Crunchyroll officially announced its slate of anime-loving celebrities presenting at the Anime Awards 2023, including many big names.
This week, Crunchyroll dropped a surprisingly solid list of celebrities going to be participating in the seventh annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards for 2023. Some of the biggest names announced included Robert Rodriguez, Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things, Pinocchio), WWE Superstar Zelina Vega, Juju Smith-Schuster of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, top streaming talent, and more.
Rodriguez shared, “I love anime, it’s an art form that has always inspired me. For the creators, it’s unbound creativity and freedom of expression, where they can make truly iconic, creative worlds and characters.” For those of you who need a refresher on his resume, Rodriguez has worked on many iconic films like Sin City, Alita: Battle Angel, and the sixth episode of The Mandalorian season 2.
Fresh off the NFL Super Bowl win with the Kansas City Chiefs, KC Chief’s wide receiver, Smith-Schuster, commented on how much anime had impacted them and how honoured he was to be a part of the Anime Awards this year. “I have been a huge anime fan since I was a kid. It has been a part of my whole life, till this day, it has helped me so much. I’m an NFL athlete and I get to represent this anime world. So for me to present an Anime Award to some of the greatest shows in the world, it’s the best.”
Here is the full list of the talent announced so far from the Crunchyroll website:
- 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
More international talent and musical performance guests will be announced as the Anime Awards roll around closer. The Crunchyroll Anime Awards has been recognized as the premier leading yearly awards program that has continued to honour creators, musicians, and performances involved with anime. This year’s nominees were said to represent excellence across more than 30 anime studios, more than 50 series and films, eight streaming platforms, and more than 50 voice actors.
“Anime is a crucible for new ideas and fresh perspectives in entertainment. So I’m very excited to help celebrate the grand winners being honoured at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards in Japan,” Rodriguez continued.
The Anime Awards will take place at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa in Tokyo on Saturday, March 4, 2023. One of the most well-known voice actresses in Japan, Sally Amaki, will host the ceremony, along with popular entertainer Jon Kabira. I cannot wait to see what anime show will take the anime of the year award because there have been some compelling, action-packed ones.
