The vice president of Crunchyroll has noted
that, although there has always been a sizeable female fan base in the anime
community, this demographic has historically been underserved. Anna
Songco Adamian, VP of Global Consumer Products at Crunchyroll, spoke with
License Global's McKenna Morgan in a recent interview during License Expo 2024.
“ We are focusing on anime that
speaks to female audiences ,” Adamian
commented. “ I think female fandom has always been present in
anime, but it's growing in number, and I think it's a community we really want
to reach. “They have been underserved, and I think they will be very excited
with what we have in store .”
Adamian explained some of the ways Crunchyroll is catering to this audience. “ We have super cute IPs that are geared more toward female audiences or those who love the ‘kawaii’ style, which means ‘cute’ in Japanese. To that end, we’re putting a spotlight on series like Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun and Bananya, which is literally about a cat that lives in a banana .”
Additionally, Crunchyroll’s current and future
priorities were revealed. These include pushing its most recent and
popular IPs like “ Solo Leveling ” and “ Kaiju
No. 8 , ” a 10th anniversary project for “ Tokyo
Ghoul , ” and promoting shonen and isekai anime. The
importance of Solo Leveling to Crunchyroll has been evident among fans; CEO
Rahul Purini revealed that the company pushed the series to Aniplex, followed
by global previews for the first season and the quick announcement of the
second season, “Arise From the Shadow.”
Crunchyroll’s confidence in “ Kaiju
No. 8 “ was highlighted when the series became the first major
anime to air on X/Twitter and when English music artist YUNGBLUD performed the
opening theme. On the other hand, the isekai genre was described as
“huge” among viewers and “a massive trend that we are also chasing.”
The interview followed Crunchyroll's
extensive announcements for Ani-May 2024, which include new video and
merchandise releases for franchises like " Jujutsu
Kaisen " and " Demon Slayer: Kimetsu
no Yaiba , " a collaboration with Hot Topic, free-to-view
options anime and the chance to win VIP access to the Japan Expo in Paris this
summer.
With these efforts, Crunchyroll seeks to not only
expand its user base, but also offer content that meets the specific
demands and tastes of a female audience that has been waiting to be recognized
and properly served in the world of anime .
Source: LicensingGlobal
