Crunchyroll wants to make 'TikTok-style' anime

Crunchyroll, one of the largest anime streaming services globally, is exploring the idea of producing shorter anime to adapt to the changes in the consumption habits of new generations, who prefer short content, such as that seen on platforms such as TikTok. In a recent interview with Nikkei Xtrend, Gita Rebbapragada, Crunchyroll's chief operating officer, and Rahul Purini, the company's president, discussed emerging trends in the anime industry and how the traditional format could evolve.

During the conversation, Purini pointed out that currently most anime are between 21 and 24 minutes long per episode, but younger generations are used to consuming 2-4 minute videos on platforms such as TikTok. Given this, he highlighted the need to rethink how to tell anime stories differently: "The anime ecosystem itself needs to keep evolving."

This is not the first time that Crunchyroll has expressed its intention to attract a younger audience through short content. In August of this year, Rebbapragada commented that the platform was exploring new formats, such as anime music videos and promotional content through popular platforms among young people, such as TikTok. Crunchyroll's official Twitter account has also increased the publication of short clips of anime scenes with the aim of attracting viewers to watch the entire series on its platform.

However, these latest statements suggest that Crunchyroll might be considering taking this strategy even further, reducing the length of some anime projects. The company, which generated more than a billion dollars in 2023 through the sale of licensed products, is not the only one taking this direction.

Masayuki Ozaki, president of Bandai Namco Pictures (known for his work on anime such as "Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun" and "Gintama"), recently left his position to found a new anime studio called Creadom8, specializing in shorter animation projects. In addition, Japanese production studio TOKYO EPIC announced the creation of an anime distribution platform and a studio dedicated specifically to short-form content.

Other companies have followed this same trend. For example, Azuki, an NFT-based company, collaborated with legendary director Goro Taniguchi (Code Geass, One Piece Film: Red) and Junichi Yamamoto (Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion) for the production of a short-form anime earlier this year. Even content creators with well-known brands, such as Intertrend, have had success with short anime produced for companies such as Toyota.

Source: NIKKEI XTREND