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There are many things that DanDaDan fans want to see when the series returns for Season 2 later this week. First and foremost, they want to see Okarun (voiced by Natsuki Hanae in the original Japanese and by A.J. Beckles in the English dub), Momo (Shion Wakayama/Abby Trott), and Turbo Granny (Mayumi Tanaka/Barbara Goodson) again. Then, they want to find out what happened after the boy and the girl agreed to visit Jiji's (Kaito Ishikawa/Aleks Le) house to find out what's going on in the eerie place. Once episodes start rolling out, everyone will have their favorite moments, but series' co-director Abel Gongora has already revealed to Collider which episode of the season is his favorite.

During the interview, Gongora told Collider's Laura Adams that his favorite episode comes fairly early in the season: it's Episode 2, whose title is yet to be revealed. We do know, however,...

DanDaDan fans have been waiting for this week for a long time. With Season 2 of the anime series finally about to debut, we can't help but imagine what lies in store for Okarun (voiced by Natsuki Hanae in the original Japanese and by A.J. Beckles in the English dub), Momo (Shion Wakayama/Abby Trott) and Turbo Granny (Mayumi Tanaka/Barbara Goodson) in the new episodes. Fortunately for you, Collider was able to talk to the show's co-director Abel Gongora (Devilman Crybaby) earlier this month, and he talked about the look of the upcoming episodes.

During the interview, Gongora broke down to Collider's Laura Adams some of the things that the DanDaDan team is playing with in order to bring a fresh look for Season 2 of the series. As anyone who watched Season 1 knows, the visuals of DanDaDanare an important part of the story, and the animation team is fully aware of that.

If there is an anime that just overturns all logic and tradition, it has to be Dandadan. The series is fresh, thrilling, and downright crazy. The main characters in Season 1 of the series are introduced one by one, each more unique than the other.

While the wait is on for Season 2, Science Saru managed to give the fans a glimpse of the upcoming ride in the form of Dandadan Evil Eye. With the Evil Eye arc as the focus, things are about to get serious. In an interview, the director reveals that one of the greatest challenges the team faced was to preserve the essence of the best character.

Crafting Jiji’s Dark Mode Was Risky and Bold

Jiji is an incredible character. Jiji embodies more than half of the energy and craziness in the Momo gang; he is known for his antics and humorous gags. However, Season 2 is going to shatter that image.

Crunchyroll has great news for anime fans across the nation. The award-winning anime Solo Leveling and even more fantastic hits are now available to more North American users than ever before.

Now available on SmartCast-enabled TVs, anime fans in North America can access over 50,000 anime episodes from popular shows like Solo Leveling through Vizio, the renowned electronics brand of Walmart. This exciting digital expansion includes 25,000 hours of anime from over 2,000 titles. In addition to Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-, Vizio owners can also watch hot shows like My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, One Piece, Fire Force Season 3, Wind Breaker Season 2, To Be Hero X, and more.

Crunchyroll Viewers Can Now Watch Over 50,000 Anime Episodes on Vizio Smart TVs

Crunchyroll's massive anime library is now available on all Vizio Smart TVs through the SmartCast platform, featuring titles from a wide range of genres, both past and present. This not only...

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War had us confront many changes in the storyline and art style, but it also extended to a few of the voice cast. A prime example is the recasting of Yasutora “Chad” Sado’s replacement. His original voice actor was Jamieson Price, but he’s now voiced by Alain Mesa.

These changes caused some debate amongst fans, who loved what the original voice actors brought to these characters. The anime series for Bleach ended 10 years ago, but has returned now. The change is jarring, but it brings up a very important conversation about the voice acting industry.

Most English voice casts in anime consist of white actors, whereas Bleach involves characters from diverse racial backgrounds. The change might have been controversial, but it was a necessary move.

Bleach Seeks to Be More Inclusive With Its Voice Cast

As previously mentioned, Tite Kubo didn’t make all of his characters exclusively Japanese.

In a series filled with flashy moments, aliens, and total chaos, the personality of a character shone with just a boy picking up his socks. Okarun, who is one of the main characters in Dandadan, contains many unique qualities that have never been truly discovered in the series. While he is not the loudest, strongest, or boldest character in the series, there is something unique about him that could be explored as a potential moment for character growth in the series.

Amongst the many flashy scenes in the series, there is a possibility that the audience may easily miss a few moments that encapsulate exactly who Okarun truly is. The scene in question here is the time when he transforms in the middle of a frantic scene, where he pauses for a moment, before running after Momo.

The pause was for no punchline or hesitation, but because his socks and...

Even though the new Harry Potter series has been moving at full speed ahead, fans will still have to wait a while until they can go back to Hogwarts. Anime fans, however, have something similar to keep themselves entertained while waiting for HBO to start rolling out Harry Potter episodes. Mashle: Magic and Muscles is already on its way to Season 3, but the arrival of Season 2 on the Netflix catalog has shown the streaming platform's potential to bring new stories to wider audiences. This past week, the fantasy anime series raked in over 1.3 million views and ranked among the most-watched titles in the library.

