Crunchyroll Expo 2020 is just one of the many conventions to be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic as organizers try to adapt to the measures required to keep people safe. While some conventions were outright canceled due to the pandemic, Crunchyroll is one of many that have opted to hold a virtual event and now the full schedule of panels, screenings, and activities for the 2020 expo has been revealed to the public.
First held in August 2017 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California, Crunchyroll Expo was designed to bring anime fans together while showcasing attractions and featuring notable guests in the industry. Registration for Crunchyroll Expo 2020 opened in late July, completely free, and the virtual event will be divided into four distinct districts for online attendees to explore. These areas include the Anime Arts District, Central Shopping District, Theater District, and the Super Arcade.
Crunchyroll Events Director Adam Sheehan noted that these districts will help the expo stand out from the other online conventions in 2020. “On top of great programming, V-CRX has a Shopping District full of online exhibitors, an Arts District full of amazing artists from all over the world. In addition to that, there are things for fans to engage with like our Onyx Equinox scavenger hunt and Yuzu’s Cat Café over in our Super Arcade. This is just a taste of what we have planned for Virtual Crunchyroll Expo coming up in just a few weeks,” Sheehan explained.
Mary Franklin, Crunchyroll’s Head of Events, added that the schedule of events was made with fans from across the globe in mind, saying, “from 10:00 am Pacific on Friday, September 4 to 10:00 am Pacific on Monday, September 7, attendees can enjoy content non-stop, 24 hours per day. We wanted fans to be able to take in the show during convenient times wherever they live. Also, because we have multiple live streams during the show, V-CRX On Demand will let them catch shows they missed while watching something else.”
Below is a list of highlights from CrunchyRoll Expo’s 2020 schedule while the complete list of events can be found here.
FRIDAY
10:00am (Crunchyroll Stage): Cast from Rent-a-Girlfriend Q&A with Sora Amamiya, Aoi Yuki, Nao Toyama, Rei Takahashi
10:15am (Hime Stage): Dr. STONE Focus Panel with Shusuke Katagiri
10:15am (Sudachi Stage): Toei Animation presents: One Piece: Episode of Chopper – The Miracle Winter Cherry Blossom with a Special Voice Actor Showcase
10:45am (Crunchyroll Stage): Monster Girl Doctor Panel with VA Shunichi Toki
12:00pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Crunchyroll Originals Presents: Making of Onyx Equinox
12:30pm (Hime Stage): A Conversation with Patrick Seitz
1:15pm (Sudachi Stage): Inuyasha to Yashahime: A Journey Through Time
1:15pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Crunchyroll Originals Presents: EX-ARM Panel with VA Soma Saito and Director Yoshikatsu Kimura
1:30pm (Hime Stage): How to Run an Anime Club
2:30pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Crunchyroll Games Industry Panel
2:30pm (Sudachi Stage): Aniplex of America Industry Panel
2:45pm (Hime Stage): Professional Athletes of Anime
3:30pm (Sudachi Stage): GKIDS Industry Panel
3:45pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Intro to Gunpla: Starting Out Like a Pro
4:00pm (Hime Stage): Crunchyroll Originals Presents: An Exclusive Panel with the Creators and Staff of Noblesse
6:00pm (Hime Stage): Anime and Race
4:00pm (Crunchyroll Stage): K-Pop and Anime: When Two World Collide
7:00pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Myth & Roid Panel
7:45pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Myth & Roid Concert
SATURDAY
10:00am (Crunchyroll Stage): Crunchyroll Originals Presents: The God of High School Panel with Creator Yongje Park, Director Sunghoo Park, and More!
10:15am (Hime Stage): Making Official Merch with Atsuko & Friends
11:00am (Hime Stage): Yen Press Industry Panel
11:45am (Crunchyroll Stage): Anime and Drag with Rock M. Sakura
12:00pm (Hime Stage): Crunchyroll Virtual Industry Panel
12:45pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Mesoamerica Animated: Onyx Equinox with Sofia E. Alexander
1:00pm (Hime Stage): Mangamo Industry Panel
2:00pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Crunchyroll Originals Presents: Talk with the Creators of So I’m a Spider, So What?
2:00pm (Hime Stage): Snacking Through Japan with Bokksu
2:45pm (Hime Stage): Right Stuf Anime Industry Panel
3:00pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Exclusive Panel with the Staff from The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter
3:45pm (Hime Stage): For Fans by Fans Presents: Anime Tropes Roulette!
4:15pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Crunchyroll Originals Presents: GIBIATE Live Drawing
5:00pm (Hime Stage): Kodansha Comics x Yen Press Showdown!
5:15pm (Crunchyroll Stage): A Conversation with Erika Mendez
6:15pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Drawing Crunchyroll-Hime! Watch and Learn Event
7:00pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Crunchyroll-Hime’s Cosplay Cup
SUNDAY
11:00am (Crunchyroll Stage): Crunchyroll Original Presents: TONIKAWA Panel with Akari Kito and Author Kenjiro Hata
11:15am (Hime Stage): King Records: New Project Panel
12:15pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Get to Know More About Akari Kito
12:30pm (Hime Stage): Crunchyroll Originals Presents: GIBIATE Panel and Episode Premiere
1:15pm (Crunchyroll Stage): A Conversation with Chris Hackney
1:30pm (Hime Stage): Crunchyroll Originals Presents: An Exclusive Panel with the Creators and Staff of Noblesse
2:15pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Black Anime Magical Girl
2:45pm (Hime Stage): Mesoamerican Gods: Mythology in Onyx Equinox
3:45pm (Hime Stage): Virtual Crunchyroll Expo Live Q&A with Staff!
4:30pm (Crunchyroll Stage): Working at Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll was founded in 2006 as a video streaming service focused on delivering anime, manga, and dorama content to registered users across the world. The anime streaming service once had a cross-licensing deal with Funimation in 2016 that effectively placed all the anime titles both past and present into one area, but the partnership was not renewed after the deal expired in 2018. However, AT&T’s WarnerMedia is now in talks to sell Crunchyroll to Sony, the parent company of Funimation, which would reunite both parties if an agreement can be reached.
Crunchyroll Expo 2020 is certainly pulling out all the stops to offer a worthwhile virtual experience for attendees. If they can pull it off, it will be a good sign for the other conventions scheduled to take place online this year and potentially for the seeable future, depending on when the coronavirus pandemic is resolved.
Success is not always guaranteed, however, as the San Diego Comic-Con virtual event received its fair share of criticism despite the best efforts of organizers. Not to mention the fact that an online event can’t compare to the joy of gathering with like-minded friends and strangers for an in-person convention.
Crunchyroll Expo 2020 will be held from September 4th to the 6th.
Source: Crunchyroll
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