime Awards: ‘Solo Leveling,' ‘Look Back' Big Winners at Star-Studded Tokyo Ceremony
Solo Leveling was the big winner Sunday night at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, taking home anime of the year, best action, best new series, and multiple performance and music honors in a starry ceremony that brought together anime's most passionate global fans. Held at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo, the annual celebration honored the top talent in Japanese animation across 28 categories — drawing a record-breaking 51 million fan votes worldwide to decide the winners. In the feature film category, Look Back, the emotional adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's one-shot manga, earned Film of the Year, while fan-favorite Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba added to its legacy with best continuing series and best animation. The genre-defying Dan Da Dan picked up several creative awards, including best opening sequence, best anime song, and best character design. More from The Hollywood Reporter Viennale Sets Retrospective on Dutch Director Digna Sinke, Including New Film 'Key to Heaven' Marcel Ophuls, 'Sorrow and the Pity' Documentarian, Dies at 97 'Code of Silence' Writer Catherine Moulton Knows: "Lip Readers Are Detectives" Hosted for the third year in a row by voice actress Sally Amaki and entertainer Jon Kabira, this year's show again welcomed a diverse slate of celebrity presenters, further underlining anime's global appeal. Appearances were made by Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves, Stranger Things stars Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo, Latin music icon J Balvin, Japanese actor Kanata Hongo and Japanese Academy Award-winner Mayu Matsuoka. Also on hand were singer Rina Sawayama, Brazilian pop star Pabllo Vittar, model Saya Ichikawa, actor Dean Fujioka and Damiano David of Maneskin fame. The night's most poignant moment came when Attack on Titan was awarded Crunchyroll's first-ever Global Impact Award, a new honor recognizing a franchise's profound influence on anime and global pop culture. Director Yuichiro Hayashi accepted the award on behalf of studio Mappa and the series' many creators, following the release of Attack on Titan: The Last Attack in late 2024, which concluded the long-running saga. Fans were also treated to live performances from some of anime music's biggest acts, including Creepy Nuts with their viral hit 'Bling-Bang-Bang-Born' from Mashle: Magic and Muscles, Japanese rock legends Flow with 'Days' in honor of Eureka Seven, and a three-song medley by J-pop star Lisa, including her Demon Slayer anthem 'Gurenge.' 'Fans form deep emotional connections to anime. These are not just series, films or songs, but rather works of art that help define the identity of anime fans,' said Rahul Purini, president of Crunchyroll. 'With an incredible 51 million votes this year, the 2025 Anime Awards are celebrating the creators in Japan who have captured the hearts of fans and are powering anime's prominence in global pop culture.' Crunchyroll partnered with Sony Music Solutions Inc. and Dempsey Productions to deliver the high-energy show, which will be available to stream via Crunchyroll's YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as Sony Pictures Core and other Sony Group platforms. Sony Group has identified anime as a key pillar of its growth strategy, with Crunchyroll sitting at the center of its holdings in the sector. On Sony's most recent earnings call in May, the conglomerate revealed that Crunchyroll now counts 17 million subscribers worldwide. Crunchyroll, Aniplex and Sony Pictures will collaborate later this year on the North American and international release of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, a trilogy of films that concludes what is currently the world's most bankable anime franchise. Crunchyroll and Aniplex are also co-producing an anime series based on the blockbuster samurai adventure PlayStation game Ghost of Tsushima. Full List of 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards Winners Anime of the Year: Solo Leveling Film of the Year: Look Back Best Original Anime: Ninja Kamui Best Continuing Series: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc Best New Series: Solo Leveling Best Opening Sequence: 'Otonoke' – Creepy Nuts (Dan Da Dan) Best Ending Sequence: 'request' – krage (Solo Leveling) Best Action: Solo Leveling Best Comedy: Mashle: Magic and Muscles – The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam Arc Best Drama: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Best Isekai Anime: Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World – Season 3 Best Romance: Blue Box Best Slice of Life: Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! Best Animation: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc Best Background Art: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Best Character Design: Dan Da Dan Best Director: Keiichiro Saito (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) Best Main Character: Sung Jinwoo (Solo Leveling) Best Supporting Character: Fern (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) 'Must Protect At All Costs' Character: Anya Forger (Spy × Family, Season 2) Best Anime Song: 'Otonoke' – Creepy Nuts (Dan Da Dan) Best Score: Solo Leveling – Hiroyuki Sawano Voice Performance Awards Japanese: Aoi Yuki (Maomao – The Apothecary Diaries) English: Aleks Le (Sung Jinwoo – Solo Leveling) Arabic: Hiba Snobar (Anya Forger – SPY × FAMILY Season 2) Brazilian Portuguese: Charles Emmanuel (Sung Jinwoo – Solo Leveling) Castilian Spanish: Masumi Mutsuda (Sung Jinwoo – Solo Leveling) French: Adrien Antoine (Kafka Hibino – Kaiju No. 8) German: Daniel Schlauch (Monkey D. Luffy – One Piece) Hindi: Lohit Sharma (Satoru Gojo – Jujutsu Kaisen, Season 2) Italian: Ilaria Pellicone (Kyomoto – Look Back) Latin Spanish: Miguel Ángel Leal (Eren Jaeger – Attack on Titan Final Season: The Final Chapters – Special 2) Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Geek Culture
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
‘Solo Leveling' Sweeps Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025, Including Anime Of The Year
Like clockwork, every anime season comes with its fair share of breakout hits, standouts, and fan favourites, and 2024 was no different. The slate saw returning titles like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba , My Hero Academia , Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War , and more, but there were also plenty of new entries that basked in the spotlight. Celebrating the best of the genre, Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025 is back to roll out the annual orange carpet, with voice actor and singer Sally Amaki and pop entertainer Jon Kabira serving as co-hosts. Joining big-name presenters like Dean Fujioka, Stranger Things stars Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo, award-winning musician Kacey Musgraves, recording artist d4vd, actor-musican Rina Sawayama, content creator Gigguk, VTuber Ironmouse, and more were renowned artists Creepy Nuts, Flow, and LiSA, who took to the stage with live performances of 'Bling-Bang-Bang-Born', the catchy opening theme song from MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES , 'Days' (Eureka 7), and a three-song act comprising 'Gurenge' ( Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba ), 'Crossing Field' ( Sword Art Online ), and ''Cause You're My Hero' ( My Hero Academia ), respectively. As for the award buzz, Solo Leveling was the biggest winner of the evening, sweeping at least eight accolades, including the highly coveted Anime of the Year. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End trailed behind with four, while DAN DA DAN scored two wins for its opening song, 'Otonoke' by Creepy Nuts. Both titles were also in the running for Anime of the Year, alongside Delicious in Dungeon , The Apothecary Diaries , and Kaiju No. 8 – a culmination of more than 51 million votes (up for 17 million last year). Here's the full list of winners for Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025, which aired on 25 May at 6pm JST: DAN DA DAN Delicious in Dungeon Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Kaiju No. 8 Solo Leveling – Winner The Apothecary Diaries Haikyuu! The Dumpster Battle Look Back – Winner Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain My Hero Academia: You're Next SPY X FAMILY CODE: White The Colors Within BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Conflict Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc – Winner My Hero Academia Season 7 One Piece Oshi no Ko Season 2 SPY X FAMILY Season 2 DAN DA DAN Delicious in Dungeon Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Kaiju No. 8 Solo Leveling – Winner The Apothecary Diaries DAN DA DAN Delicious in Dungeon Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc – Winner Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Kaiju No. 8 Solo Leveling A Sign of Affection Blue Box – Winner Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! Ranma 1/2 Scott Pilgrim Takes Off The Dangers in My Heart Season 2 Delicious in Dungeon KONOSUBA – God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! 3 MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam Arc – Winner My Deer Friend Nokotan Ranma 1/2 SPY X FAMILY Season 2 Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Conflict DAN DA DAN Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc Kaiju No. 8 Solo Leveling – Winner WIND BREAKER BUCCHIGIRI?! GIRLS BAND CRY Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night Metallic Rouge Ninja Kamui – Winner Train to the End of the World KONOSUBA – God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! 