As the title suggests, Mashle: Magic and Muscles isn't just about fantasy. The anime series has a slate of similarities with Harry Potter, starting with the fact that protagonist Mash Burnedead (voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi in the original Japanese and by Aleks Le in the English...

Last week, the box office numbers indicated that DanDaDan was close to a threshold. Now, with the compilation movie DanDaDan: Evil Eye debuting in more countries, the franchise has broken new records and continues to make history in domestic earnings. The new movie wrapped up the weekend with $5.5 million earned in the U.S., making it officially five times more profitable than the franchise's previous movie, DanDaDan: First Encounter.

With the new number, DanDaDan: Evil Eye also managed to fly past one of the highest-ratedMy Hero Academia movies. Last year, My Hero Academia: You're Next was able to make $5 million domestically, and now that DanDaDan: Evil Eye surpassed it, the franchise already ranks among the 25 highest-earning Japanese anime movies ever in the U.S. If it manages to bring in more than 6.8 million, DanDaDan will eliminate legendary titles like Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke from the list.

The number is...

It's been three months since the Season 2 finale of Solo Leveling aired, concluding the Jeju Island Arc and setting the stage for what's next for Sung Jinwoo. However, despite the show's notable success, Season 3 has not yet been greenlit. Based on a recent interview with the show's main staff, Solo Leveling's future will remain uncertain for now.

In an interview with Crunchyroll during Ccxp Mexico '25, A-1's animation producer, Atsushi Kaneko, and Solo Leveling's anime action director, Yoshihiro Kanno, were asked if they have anything they want to share with those waiting for Sung Jinwoo's "next chapter." Unfortunately, they're not in a position to give an official update. However, they said that if people want Season 3 to come out, all they need to do is support the franchise, which is the same comment made during a Reddit Ama last month.

"So, my position doesn't allow me to officially confirm...

In less than two weeks, DanDaDan fans will get to dive into the highly anticipated Season 2 of the worldwide phenomenon. In order to do that, they will need to have a subscription to a streaming platform. The good news is, the anime series is not exclusive to any streaming service; there will be multiple options for fans to check out the new adventures, and all platforms will release episodes simultaneously with Japan. At this point, we already had confirmation that Netflix and Crunchyroll will once again debut episodes in their respective libraries. This week, Hulu joined the chorus and confirmed that it will be yet another option to stream DanDaDan when it returns.

Season 2 of DanDaDan comes highly anticipated. Last year, the anime series set a high bar for itself with its gorgeous art style and its entertaining mix of supernatural and sci-fi stories. With a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes...

It's been barely a year since Tower of God ended its Season 2 run, but it makes perfect sense that fans would like to revisit the show – or own it before it drops out of Crunchyroll. The good news is that the anime-first company is releasing Season 2 of the hit anime series this September, and the best part: The show is getting a gorgeous Steelbook Blu-ray edition that simply has to make it into your collection. Tower of God: Return of the Prince Part 1 will hit shelves on September 19.

If you decide to purchase it, you will be able to select the special Steelbook edition or the regular Blu-ray release of Tower of God. Part 1 includes Episodes 1-13 of Season 2, and, as the title indicates, it covers the Return of the Prince arc. This is the section in which several new characters are introduced, and the anime series invites fans to...

Anime fans know that this will be a pretty great summer to be a fan of Japanese animation. In order to tease what's coming our way, Crunchyroll unveiled a complete line-up of titles that are debuting or returning to the platform as soon as the season starts, and fans should keep it at hand in case they don't want to miss any of the exciting anime series that have been highly anticipated.

Summer will kick off with the new series Takopi's Original Sin. Based on a manga released in 2021, the sci-fi story centers around an octopus-like creature that crash-lands on Earth and strikes up a friendship with a nine-year-old girl. The series debuts on June 28. Shortly after that, on July 1, it's time to dive into two other new series: Detectives These Days Are Crazy! and Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show. Both series debut on the same day as the highly anticipated Season 4 of Rent-a-Girlfriend.

Last month, Solo Leveling's Global Distributor, Kakao Entertainment, revealed that the anime was Crunchyroll's "most popular series" during the first quarter of 2025, following its Crunchyroll Awards sweep. Sony has only now addressed this statement, confirming what Kakao said in a recent corporate presentation.

During Sony's Business Segment Presentation & Fireside Chat 2025, Sony Pictures Entertainment's President and CEO, Ravi Ahuja, presented the Pictures Segment, addressing the rising demand for anime and how Solo Leveling became the "#1 title on Crunchyroll in 2024." In addition, over at the Music Segment, presented by Sony's President and Representative Director of the Board, Group CEO, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Shunsuke Muramatsu explained in a presentation slide that the show ranked #1 in "Crunchyroll's View Count History" (as of the end of March 2025), matching what Kakao Entertainment stated in its press release, and also announced that it set the record for "the most streams on Crunchyroll."

"The second season of the show,...

