The leading anime platform boasts a-list slate of presenters participating in this year’s award ceremony taking place Mach 4; returning to the genre’s birthplace, the event streams live from Tokyo, honoring creators, musicians, and performances across streaming and theatrical.
Crunchyroll has revealed the slate of celebrity presenters set to appear and participate in the seventh annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards, taking place March 4, 2023, in Tokyo. The line-up includes Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Mandalorian), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things, Pinocchio), WWE Superstar Zelina Vega, and Juju Smith-Schuster of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards honors creators, musicians, and performances across streaming and theatrical. This year’s nominees represent more than 30 anime studios, eight streaming platforms, over 50 series and films, and more than 50 voice actors.
“I love anime, it’s an art form that has always inspired me,” shared Rodriguez. “For the creators, it’s unbound creativity and freedom of expression, where they can make truly iconic, creative worlds and characters. Anime is a crucible for new ideas and fresh perspectives in entertainment. So I’m very excited to help celebrate the grand winners being honored at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards in Japan.”
The full list of talent includes:
- Aidan Hutchinson - American football defensive end for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League
- Finn Wolfhard - actor, musician, and director (Stranger Things, Pinocchio, Ghostbusters, IT)
- Hunter Schafer - actress, and artist (Euphoria and the upcoming The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes)
- Jacob Bertrand - actor (Cobra Kai)
- Juju Smith-Schuster - American football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League
- Robert Rodriguez - film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor, and musician (Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, Alita: Battle Angel)
- Zelina Vega - WWE Superstar
- Sykkuno - one of the largest streamers on YouTube Gaming (9.8M+ followers)
- Valkyrae - one of the biggest female streamers in the world (13M followers) and the co-owner of 100 Thieves
Additional talent and musical performances will be announced soon.
The Anime Awards will take place at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa in Tokyo on Saturday, March 4, 2023, with a live ceremony hosted by voice actress Sally Amaki and entertainer Jon Kabira. Fans can watch the Anime Awards live stream on the Crunchyroll channels on YouTube and Twitch. In India, the Anime Awards will be exclusively streamed on Sony LIV.
Sony Music Solutions, part of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., will support Crunchyroll in the execution of the event, which will be streamed to global audiences.
Source: Crunchyroll
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