3 Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Season 2, Cour 2) Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World: Season 3 – Winner Shangri-La Frontier Season 2 Suicide Squad ISEKAI That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 3 A Sign of Affection DEAD DEAD DEMONS DEDEDEDE DESTRUCTION Frieren: Beyond Journey's End – Winner Oshi no Ko Season 2 Pluto The Apothecary Diaries Laid-Back Camp Season 3 Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! – Winner Mr. Villain's Day Off My Deer Friend Nokotan Sound! Euphonium 3 The Dangers in My Heart Season 2 Fuga Yamashiro (DAN DA DAN) Haruo Sotozaki (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc) Keiichiro Saito (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) – Winner Megumi Ishitani (One Piece Fan Letter) Norihiro Naganuma (The Apocathecary Diaries) Yoshihiro Miyajima (Delicious in Dungeon) DAN DA DAN Delicious in Dungeon Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc Frieren: Beyond Journey's End – Winner Pluto The Apothecary Diaries DAN DA DAN – Winner Delicious in Dungeon Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Kaiju No. 8 The Apothecary Diaries Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) Kafka Hibino (Kaiju No.8) Okarun (DAN DA DAN) Maomao (The Apothecary Diaries) Momo (DAN DA DAN) Sung Jinwoo (Solo Leveling) – Winner Fern (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) – Winner Himmel (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) Jinshi (The Apothecary Diaries) Seiko (DAN DA DAN) Senshi (Delicious in Dungeon) Turbo Granny (DAN DA DAN) 'Abyss' by Yungblud (Kaiju No. 8) 'Bling-Bang-Bang-Born' by Creepy Nuts (MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam Arc) 'Fatal' by GEMN (Oshi no Ko Season 2) 'LEveL' by SawanoHiroyuki [nZK]: TOMORROW X TOGETHER (Solo Leveling) 'Otonoke' by Creepy Nuts (DAN DA DAN) – Winner 'The Brave' by YOASOBI (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) 'Abyss' by Yungblud (Kaiju No. 8) 'Bling-Bang-Bang-Born' by Creepy Nuts (MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam Arc) 'Fatal' by GEMN (Oshi no Ko Season 2) 'LEveL' by SawanoHiroyuki [nZK]: TOMORROW X TOGETHER (Solo Leveling) 'Otonoke' by Creepy Nuts (DAN DA DAN) – Winner 'UUUUUS!' by Hiroshi Kitadani (One Piece) 'Antanante' by riria. (Ranma 1/2) 'Burning' by Hitsujibungaku (Oshi no Ko Season 2) 'KAMAKURA STYLE' by BotchiBoromaru (The Elusive Samurai) 'Nobody' by OneRepublic (Kaiju No. 8) 'request' by krage (Solo Leveling) – Winner 'TAIDADA' by ZUTOMAYO (DAN DA DAN) BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Conflict (Shiro Sagisu) DAN DA DAN (kensuke ushio) Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc (Yuki Kajiura, Go Shiina) Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Evan Call) Look Back (Haruka Nakamura) Solo Leveling (Hiroyuki Sawano) – Winner Anya Forger (SPY x FAMILY Season 2) – Winner Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) Okarun (DAN DA DAN) Senshi (Delicious in Dungeon) Toshiyuki Hojo (The Elusive Samurai) Yuki Itose (A Sign of Affection) Aoi Yuki as Maomao (The Apothecary Diaries) – Winner Atsumi Tanezaki as Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) Kenichi Suzumura as Bravern (Brave Bang Bravern!) Shion Wakayama as Momo (DAN DA DAN) Sayaka Sembongi as Marcille Donato (Delicious in Dungeon) Natsuki Hanae as Okarun (DAN DA DAN) AJ Beckles as Okarun (DAN DA DAN) Aleks Le as Sung Jinwoo (Solo Leveling) – Winner Kenichi Suzumura as Bravern (Brave Bang Bravern!) Jessie James Grelle as Armin Arlelt (Attack on Titan Final Season THE FINAL CHAPTERS Special 2) Mallorie Rodak as Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) Sarah Natochenny as Alya (Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian) SungWon Cho as Senshi (Delicious in Dungeon) Adrien Antoine as Kafka Hibino (Kaiju No. 8) – Winner Audrey Sablé as Naomi Orthmann (Metallic Rouge) Jaynelia Coadou as Momo (DAN DA DAN) Julien Allouf as Jinshi (The Apothecary Diaries) Marie Nonnenmacher as Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) Martin Faliu as Ranma Saotome (Ranma 1/2) Daniel Schlauch as Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece) – Winner Felix Kamin as Kafka Hibino (Kaiju No. 8) Florian Knorn as Ranma Saotome (Ranma 1/2) Franciska Friede as Momo (DAN DA DAN) Jörg Hengstler as Kogoro Mori (Detective Conan: Black Iron Samurai) Magdalena Höfner as Marcille Donato (Delicious in Dungeon) Abhishek Sharma as Einar (Vinland Saga) Lohit Sharma as Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen) – Winner Natasha John as Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) Rajesh Shukla as Sung Jinwoo (Solo Leveling) (Solo Leveling) Ranjit R Tiwari as Yoichi Isagi (Blue Lock 2nd Season) Rushikesh Phunse as Kafka Hibino (Kaiju No. 8) Alessandro Pili as Kenma Kozume (Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle) Andrea Oldani as Jinshi (The Apothecary Diaries) Ilaria Pellicone as Kyomoto (Look Back) – Winner Katia Sorrentino as Neia Baraja (OVERLORD: The Sacred Kingdom) Martina Felli as Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) Mattia Bressan as Kafka Hibino (Kaiju No. 8) Alicia Vélez as Momo (DAN DAN DAN) Desireé González as Maomao (The Apothecary Diaries) Erika Ugalde as Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) Luis Leonardo Suárez as Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc) Miguel Ángel Leal as Eren Jaeger (Attack on Titan Final Season THE FINAL CHAPTERS Special 2) – Winner (Attack on Titan Final Season THE FINAL CHAPTERS Special 2) Omar Sánchez as Kafka Hibino (Kaiju No. 8) Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