The DanDaDan team is certainly happy that they decided to make the Season 2 premiere a theatrical event. The compilation movie DanDaDan: Evil Eye is moving at full speed at the box office, and even if it doesn't rake in a blockbuster-level gross, the new title has already managed to shatter the records of its own franchise — and now it's aiming for other anime franchises: the movie is about to outperform one of My Hero Academia's best-rated theatrical releases.

With just one weekend, DanDaDan: Evil Eye managed to outperform the previous entry in the franchise, the debut compilation movie DanDaDan: First Encounter. Released last year, First Encounter amassed a little over $1 million at the box office, mostly because DanDaDan was relatively unknown at the time. Now, with two weeks in theaters, Evil Eye has already managed to make it past the $5.03 million gross in the U.S. The number is dangerously...

It won’t be a stretch to say that Yukinobu Tatsu’s Dandadan was the biggest anime release of last year, as the first season received unprecedented reception. The series attracted a lot of fans, and these fans are now eagerly waiting for the second season of the Dandadan anime to make a return, which is scheduled for release in July this year.

While the first season was great in all aspects, the ending or the finale of the series received a lot of criticism for its abrupt ending. The story of Dandadan season 1 ended on a non-conclusive note, and the entire blame for this went to one character who was not as relevant in the storyline.

This character was none other than Taro, the anthropomorphized anatomical model who made a small appearance in Dandadan season 1. If the story had removed his arc, the ending of the season could have...

English dubs have always been a contentious topic for anime fans. Lately, though, fans have warmed up to the idea, all because of voice actors who give us quality dubs. Aleks Le is one such voice actor who has garnered massive attention from fans over the past few years. Some of his popular roles include Zenitsu Agatsuma from Demon Slayer and Sung Jinwoo from Solo Leveling.

Last year proved the voice actor’s dedication to his craft as he delivered one phenomenal performance after the other. He played some fan favorite characters, and also shared his process in various interviews. Looking back, there’s no doubt that Aleks Le’s performances in 2024 raised the bar for English dubs.

All the characters Aleks Le brought to life in 2024

Aleks Le has become synonymous with Sung Jinwoo from Solo Leveling anime. Both the voice actors, Taito Ban (Japanese) and Aleks Le (English...

Romance anime like The Apothecary Diaries are known for being filled to the brim with tropes. There are a few tropes that every romance anime must have to qualify as a romance anime, and the indirect kiss trope is one of these. The indirect or accidental kiss trope is a staple in romantic anime. It walks a fine line between heartwarming and cringe-inducing.

Everyone goes gaga about how Dandadan delivered a great accidental kiss, but forget how The Apothecary Diaries set a high bar with its delicate and emotionally resonant portrayal. The scene in The Apothecary Diaries is a masterclass in crafting warm romantic moments and deserves recognition.

The Apothecary Diaries mastered the magic before Dandadan Jinshi smiles at Maomao | Credits: Toho Animation

Very few romantic anime have mastered the art of the indirect kiss trope. It’s a pivotal trope in the world of romance anime. It’s an...

Dandadan‘s English dub is voiced by some pretty popular voice actors, one of whom is Aleks Le. Aleks Le is the voice actor of Jiji, the hyperactive childhood crush of Momo Ayase.

Recently, Gkids premiered the continuation of Dandadan ahead of its Japan debut. Dandadan: Evil Eye is a compilation movie of the first three episodes of the anime’s season 2. It also featured an exclusive interview with the voice actors of Okarun, Momo, and Jiji. The interview included a fun moment where Aleks Le confessed that he found one similarity with his character.

The Dandadan dialogue that Aleks Le related to with his soul

Voice actors often find characters who are pretty similar to them. It is a rare occurrence, but when it does happen, the voice actor ends up having a lot of fun with the role. The same happened with Aleks Le with his role of Jiji in Dandadan.

The 2025 Astra TV Awards took place on June 10, and two big anime titles ended up taking home awards in the process. Dragon Ball Daima won Best Anime Series in the second year of the category’s existence, and Aleks Le won Best Lead Voice-Over Performance for Solo Leveling Season 2 - Arise from the Shadow . Dragon Ball Daima was up against some tough competition, including Dan Da Dan , Fire Force Season 3 , Lazarus , Solo Leveling Season 2 and The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 . Related: Dragon Ball Daima, Solo Leveling Season 2 and More Nominated for 2025 Astra Awards Dragon Ball Daima also had a nomination in Best Lead Voice-Over Performance with Stephanie Nadolny as Goku - Mini. Three English dub actors were up for Best Supporting Voice-Over Performance—Caitlin Glass for One Piece , Justin Briner for Solo Leveling and Xolo Mariduena for Sakamoto Days —but that award ended up going to Jack Quaid for Star Trek: Lower Decks...

For years, anime voice actors have delivered stunning performances with little recognition beyond the anime fan community, but now, Solo Leveling has shattered that barrier. In a historic win at the Astra Awards, Aleks Le, voice of Sung Jinwoo in the English dub, took home Best Lead Voice-Over Performance. This marks the first time a voice actor from an anime series has won at a mainstream Hollywood award show, making the victory not just personal but industry-defining.

