Miriam Herrera
Crunchyroll, the world’s most popular anime brand, just wrapped the first-ever Virtual Crunchyroll Expo with an incredible lineup of guests, premieres, panels, performances, and moreover the three-day digital event.
This year’s virtual event engaged the global anime community with more than 85 panels and events, 24 hours of anime marathons, panel discussions, and series available across six languages, 180 artists in the Anime Arts District, and more than 100 exhibitors in the Shopping
District. Over the course of the three-day event, there were more than 200 guests, panelists, and hosts across four different virtual stages, with panels available in the V-CRX On Demand area for fans eager to catch up or rewatch the action. Highlights from this year’s event include:
Incredible engagement from the global anime community with fans from around the world tuning in for all the action, including attendees from Canada, across Latin America, the U.K, Australia, Germany, France, and Japan.
Huge programming announcements including “Shenmue,” a Crunchyroll and Adult Swim Production based on the beloved SEGA video game franchise, alongside the announcement of “To Your Eternity” and new seasons of “Dr. STONE,” “The Rising of the Shield Hero,” “How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Omega” and the first season of “Dr. Ramune -Mysterious Disease Specialist-” all coming soon to Crunchyroll.
More than 85 panels including the creative staff and voice actors behind a mix of series including Crunchyroll Originals “Onyx Equinox,” “Noblesse,” “The God of High School,” “EX-ARM,” “So I’m a Spider, So What?” and “TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You,” alongside “Rent-a-Girlfriend,” “The Rising of the Shield Hero,” and “Dr. STONE.”
Nearly 210 guests and panelists including legendary horror manga artist Junji Ito for a discussion about his beloved cats Yon & Mu, voice actor Soma Saito for a preview of his upcoming series “EX-ARM”, Arthell Isom, CEO of D’ART Shtajio, the first Black-owned animation studio in Japan, a history of anime in Latin America featuring Crunchyroll’s Mexico community leads and a celebration of the art of Japanese vegetable carving.
Special shout-outs from K-Pop stars including CIX, Stray Kids, J-JUN, and OH MY GIRL and Japanese EDM artist KSUKE, alongside musical performances by Myth & Roid, a Hatsune Miku Symphony with the Tokyo Philharmonic, and the exclusive world premiere of “The Rising of the Shield Hero” concert with composer Kevin Penkin.
Premiere date announcements for the Crunchyroll Original series “Noblesse,” a Crunchyroll and WEBTOON Production, coming to Crunchyroll on October 6 and “Onyx Equinox,” premiering November 21.
Immersive experiences including the “Onyx Equinox” scavenger hunt, live sketches from the character designer of the Crunchyroll Original “Tower of God,” a MAPPA gallery tour with behind-the-scenes commentary from creative staff including Sunghoo Park (director “The God of High School,” “JUJUTSU KAISEN”), the Yuzu’s Cat Cafe featuring a 24/7 live stream of adorable and adoptable kittens, and a celebrity fan exhibit of anime-inspired art.
An international cosplay competition featuring more than 30 participants. The best in show winner was awarded to Jaqueline Fernandes, a cosplayer located in Brazil. The show was hosted by Vampy Bit Me and Mario Bueno, with Rock M. Sakura, Creature Of Habit, GSTQ Fashions, and Kamui Cosplay as judges.
World and domestic U.S. premieres of “GIBIATE” episode 9, “One Piece: Episode of Chopper – The Miracle Winter Cherry Blossom,” and a sneak peek of five minutes of the Crunchyroll Originals series “Noblesse.”
Major merchandise news including a special limited edition book for “The Rising of the Shield Hero” featuring more than 100 pages of original art available now for pre-order, a home video partnership with Sentai Filmworks including “Food Wars! The Fourth Plate,” “Ascendance of a Bookworm,” “Granbelm,” and “World Trigger” and the announcement of the Crunchyroll Crate and the Limited Edition Mobile Suit Gundam Life Crate, available for pre-order now from Crunchyroll and Loot Crate.
Crunchyroll Expo is the yearly celebration of the best and brightest in Japanese anime. Next year’s CRX will take place on August 6-8, 2021 in San Jose, marking the fifth year of the event.
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