Crunchyroll Launches Second Annual “Ani-May”

Today is the official start of the second annual Ani-May, Crunchyroll’s celebration of all things anime. Last year’s inaugural Ani-May featured global retail and digital activations, and Crunchyroll even partnered with Duolingo in order to urge more people to learn Japanese. This year aims to repeat the success, with new and exclusive merchandise and activations across the world.

“The love and excitement around anime continues to grow and for Ani-May, we’re revealing a fresh lineup of apparel, home goods, and more to empower fans to live authentically into their fandom,” said Anna Songco Adamian, Vice President, Global Consumer Products, Crunchyroll. “We have lined up an incredible slate of international retail partners who, like us, are passionate about providing fans with a variety of ways to enjoy and display their love for their favorite films, series, and characters.” 

All throughout the month, fans can expect a variety of official merchandise from some of anime’s most popular titles. These titles include Black Butler, Tokyo Ghoul, Chainsaw Man, Solo Leveling, JUJUTSU KAISEN, Haikyu!!, SPY x FAMILY, Kaiju No. 8, and My Hero Academia. But that’s not all! Fans can expect “tons of merchandise” from various series across a range of retailers.

In North America:

• Specialty retailer Hot Topic will celebrate Ani-May across its stores in the United States and Canada, and online at hottopic.com, with month-long activations and special promotions, including exclusive anime merchandise, a limited edition Crunchyroll-Hime sticker gift with anime purchase (available in stores only and while supplies last), and exciting Discord programming hosted by @TheAnimeMen. Fans can sign up at hottopic.com/discord for Hot Topic emails and access to Hot Topic Discord for watch-a-longs, AMAs, and exclusive giveaways.
• Barnes & Noble stores in the US will feature an Ani-May sale on select Anime DVD/Blu-Ray titles both online and in stores across the country.

In Latin America:

• Gameplanet will delight fans in Mexico with digital signage and home goods products from their favorite shows.
• Grupo Control in Mexico will bring a variety of apparel including T-shirts, jackets, and pants from the most popular anime titles to stores with dedicated product displays.
• Riachuelo will provide fans in Brazil with digital and in-store signage and special T-shirts at launch at their FanLab Stores.
• Falabella in Peru will offer fans T-shirts for the first time in the market through the month of May

In Europe: 

• HMV will brand 120 stores and bring in tons of anime merchandise for the occasion for fans in the United Kingdom, Ireland & Belgium. May will also see the exclusive early release of a range of home entertainment, including Mob Psycho Season 3 DVD, Blu-ray & Limited Edition, KONOSUBA – An Explosion on This Wonderful World!, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! – Season 1 Blu-ray, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! – Season 2 Blu-ray & Limited Edition, as well as a large range of price promoted catalogue titles..
• Games Academy / Funside in Italy will activate 50 stores as well as their online community with more surprises available on their app.
• Cultura will communicate about their anime merchandise and manga offerings throughout the month with specifically branded areas in 105 stores across France.
• El Corte Ingles will invite the Spanish geek community to come in-store and discover a wide selection of anime products in 8 flagship locations.
• Thalia in Germany and Austria will focus on manga, exclusive merchandise and Home Entertainment offerings for JUJUTSU KAISEN, Kaiju No.8, SPY x FAMILY, Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and Hell’s Paradise across 200 outlets.
• Gamestop in 70 of participating outlets Germany will provide an exclusive Iron-on to any customer who buys more than 2 Crunchyroll items during Ani-May.
• MediaSaturn will bring German fans manga, exclusive merchandise, and Home Entertainment for JUJUTSU KAISEN, SPY x FAMILY, and Chainsaw Man across 400 outlets.
• Mueller will for the first time offer the whole catalog of fan-favorite Crunchyroll manga titles including JUJUTSU KAISEN, SPY x FAMILY, BLUE LOCK, Choujin X, Dandadan, and many more, available to fans in Germany and in Austria.
• Hugendubel will present exclusive Crunchyroll merchandising in 30 stores across Germany for the JUJUTSU KAISEN, SPY x FAMILY, and Chainsaw Man titles.
• XS Toys (owned by Anvol), in Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia will participate in 25 selected stores. The leading toy retailer in the Baltics will have a special selection of plush, figures, and collectibles from Crunchyroll titles.

In addition to these brick and mortar retailers (and their online counterparts), the Crunchyroll Store will offer fans in the US, Australia and New Zealand a wide selection of new releases, sales, and specials all throughout Ani-May. There will be new rollouts every week.

For fans in the US, home video titles will be on sale for 60% off from May 1-14, and then 70% from May 15 to the end of the month. If you spend more than $75 (pre-orders do not count, in stock merch only), you receive a complimentary Hime Ani-May 2024 pin, while supplies last. There will also be themed weeks on the Crunchyroll Store, including Chainsaw Man, Kaiju No. 8 & Solo-Leveling, Dragon Ball Super, and JUJUTSU KAISEN.

Also, from now until the end of the month, Crunchyroll is making 20 hit series available to watch for free (with ads) that are normally only available with a premium account. These series include many of the Ani-May featured titles like Chainsaw Man, Haikyu!!, and Solo Leveling. But it also includes popular series like the iconic Cowboy Bebop, the new smash Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, the global sensation Dr. STONE, and one of my personal favorites, Heaven Official’s Blessing. For a full list of titles, click here.

So, anime fans, go forth and conquer! Get those deals while you can, and watch some of the most popular anime for free. Enjoy this Ani-May to the fullest!

source: press release

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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