Le’s triumph, announced via his X account @AleksLeVO, proves a turning point in how anime is viewed in the Western entertainment world. Traditionally, awards for voice acting in Hollywood have been dominated by Western animated films and shows from Pixar, DreamWorks, or Cartoon Network. Anime, despite its global reach and popularity, has been boxed out. By breaking into this exclusive circle, Le’s win does not just spotlight his performance, it legitimizes...

Dragon Ball Daima took the crown from Solo Leveling Season 2 once again at the 2025 Astra TV Awards. The winners were recently announced at the Sls Hotel in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California.

According to the Hollywood Creative Alliance, a committee of 35 entertainment industry professionals determined the winners of this year's award show. While the majority of the nominees focused on live-action programs, such as The Studio for Apple TV+, recent anime TV series were honored as well. The award for Best Anime Series went to Dragon Ball Daima, which premiered in October 2024 and ended in February 2025. Daima defeated Solo Leveling, which was heavily favored to win, following its impressive and somewhat controversial winning streak at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

Dragon Ball Daima Won Best Anime Following Solo Leveling’s Controversial Wins at the 2025 Anime Awards Image via Toei Animation

Although Dragon Ball Daima won the award for Best Anime Series at this year's Astra Awards,...

In less than a month, Dan Da Dan returns with another extraordinary season, half a year after impressing fans with its massive Season 1 finale, "Let's Go to the Cursed House." While fans eagerly await the new chapter, another Dan Da Dan production that everyone can’t stop talking about, appears to be doing as good as the original anime series. It's none other than Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye! The filmlanded in North America on Friday, June 6, and most recently, it has earned a laudable feat on Rotten Tomatoes, finding favor among the audience soon after its release.

Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye currently boasts a 97% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is slightly higher than Dan Da Dan’s 93% but a few numbers away from the original series' 100% critics’ score. It should, however, be noted that, as of this writing, the anime film's critics’ rating is unavailable on the review aggregator website.

Ever since the finale of Season 1 and the discovery of a mysterious room full of talismans in Jiji's home, DanDaDan has been building up to an inevitable clash between the bespectacled occult fanatic Okarun and the demonic Evil Eye. All the teasers for Season 2 and the Evil Eye compilation movie have been setting the stage for the battle ahead, showing off Jiji's transformation to accommodate the yōkai and its immense power. It represents one of the series' greatest and most anticipated threats from the original manga yet, which will push Okarun, Momo, and Turbo Granny to their limits in their fight against the supernatural. Yet there's also a deeper, more personal layer connected to Jiji and Okarun's relationship and who these characters are that Okarun's English dub voice actor A.J. Beckles believes elevates the epic moment to another level.

Ahead of the release of DanDaDan: Evil Eye, which...

DanDaDan is about to get serious. When the hotly anticipated sci-fi anime premiered last year, it introduced viewers to a frantic, goofy, mysterious, and action-packed story of two high school students discovering that ghosts and aliens are very real and using their newfound abilities to combat the strange and horrific supernatural entities around them. The stakes are higher in Season 2, though, as Momo (Abby Trott) and Okarun (Aj Beckles) face their greatest threats yet, including, most notably, the demonic Evil Eye, who pushes the pair to their limits. During a conversation with Collider's Laura Adams for the Evil Eye compilation movie, English dub stars Beckles, Trott, and Aleks Le opened up about how the new arc sends the series in a more intense direction that leaves behind a bit of the laughs for more serious storylines.

Evil Eyekicks off the second season on the silver screen, covering the events...

The 2024 breakout hit anime DanDaDan is officially back with the release of DanDaDan: Evil Eye in theaters this weekend. Made up of the first three episodes of Season 2, which premieres next month, the feature-length adventure pits high school students turned fighters of the supernatural, Momo Ayase (Abby Trott) and Ken "Okarun" Takakura (A.J. Beckles), against their most powerful foe yet — the demonic Evil Eye, a Yōkai that has possessed Momo's childhood friend Jiji (Aleks Le). His transformation to accommodate the imposing spirit is a chilling one, and it was easily one of co-director Abel Gongora's favorite moments he helped create. In an interview with Collider's Laura Adams, he shared why he loves the scene so much and what made it such a challenge to translate from manga to anime.

Before the supernatural action comedy series, Gongora was one of the first five staff members to join the animation studio Science Saru,...

Almost everyone seems to be obsessed with generative AI these days, but only a few are brave enough to speak against its invasiveness in the art-based industries. Thankfully, the director of Dandadan’s season 1 opening is one of them. He has proved through his work that human art would always be superior to AI-generated ‘art.’

But why is the opening credits so unique and enrapturing? Is it only because of Creepy Nuts’ awesome music? Or is the animation one of a kind? In an interview, the director helped break down the sequence.

