Crunchyroll's top management said the anime had to be Japanese in nature and focused on Japanese creators, while story choices could reflect the diversity of its global fan base.
Crunchyroll CEO Rahul Purini and COO Gita Rebbapragada talked about the past, present, and future of the anime industry in a recent interview with Nikkei. The interviewer asked how to maximize the popularity of anime in the wake of past failures, such as the Japanese government's Cool Japan project. Purini responded that he welcomes “any initiative that will lead to more anime fans and more works being released,” having previously outlined the success of adapting even works that are not native to Japan. However, he also added, “I believe that anime has to be ‘Japanese’ in nature and told from the perspective of Japanese creators. We want more anime, more diverse stories, and it is important that Japanese creators continue to participate in them.”
Many fans want to differentiate between works inspired by Japanese and foreign anime.
Purini’s words will likely resonate with many fans who want to keep the themes and animation styles that characterize Japanese and foreign animation distinct. However, it’s unclear where films like the Pakistani animated film The Glassworker fit into this vision. The film is heavily inspired by the art style of Japan’s Studio Ghibli but was animated by Mano Animation Studios, which describes itself as “Pakistan’s first studio specializing in hand-drawn animation.” It was released to positive reception at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in June.
Crunchyroll CEO Says Anime Should Remain Japanese But Sources Are Global
While Purini wants anime to remain Japanese in nature, IP choices for adaptation can come from anywhere. “Stories worthy of being animated can come from anywhere, including Korean webtoons and games,” he said, with one of the biggest anime series of 2024, an adaptation of the Korean webtoon Solo Leveling, being one of the most famous examples; Crunchyroll reportedly pitched the series to its Japanese sister company Aniplex due to demand from the company’s global fan base. “Crunchyroll is always looking for new trends and signs of hits. For example, we can pitch Indian IP to Japanese creators and suggest that if they adapt this IP into anime and tell a story, it could resonate with audiences in the region.” He added that while manga is often the medium from which anime emerges, “there will be more experimental efforts and we are actively discussing this with our collaborators.”
The diversity of source material can be seen in recent and highly anticipated works such as Terminator Zero, an adaptation of an American IP, or The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which just got its stunning debut trailer. It is inspired by the American series adapted from the novels of the same name by British author JRR Tolkien. Rick and Morty: The Anime is a new version of the popular American animated series, with the highly regarded Japanese studio Telecom Animation (Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Jarinko Chie) animating the series.
Crunchyroll Targets Generation Alpha Through Short-Form Content Like TikTok
Crunchyroll has also signaled its intention to get involved in promoting short-form content through platforms like TikTok. “Generation Alpha is their own content creator,” Rebbapragada said, “so we need to think about how they can invest their time, their heart, and their money into it.” Purini added that Crunchyroll is currently investigating how fans respond to short-form content like anime music videos on the platform.
Source: Nikkei
