Crunchyroll Anime Awards May 23

Crunchyroll will stage its 10th Anime Awards in Tokyo on Saturday, May 23, with a global pre-show beginning at 5 p.m. Japan time and the main ceremony at 6 p.m. Japan time, the company said. The event returns to the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa, the Tokyo venue Crunchyroll has used since moving the show from California in 2023. For U.S. viewers, that puts the livestream in the early morning — 1 a.m. Pacific and 4 a.m. Eastern, according to IGN. Crunchyroll said the show will stream free across its channels and the Anime Awards site. ### When does the livestream actually start, and where can people watch? Saturday, May 23 is the key date, but the event is split into two parts. Crunchyroll said the pre-show starts at 5 p.m. JST and the live ceremony begins at 6 p.m. JST. The company has described the broadcast as a global stream from Tokyo. (crunchyroll.com) Crunchyroll’s official guide says the ceremony will stream live on May 23, and IGN reported that viewers can watch on Crunchyroll’s YouTube and TikTok channels without a subscription. Crunchyroll’s Anime Awards page also says viewers can tune in live on May 23 and add calendar reminders through Google Calendar or Apple Calendar. ### Why is this year’s ceremony getting extra attention? (crunchyroll.com) The number 10 is central to this year’s pitch. Crunchyroll said the 2026 edition marks the 10th annual Anime Awards and is being framed as an anniversary show with an orange carpet, celebrity presenters and music performances. The company announced the date in January and said the event would cover 32 award categories. (crunchyroll.com) More than 73 million fan votes were cast this year, Deadline reported on May 19, citing Crunchyroll, which would be a record for the awards. That follows 51 million votes for the 2025 edition, according to Deadline’s coverage of last year’s winners. ### Which shows and names are driving the conversation before winners are announced? DAN DA DAN is entering the ceremony with the strongest nominations profile for the second year in a row, according to IGN’s preview. (expo.crunchyroll.com) IGN also reported that Chainsaw Man: The Movie - Reze Arc leads the film field, while Solo Leveling’s second season drew fewer nominations than its prior winner status might have suggested. (deadline.com) April 2 was the date Crunchyroll opened voting and released the 2026 nominees. Crunchyroll said the Anime of the Year field includes DAN DA DAN Season 2, Gachiakuta, My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON, Takopi’s Original Sin, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 and The Summer Hikaru Died. ### Who is appearing on the show? (in.ign.com) Sally Amaki and Jon Kabira are returning as co-hosts, Crunchyroll said, while Lauren Moore and Tim Lyu are set to host the global pre-show. The company has also announced celebrity presenters including Winston Duke, RZA, Rashmika Mandanna and others. The Weeknd is scheduled to present the Anime of the Year award, according to Crunchyroll’s Anime Awards coverage page. (crunchyroll.com) Musical performances announced by Crunchyroll include Yoko Takahashi in a Neon Genesis Evangelion 30th anniversary tribute, symphonic suites by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, DEAN FUJIOKA performing “History Maker,” PORNOGRAFFITI marking 10 years of My Hero Academia, and ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION performing “Haruka Kanata.” (expo.crunchyroll.com) ### How are the winners decided? Crunchyroll’s guide says the awards use two rounds of voting. A judges panel first selects six nominees in each category, and then judges vote alongside fans to determine the winners, including Anime of the Year. April 2 through April 15 was the fan voting window, according to IGN. Eligible titles were anime released between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2025, Crunchyroll said when it announced the nominees and voting process. (crunchyroll.com) May 23 is the next milestone. Crunchyroll said all winners will be revealed live from the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo during the ceremony and pre-show stream. (crunchyroll.com) (in.ign.com)