Dandadan‘s opening director enjoys opposing AI art

Abel Gongora is the director of Dandadan season 1’s opening credits. Otonoke, the opening theme song by Creepy Nuts, was played over the same video, and the song, as well as the animated sequence, has captured the hearts of numerous fans. Abel Gongora is also co-directing season 2 of the anime...

In Science Saru's hit supernatural comedy anime, Dandadan, Ken "Okarun" Takakura is introduced as a loner who his classmates often mock. For Okarun's English voice actor, Aj Beckles, this aspect of the character resonates with him on a personal level.

In a recent interview with Cbr, Beckles sat down with fellow Dandadan voice stars Abby Trott (Momo Ayase) and Aleks Le (Jiji) to discuss the series and their respective roles. Before Dandadan, Beckles also portrayed Tokyo Revengers lead Takemichi Hanagaki -- a character who fearlessly takes on one of Japan's most notorious gangs to save his girlfriend's life. While Okarun has a similarly valiant spirit, this is initially overshadowed by his status as the school outcast. Beckles stated that he was once in a similar social position when he was younger. "...I related a lot to where Okarun is when we first meet him, where I was like into a lot of nerdy things,...

Dandadan has been a major breakout anime hit, but it has not been without its controversies. In a recent interview, official Momo English dub voice actor Abby Trott cleared the air on how she interprets Momo’s most divisive scene from Dandadan’s first season.

Dandadan hit the ground running with Season 1 of the anime. It was consistently a highly rated series among both fans and critics, repeatedly featuring in Netflix’s top 10 throughout its run. However, many viewers resolved to drop the anime after a particularly chilling scene in the anime’s very first episode involving the series’ lead protagonist, Momo Ayase. As Momo’s English Dub actor, Abby Trott has a unique perspective and understanding of the character, and in a recent chat with Cbr alongside Aleks Le (Jiji) and Aj Beckles (Okarun), she explained her own take on that and similar scenes.

Momo's English Dub Actor...

Dandadanvoice star Aleks Le has opened up about how the anime series remains faithful to the original Shonen Jump manga.

In a recent interview with Cbr, acclaimed voice actor and returning Dandadan star Aleks Le responded to the question of how much the anime's English dub gets changed to try and adhere as closely to the original manga as possible. Le noted that doing so wasn't all that necessary for Dandadan "because we have Alex von David, who's our director and writer and he's an expert on the series." Le also noted that David is "an expert on creating these comedies that also have this big element of like, emotional - there's no other word to describe it beside 'baggage.'"

Dandadan Anime Series Stays Faithful to Shonen Jump Source Even in 'Very Silly Moments' Image via Cbr

"So he's done a great job of adapting the script and, you know,...

Ever since the first season of Dandadan ended in late December 2024 with a cliffhanger, fans have been yearning for the second season. Every fan wants to know if Momo is safe and what the talismans in the hidden room mean. The next season will start with the Evil Eye Arc, which was already hinted at in the trailers.

Before the second season premieres, a compilation film of the first three episodes will be released as a movie titled Dandadan: Evil Eye. It will be in theatres on May 30, 2025, in Asia, and on June 7, 2025, in Europe. It offers an exciting sneak peek, just like Dandadan: First Encounter did.

The English voice acting cast attended the World Premiere event for Dandadan: Evil Eye. Aleks Le, the voice actor for Jiji, showed us just how dedicated he is to his role with what he wore to it.

Aleks Le customized a suit...

It has been a big year for the Solo Leveling franchise. Not only did they release a successful sequel, but the Solo Leveling: Arise game has continued to garner attention. The anime wasn’t left out, as they released two successful seasons, which won the hearts of millions of fans worldwide. The massive success of the anime culminated in a big night for the series at the latest edition of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

Solo Leveling has been in the mouths of millions of fans since the anime was first released back in 2024. A1 Pictures has done a phenomenal job in bringing Sung Jin-woo’s remarkable journey to life. The wonderful season has surpassed existing manhwa to anime adaptations and has raised the bar for subsequent adaptations.

Solo Leveling’s busy night at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards

The Crunchyroll Anime Awards were held on May 25, and the popular series won big.

When it comes to anime, 2025 has been the year of Solo Leveling. Season 2 of the Korean web novel adaptation has soared to previously unimaginable heights, becoming the most-rated title on Crunchyroll, demolishing its own Season 1 record as the most-liked premiere on the streaming platform, and garnering 45 times more engagement than other simulcasts while it was airing, according to White Box Entertainment. All the momentum for Sung Jin-woo's overpowered adventure unsurprisingly culminated in the series winning Anime of the Year at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, one of nine honors it came away with. Now, to celebrate the accomplishment, Funko is giving Jin-woo his own limited-edition golden statuette, which will only be available in the U.S. for two weeks starting today.

The new figure is a carbon copy of Funko's previously released Jin-woo figure, but with a golden visage capturing the all-powerful hunter in action. Standing at approximately 4.2 inches tall, it's...

