Crunchyroll wants more women to watch anime

The vice president of Crunchyroll has pointed out that while there has always been a sizable female fan base in the anime community, this demographic has historically been underserved. Anna Songco Adamian, Vice President of Global Consumer Products at Crunchyroll, spoke with License Global's McKenna Morgan in a recent interview during License Expo 2024.

"We're focusing on anime that speaks to female audiences," Adamian said. "I think female fandom has always been present in anime, but it's growing in number, and I think it's a community that we really want to reach. They've been neglected, and I think they'll be very excited about what we have in store."

Adamian explained some of the ways Crunchyroll is catering to this audience. "We have super adorable IPs more aimed at the female audience or for those who love the 'kawaii' style, which means 'cute' in Japanese. To do that, we're focusing on shows like Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun and Bananya, which is literally about a cat living on a banana tree."

In addition, Crunchyroll's present and future priorities were announced. These include boosting its latest and most popular IPs like "Solo Leveling" and "Kaiju No. 8," a "Tokyo Ghoul" tenth anniversary project, 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 towards Aniplex, followed by world premieres 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, including new video and merchandise releases for franchises such as "Jujutsu Kaisen" and "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba," a collaboration with Hot Topic, free options to watch anime, and a 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 catered for in the anime world.

Source: Licensing Global