It’s not only almost May, it’s almost Ani-May. Every year, around this time, Crunchyroll goes nuts with extra promotions and special events, and this year they’ve gone all-out. Free streams of popular titles, new home video releases, a new wave of merch at participating retailers, and much more are on the way…including the Anime Awards on the 25th.
“Anime isn’t just an entertainment medium; it’s a lifestyle. To celebrate anime’s explosive growth, we’re giving fans a variety of ways to express their anime passion during Ani-May – from all-new products across apparel, collectibles, global activations, game collaborations, and new series streaming for free on Crunchyroll,” said Anna Songco Adamian, Vice President, Global Consumer Products. “Whether it’s through wearing their fandom on their sleeves or streaming their favorite series, Crunchyroll will have fans covered this Ani-May.”
From May 1 to 31, the following anime will be temporarily moved to Crunchyroll’s Free with Ads tier. You won’t need a subscription to see ’em, at least for now:
- Black Clover (Seasons 1-4)
- Chainsaw Man
- Cowboy Bebop
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (The Complete Series)
- Fruits Basket (Seasons 1-3)
- Haikyu!! (Seasons 1-4)
- Heaven Official’s Blessing (Seasons 1-2)
- Hell’s Paradise
- Jujutsu Kaisen (Seasons 1-2)
- Junji Ito Collection
- Kaiju No. 8
- My Hero Academia (Seasons 1-7)
- Overlord (Seasons 1-4)
- Shangri-La Frontier (Seasons 1-2)
- Solo Leveling (Season 1)
- Soul Eater
- SPY x FAMILY (Seasons 1-2)
- The Apothecary Diaries (Season 1)
- Toilet-bound Hanako-kun (Seasons 1-2)
- Tokyo Ghoul (Seasons 1-3)
The Crunchyroll Store will offer an exclusive Ani-May pin with qualifying purchases, plus a different type of product will be highlighted each week in the month of May, including collectors, action/adventure titles, shonen shows, and fantasy fan-faves. There will also be something related to the Anime Awards the day after they are held, possibly sales on the winners? In addition, Crunchyroll has announced the following partnerships with these retailers:
- Throughout May, UNIQLO will be distributing Crunchyroll codes to customers, with eligible online UT purchases, that can be redeemed for a 30-day free trial of Crunchyroll*. UNIQLO has also partnered with Manga artist Remi Yamamoto to create UTme! Collection designs, available exclusively at their NYC flagship locations – UNIQLO Soho and UNIQLO 5th Avenue. New York City-based fans are invited to stop by UNIQLO’s 5th Avenue flagship location for a special activation on May 18th from 1pm-5pm with Remi, who will be providing complimentary live Manga portraits.
- Specialty retailer Hot Topic will celebrate Ani-May across its United States and Canada locations, and online at hottopic.com. Activations and special promotions, including exclusive anime merchandise, will be available all month.
- Electronics retailer Best Buy will be joining in on the Ani-May festivities with select products available both online and in-store, with an exclusive SPY x FAMILY pin included with eligible purchases at select stores.
- Planet Hollywood, themed restaurant and resort chain, is partnering with Crunchyroll to offer exclusive experiences, cocktails, dishes, and merchandise inspired by Ani-May’s select IPs.
- In celebration of a new JUJUTSU KAISEN x Funko Pop collection, Funko Pop will be hosting an autograph signing with the English voice cast of JUJUTSU KAISEN on May 3rd. Special Funko Hollywood Event Bundles will also be available! Event details can be found at @originalfunko and @funko_funime on Instagram.
- Back to celebrate Ani-May, Bananya is once again partnering with Fall Guys on a collection of skins, which will be available from May 1 to May 8. Featured characters include Bananya and Droopy Eared Bananya!
- Demon Slayer fans can gear up for the first film of the highly-anticipated Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle trilogy coming to theatres this September with a special Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train re-release in theatres this May!
Several Blu-Ray sets are planned for release in May, most notably Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 1 Part 2 in a special collector’s edition (preorders will be open May 15). Crunchyroll will re-release Satoshi Kon’s Paranoia Agent and Goblin Slayer Season 1 in Steelbooks on April 30. Also, if you have too many, the company is also introducing the SteelNook, an open display case designed to fit four standard SteelBooks at once.
Oh yeah, and Crunchyroll has their own game service. You just might’ve not known because it’s only available to Mega and Ultimate Fan members globally. But it’s getting the excellent tactical RPG classic Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth in May (actually, it’s getting it tomorrow, April 30, but it still counts). Several new titles will be added to Crunchyroll Game Vault’s library throughout the month of May.
As a preteen kid would say on Christmas, “Had enough, or are ya thirsty for more?” Crunchyroll’s Ani-May celebration begins in just two days.