To commemorate Crunchyroll's 2025 Anime Awards, America's #1 fast food chain has playfully invoked the names of several anime heroes for one of its latest pieces of marketing. McDonald's recently released a new illustration showcasing the official breakfast orders for 10 iconic characters, including Solo Leveling's Op icon, Sung Jinwoo.

Guillaume Huin, McDonald's' Senior Marketing Director, shared the official collaboration artwork via his X (formerly Twitter) account. As shown below, the illustration depicts numerous McDonald's takeout bags with receipts displaying the characters and their respective orders. According to Huin, each bag design is directly inspired by the character's personality. "For example, Maomao (The Apothecary Diaries) is represented via a green background and the way the bag is folded neat and tidy," Huin wrote in an accompanying post. "If you look at Kaiju's (Kaiju No. 8) order, the bag is drawn in a way that represents the duality of the character." The artwork was...

Solo Leveling was named Anime of the Year and Attack on Titan received the Inaugural Global Impact Award at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

The 9th annual Anime Awards was hosted by Sally Amaki and Jon Kabira, who returned for their third year in a row to celebrate anime’s biggest night.

The Crunchyroll Anime Awards is the yearly awards program celebrating anime’s creative community. This year, a record 51 million votes were cast by fans worldwide to celebrate their favorite series, films, and actors.

Presenters included Kacey Musgraves, Stranger Things alums Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo, Damiano David and Pabllo Vittar, among others.

Sony Music Solutions Inc., part of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and Dempsey Productions supported Crunchyroll in the execution of this year’s Anime Awards.

Here is the complete list of the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards winners:

Anime of the Year – Solo Leveling Film of the Year – Look...

It's been a year since Solo Leveling aired its anime adaptation. What first started as a South Korean web novel ended up becoming one of the most popular anime series in recent times. And now, the show has broken a new record in the franchise's history thanks to the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards that occurred yesterday.

Solo Leveling won nine of the 13 awards it was nominated for, thus dominating this year's event. Some of its latest wins include "Best New Series," "Best Action," "Best Score," and, most importantly, "Anime of the Year," and was up against other highly beloved titles, such asDAN Da Dan, Delicious in Dungeon, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Kaiju No. 8, and The Apothecary Diaries. This isn't the only record that Solo Leveling broke this year. Back at the start of May, it was reported that Season 2 became the "most-liked premiere in Crunchyroll's history" with over 129,000 likes in less than 24 hours.

Tokyo’s Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa shook with cheers on 25 May as the ninth Crunchyroll Anime Awards logged a record 51 million fan votes and crowned Solo Leveling Anime of the Year, the first manhwa-based adaptation to take the top prize.

The A-1 Pictures hit, adapted from Chugong’s South-Korean web novel, swept nine categories—including Best New Series, Best Action and Best Score—setting a single-ceremony benchmark that eclipsed previous franchise hauls. Crunchyroll hailed the outcome as evidence of anime’s “global influence,” noting celebrity presenters such as Kacey Musgraves and Stranger Things actors Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo helped drive worldwide streaming of the show’s bilingual broadcast.

While Solo Leveling dominated headlines, jurors also recognised quieter craft achievements: Keiichiro Saito claimed Best Director for Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, which additionally won Best Drama and Background Art; Ufotable’s Demon Slayer – Hashira Training Arc repeated as Best Animation...

The 9th edition of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards was recently live-streamed by the platform, and just like every year, it became the center of attention this year too. The entire anime industry, including the fans, was locked into their screens to see their favorite anime series and movies win big, but not everyone was happy with the results.

The biggest loss this year was for One Piece and Bleach fans, as both franchises couldn’t even earn one accolade despite having a decent reception and the largest fan followings. Both anime series went empty-handed as Solo Leveling and Dandadan dominated the entire anime awards ceremony by winning big this year.

The two series won the most number of awards and proved that this year belonged to the new era of anime that is slowly taking over the entire community. While this might be good news for Solo Leveling and Dandadan fans,...

The Solo Levelinganime series has just set a new record thanks to the Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

Per a press release, the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards saw numerous winners over the course of the evening's event, but none more so than Solo Leveling, which set a new record by sweeping the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Out of 13 categories that Solo Leveling was nominated for in total, the hit anime ended up bringing home nine of them, including those for the coveted Best Action, Best New Series and, perhaps most importantly, Anime of the Year, despite steep competition from other franchises with far more award nominations. In fact, Solo Leveling was only the fifth-most nominated show of the evening, with Kaiju No. 8, Delicious in Dungeon, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and Dandadan all up for more awards, and all including Anime of the Year. Solo Leveling's full list of 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards wins can be seen below.

Solo Leveling scored eight awards, including the top prize of Anime of the Year, to lead the winners of the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards on Sunday.

The ninth annual ceremony, broadcast live in Tokyo and streamed on Crunchyroll, featured an international group of presenters, including Grammy-winning country star Kacey Musgraves, Stranger Things castmates Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo, Colombian singer J Balvin, Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, and Avengers screenwriter Zak Penn.

