Long time anime fan and Canadian singer/songwriter The Weeknd is to host the Crunchyroll Anime Awards in Tokyo on the 23rd of May.
The GRAMMY-winning artist references anime in his work. He will present the evening’s most prestigious honor: Anime of the Year. Voting closed for 32 categories of the awards yesterday, and you can learn more about the awards via Anime Awards Official Website, Crunchyroll, and MyAnimeList.
The Weeknd shared the following about how anime has inspired his art and career:
“When I was first introduced to anime, I was a child. Sailor Moon was one of my first crushes, Goku my first imaginary sparring partner, and “One More Time” by Daft Punk was a song and music video I couldn’t get out of my head.
But it wasn’t until my teenage years that one specific anime changed me forever and became part of the fabric of my early career: Samurai Champloo by Shinichirō Watanabe. It was the first time I experienced two of my favorite mediums—anime and hip hop—blending so seamlessly that it completely reshaped the way I watched film and listened to music.
The fusion of a samurai story told with auteur precision, paired with the sounds of Nujabes, Fat Jon, and Force of Nature was nothing short of transformative.
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards is the major anime awards. Sony Music Solutions Inc., part of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and Dempsey Productions will support Crunchyroll in the execution of the event. The event will be livestreamed for global audiences.
More information can be found on the Crunchyroll Anime Awards Official Website and Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
