Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd will present the Anime of the Year award at this year’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards, slated to take place on May 23 in Tokyo, the streamer announced on Friday.
The Grammy-winning artiste is known for weaving anime influences into his work.
Fans around the world can cast their votes daily for their favorite anime, helping decide winners across 32 categories — including the Anime of the Year recipient to be presented by The Weeknd.
Voting is now open via the Anime Awards Official Website, Crunchyroll, and MyAnimeList, and runs through April 15 till 11.59pm PT (1.29pm IST).
“When I was first introduced to anime, I was a child. But it wasn’t until my teenage years that one specific anime changed me forever and became part of the fabric of my early career: Samurai Champloo by Shinichiro Watanabe,” The Weeknd said in a statement.
“It was the first time I experienced two of my favorite mediums — anime and hip hop — blending so seamlessly that it completely reshaped the way I watched film and listened to music,” the singer added.
“That influence stayed with me all the way through the creation of House of Balloons, where I wrote The Morning, Glass Table Girls, and Loft Music over Nujabes’ instrumentals. Without Watanabe and Nujabes, House of Balloons simply wouldn’t exist,” the Blinding Lights singer further said.
The Weeknd said that the anime Samurai Champloo opened his eyes to a more mature world of anime and helped shape his visual DNA. The works of Satoshi Kon, Mamoru Oshii, and Katsuhiro Otomo became foundational to the look and feel of the singer’s works.
“So it’s safe to say I wouldn’t be here without anime. It’s an honor to celebrate the artists behind it and a medium that continues to inspire the world,” he signed off.
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards is the largest annual awards program honouring the creators, musicians and performances across a range of titles voted by fans.
The event will be livestreamed for global audiences.