In addition to the winners selected by a worldwide fan vote (a record 51 million ballots were cast), the Anime Awards bestowed the first Global Impact Award, celebrating "visionary creators and groundbreaking works that have left an indelible mark on culture, history, and the hearts of audiences around the world," to the Attack on Titan franchise. The series premiered in 2013 and concluded in 2024.

Complete list of 2025 Anime Awards Winners:

Anime of the Year: Solo Leveling

Film of the Year: Look Back...

The winners of the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards have been revealed!

The 9th annual Anime Awards was again hosted by renowned voice actress Sally Amaki and popular entertainer Jon Kabira, who returned for their third year in a row for the ceremony, which aired live from Tokyo, Japan.

The winners were revealed by a global slate of celebrity anime fan presenters including Kacey Musgraves, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, J Balvin, Damiano David, Rina Sawayama, Pabllo Vittar, Chloe Kim, and more.

“Fans form deep emotional connections to anime. These are not just series, films or songs, but rather works of art that help define the identity of anime fans,” said Rahul Purini, President of Crunchyroll.

“With an incredible 51 million votes this year, the 2025 Anime Awards are celebrating the creators in Japan who have captured the hearts of fans and are powering anime’s prominence in global pop culture.”

Keep reading to see who won…...

Today is a fantastic day for Solo Leveling fans everywhere. The worldwide phenomenon just won Anime of the Year at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025.

Just announced at this year's Crunchyroll Anime Awards, Solo Leveling Season 1 has taken home the title of Anime of the Year, after winning numerous awards on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Solo Leveling competed with anime greats like Dandadan, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, and The Apothecary Diaries. However, the incredible worldwide fan support and strong word of mouth were enough to clinch the sought-after award.

Solo Leveling Had a Fantastic Showing at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025 Solo Leveling wins Anime of the Year at the 2025 #AnimeAwards! 🆠pic.twitter.com/32RzBfde9I— The Anime Awards (@TheAnimeAwards) May 25, 2025

Anime of the Year was just one of many awards that Solo Leveling took home at this year's Crunchyroll Anime Awards. While the final results didn't break any records, it remains an impressive achievement.

Solo Leveling has taken the anime world by storm since its explosive debut, and now it is breaking into mainstream recognition in a major way. The Hollywood Creative Alliance has officially nominated the series for multiple honors at the 2025 Hca Astra TV Awards, including the highly coveted Best Anime Series category. This is not just a milestone for Solo Leveling, it is a sign of how far anime, especially action-fantasy, has come in gaining industry respect outside of Japan.

With Solo Leveling sharing nomination space with long-standing franchises like Dragon Ball and rising stars like Dandadan, according to the report from Next Best Picture, its presence signals a seismic shift. What started as a beloved Korean web novel and manhwa has become a global cultural force. Now, with nominations not just for the show but for its standout voice cast, Solo Leveling is positioned as a new benchmark for anime adaptation success.

The Hollywood Creative Alliance announced the nominees for the 2025 Astra TV Awards on May 15, 2025, with six anime series contending for Best Anime Series.

The nominees are Dan Da Dan, Dragon Ball Daima, Fire Force Season 3, Lazarus, Solo Leveling Season 2 – Arise From The Shadow, and The Apothecary Diaries Season 2.

In addition to series nominations, anime voice actors secured spots in the performance categories.

Aleks Le, who voices Sung Jinwoo in Solo Leveling, and Stephanie Nadolny, who portrays Mini Goku in Dragon Ball Daima, were both nominated for Best Lead Voice-Over Performance.

In the Best Supporting Voice-Over Performance category, Caitlin Glass is nominated for her role as Nefertari Vivi in One Piece Season 21. Justin Briner and Xolo Maridueña also received nominations for their portrayal of Yoo Jinho in Solo Leveling Season 2 and Heisuke Mashimo in Sakamoto Days, respectively.

The Astra TV Awards 2025 ceremony will be held on June 10, 2025, at the Taglyan Complex in Los Angeles.

Immediately after its one-hour series finale, Dragon Ball Daima received two new nominations following its recent 2025 nod. These nominations come after Dragon Ball Daima's English dub completed its Crunchyroll run.

The Astra Awards announced its 2025 nominations to recognize greatness and achievements in the entertainment industry. Formerly known as the Hollywood Critics Association Awards, the Astra Awards nominated numerous animated and anime programs for this year's show, such as Dandadan, Solo Leveling, Invincible, and Batman: Caped Crusader. Dragon Ball Daima, which premiered in October 2024, received two monumental nods by The Astra Awards: Best Anime Series and Best Lead Voice-Over Performance.

Dragon Ball Daima Picks up 2 New Nominations Following Its Kids’ Choice Awards Nod

Dragon Ball Daima has been nominated for Best Anime Series for the 2025 Astra Awards, presented by the Hollywood Creative Alliance. Additionally, Stephanie Nadolny is nominated for her role as Goku (Mini) in Dragon Ball Daima for the...

