As an anime fan, what are you most excited about? Some may say they are looking forward to the next episode of Demon Slayer. As for the other fans, they may talk about the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2024, scheduled for 2nd March 2024 in Tokyo.
The beauty of this awards show is that fans will vote for their favorite anime series, characters, voice actors and creators.
If you are all about diversity, you will be glad to know that female presenters will be at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Don’t fret; we promise they are just as good as their male counterparts.
Are you excited to find out who the presenters will be this year? Well, here are 13 presenters to expect on that day.
1. Chiaki Kuriyama – Actress
Chiaki Kuriyama is a Japanese actress, singer and model. She is famous for her roles in Kill Bill, Battle Royale and Azumi 2: Death or Love. Having starred in many action films, she fits the bill to be the main presenter.
Think about it: this can be her opportunity to choreograph a fight scene between her and other actors. First, anime is associated with fighting, which would make sense for the awards ceremony.
Additionally, it can be a chance for her to dress as her previous characters from movies such as Kill Bill.
As a singer, she can spice up her presentation by singing one of her most successful songs, Ryūsei no Namida (2005). This song fuses rock and pop elements, enough to get audiences dancing during the ceremony.
2. Iman Vellani – Actress
Iman Vellani is a Canadian actress known for Ms. Marvel and The Marvels.
Besides acting, she writes for a comic called Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant. The comic revolves around Ms. Marvel coming to terms with being a mutant and joining the X-Men.
Since Iman is a comic book writer and a good storyteller. As a storyteller, you can expect her to shed light on important social issues, e.g. lack of Islamic representation in anime.
By addressing such an issue, the anime writers could take note of that and include Muslim characters.
Being a presenter requires one who knows what they are talking about. If you do a presentation with limited knowledge of things, audiences could boo and throw tomatoes at you.
Fortunately, audiences won’t be bored since she loves expanding her knowledge by continually reading.
3. DeMarcus Lawrence – Footballer
DeMarcus Lawrence is an American defensive footballer for the Dallas Cowboys NFL team. He began playing football as a senior in Silver Bluff High School. At that time, he played defensive tackle, tight end and offensive tackle.
DeMarcus seems odd as one of the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards presenters. After all, what does American football have to do with anime? Believe it or not, there are American football anime series he could reference.
For instance, he could talk about Try Knights, which focuses on Riku Haruma, a boy who gives up the sport due to his poor body structure.
Later, Riku meets boys who put their all into the sport despite their shortcomings. Therefore, he would be the right man to inspire people to not give up in life.
Worth noting, DeMarcus will probably be at the show to advertise the anime-inspired cleats he has been working on with Crunchyroll.
4. Rashmika Mandanna – Actress
To be an Anime presenter, you must be a fan of the genre. Rashmika is an Indian actress whose favorite Anime shows include Sakura, Naruto, and Bleach, just to name a few. Besides being an Anime fan, she is a brand ambassador of the genre in India.
As a brand ambassador, she popularizes Anime in her country. Furthermore, she can market the genre to the rest of the world that will be tuning in for the awards show.
You may doubt whether she has succeeded in the role since anyone could be a brand ambassador with little success.
How about this, she was ranked first as the most influential stars on Instagram by Forbes India. Therefore, the awards ceremony would be fumbling for a chance to market anime by excluding her.
5. Megan Thee Stallion – Musician
To most casual fans, Megan Thee Stallion is a rapper known for collaborating with Beyonce and Cardi B.
It turns out she intends to pursue acting in future, especially in horror films. Being a presenter can be a good chance for her to prove her acting abilities to Anime producers.
For starters, she can land voice acting roles in anime horror films. Honestly, I would want this for her. Of course, as a first-timer, she won’t always get it right.
Few people may know this, but did you know Japanese rap exists? Can you imagine combining her rapping style with another Japanese rapper? After that, she could use the final product in any Anime series.
6. Labrinth – Musician
Let’s face it; presentations can get boring if the presenter rambles on or mumbles. Therefore, the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards presenters must be as lively as possible. The person who can deliver a lively presentation is none other than Labrinth.
To get a sense of how lively he can be, watch his 2023 Coachella Valley performance with Zendaya. That performance will have you connecting with him deeply.
Typically, presenters play it a bit safe in fashion by wearing a suit. As a result, the event ends up looking too formal. Luckily, Labrinth is known for dressing in eclectic and colorful outfits.
7. Liza Soberano – Actress
Some people may tell you that presenters don’t have to be necessarily good-looking, and they would be right.
However, there is nothing wrong with a little eye candy, and that is who Liza is. Seriously, google her images, and you won’t be disappointed.
Sometimes, the audience needs to know how difficult it can be to penetrate Hollywood. Nonetheless, they also need a story of someone who successfully got into Hollywood, just like Liza.
Liza made her Hollywood debut in 2024 in a horror comedy Lisa Frankenstein. Her story could inspire people who want to venture into acting or producing anime.
Before her Hollywood debut, she mostly starred in Filipino films.
8. Nava Rose – YouTuber
A few years ago, you would be met with disapproving faces if you told your parents you wanted to be a YouTuber.
Nowadays, people make a lot of money from YouTube, as Nava’s net worth is $1 million. She is known for her makeup tutorials, fashion, styling and dance covers.
At the awards ceremony, all presenters have to look their best. By having Nava at the show, she could showcase her makeup and cosplay skills. Of course, we aren’t implying that applying makeup is all that she should do.
Nava could grace the audience with her dance covers if things get a bit too boring. She choreographs most of her dance moves.
If you are at the awards ceremony and meet her, it could be your chance to ask her to teach you some dances.
9. Joaquim Dos Santos – Film Producer
Most anime fans would be familiar with the anime The Legend of Korra, but not the executive producer, Joaquim.
Calling his show an anime may be controversial because some don’t consider it an American animated series. Even if you don’t think it’s an anime, it clearly borrows many elements from it.
Since Joaquim uses anime elements in his work, Japanese animators can also learn from him. By attending the show, he can network with them and do projects together. As a result, they may popularize anime worldwide.
Besides networking with other producers, animators and producers can learn about industry trends and insights from each other.
By learning about the trends, executive producers can learn about what audiences find fascinating in anime. After all, you wouldn’t want to produce an anime series that audiences don’t want.
10. Porter Robinson – DJ
Nobody can stay alert for a presentation for so long, so breaks are necessary. Some music is necessary during the breaks, so you need a DJ like Porter.
As the DJ among the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards presenters, he could play songs from soundtracks from anime movies to stay true to the anime theme.
Admittedly, some may not like all of Porter’s song choices. However, you won’t think about that for too long once you see how he sets up his stages.
Those who have attended his concerts will tell you how he uses immersive visuals and incorporates art and technology.