Last year marked the first time for The Astra Awards to give anime its own category, and Solo Leveling ended up coming out on top. Now the 2025 nominations are in full swing, and a bunch of series are up for the honor. Nominees for the Best Anime Series category include the likes of Dragon Ball Daima , Dan Da Dan , Solo Leveling Season 2 and Fire Force Season 3 , and the voice-over categories also feature a handful of strong anime nods. Here’s a look at those in the running for Best Anime Series: Dan Da Dan Dragon Ball Daima Fire Force Season 3 Lazarus Solo Leveling Season 2 – Arise from the Shadow The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Related: Solo Leveling Named Best Anime Series at The Astra Awards 2024 Other categories with anime contenders include: Best Lead Voice-Over Performance Kaley Cuoco - Harley Quinn Alex Borstein - Family Guy: Holiday Special Seth MacFarlane - Family Guy:...

Spooky season is coming soon for fans of the critically acclaimed sci-fi/supernatural series Dandadan. The first English dub trailer for the theatrical Season 2 premiere this June has just been released.

Gkids Films, the New York-based indie film distributor behind Studio Ghibli and Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, released the first English dub clip of Dandadan Season 2, which will go by the name of Dandadan: Evil Eye for its upcoming theatrical screening. Abby Trott once again headlines the English dub as Momo Ayase, alongside A.J. Beckles as Ken Takakura Okarun.

Dandadan's Debut Season 2 English Dub Trailer Teases New Spine-Tingling Adventure for Momo & Okarun

The new English dub trailer for Dandadan: Evil Eye teases a deadly situation for the main oddball couple. Jin "Jiji" Enjoji, as played by Aleks Le of Solo Leveling fame, has succumbed to the Evil Eye that's been residing inside his body. Naturally, now that the evil spirit finally has a body,...

It was pretty much a given that a lot of fans are planning to flock to movie theaters next week to check out Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, even though they had watched it already. The difference this time was that the highly celebrated movie has gotten a 4K screening. Now, however, Crunchyroll is giving franchise fans a huge reason to go to movie theaters and watch the movie again: the screenings will feature a sneak peek of the highly anticipated sequel Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. The Demon Slayer: Mugen Train re-release is slated for May 14.

The news comes from Crunchyroll itself, along with Aniplex of America. This is a huge development: the first installment of the Infinity Castle trilogy is just four months away, and all we've seen so far is a teaser that doesn't reveal much of anything. The Infinity Castle trilogy brings sky-high expectations because the movies will...

All eyes remain on Solo Leveling as one of the year's biggest anime hits continues to wait for an official confirmation of Season 3. Based on the South Korean web novel by Chugong, the series is in an awkward spot coming off a record-setting Season 2 for Crunchyroll. While the desire for more is high, series producer Atsushi Kaneko shared at the start of April that the recent season finale marked the end of the show "for now," with varying quotes since then from those involved who have expressed a mix of both hope and doubt that Season 3 will be a reality. If it does happen, however, Kaneko and Sota Furuhashi believe it will bring a big expansion to the other characters in Sung Jin-woo's (Aleks Le) world.

In a recent Reddit Ama through the official Crunchyroll account, the producers for A-1 Pictures and Aniplex discussed everything related to Season 2 and the show's future.

Solo Leveling lead voice actor Aleks Le has explained why his role as Sung Jinwoo is so deeply personal.

Via a recent press release, Le opened up about his portrayal of Solo Leveling protagonist Sung Jinwoo following a special screening of Episodes 22-24, which concluded the series' "Jeju Island" story arc. "As an Asian immigrant, I saw myself in him," Le stated, adding, "Watching his growth and bringing that to life was incredibly meaningful."

Solo Leveling Fans Get a Tease of What to Expect From Season 3 Image by Brett Cardaro

Based on original author Chugong's 2016 manga of the same name (also known as Only I Level Up in Korea), Solo Leveling is a portal fantasy centered around Sung Jinwoo. Like many others in his world, Sung is a professional monster hunter who spends his days cutting down ferocious beasts of every variety. When Sung is approached by an enigmatic program known as the System,...

At the Solo Leveling For Your Consideration (FYC) screening hosted by Crunchyroll on April 30, 2025, Aniplex producer Sota Furuhashi jokingly suggested waiting until the next Olympics in 2028 to see what will happen with Season 3 of the anime.

The panel featured key figures involved with the anime, including Furuhashi, Atsushi Kaneko, Kanako Takahashi, Aleks Le (English voice actor for Sung Jinwoo), and Michelle Rojas (English voice actor for Cha Hae-in). The discussion was moderated by Raquel Harris of TheWrap.

When asked about Solo Leveling Season 3, Furuhashi noted the significant workload involved in the first two seasons of the anime, stating that a staggering 220,000 frames of animation were created between Solo Leveling Season 1 and Season 2.

Due to this effort, Furuhashi joked that if it were up to him, then he would wait until the next Olympics to see what will happen with Solo Leveling Season 3.

Sota Furuhashi at Solo Leveling FYC [image via Crunchyroll]

While the...