【Whatever Co.】 Whatever
Co. participates in the rebranding of American anime video
distribution service “Crunchyroll” as a Japanese creative partner *Whatever Co.*
Press release: August 15, 2024
**
Whatever Co. participates in the rebranding of the American anime video distribution service “Crunchyroll” as a Japanese creative partner
*Creating new design fonts and manga visuals rooted in Japanese manga/anime culture*
(C)︎Crunchyroll
* Creative Studio Whatever Co. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo / CEO: Tominaga Yusuke (hereinafter referred to as “Whatever”) participated as a Japanese creative partner in the rebranding of Crunchyroll, an anime/manga distribution platform headquartered in the United States. *
Crunchyroll has provided a wide range of entertainment, mainly distributing manga and anime, but also selling merchandise, developing games, and hosting events. As anime continues to grow as a global pop culture, Crunchyroll worked to rebuild its brand identity for the next phase of growth. With this rebranding, Crunchyroll will advance to a new stage as an entertainment fandom company that is more deeply rooted in manga/anime culture and closely connected with the fans who love these.
Whatever agreed with Crunchyroll’s desire to “respect the Japanese craft that has nurtured manga/anime culture when rebranding” and participated in this project as a creative studio based in Japan and active globally. I was in charge of planning and producing unique design fonts inspired by manga and anime motifs, as well as visuals featuring Japanese manga artists.
* https://youtu.be/xZcTCtyh6RA*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZcTCtyh6RA
(C)︎Crunchyroll
* [Design font “Crunchyroll Glyphs”] *
Together with Crunchyroll, we have created more than 100 uniquely designed fonts inspired by 16 types of expressions such as manga and anime, such as “comic marks” and “onomatopoeia.” When used in combination with Crunchyroll’s new brand font (ATYP), it is a system that allows Crunchyroll to simply express the fun of manga and anime in a variety of situations.
(C)︎Crunchyroll
(C)︎Crunchyroll
[Collaboration visual with Japanese manga artist]
Based on four stories such as battle manga and romance manga originally proposed by Crunchyroll, we created original works with the cooperation of four manga artists active in various fields (Keishi Neda, Tina Yamashina, Satoshi Ogasawara, and Natsuo Sai). Produces manga. These works were included as part of various visuals used in the rebranding and are an important element in building Crunchyroll’s new brand identity.
(C)Crunchyroll / Illustration: Keishi Neda
(C)Crunchyroll / Illustration: Tina Yamashina
(C)Crunchyrolll / Illustration: Satoshi Ogasawara
(C)Crunchyroll / Illustration: Natsuo Sai
* [Manga artist profile] *In no particular order*
■ Keishi Neda
Born June 13, 1983. Born in Miyagi Prefecture.
His representative works include “When I went to another world, my sister was already ruling as the demon lord.” ” and “A Story of a Beautiful Girl Who Came Out of a Suspicious Pot After Buying It”. In the past, he has won honorable mentions at the Akatsuka Prize and the Shogakukan Newcomer Comic Award, and is known for his humor and creativity.
■ Tina Yamashina
Born in the United States in 1995, she spent her childhood in China. Japanese manga artist. Debuted as a commercial magazine in Bessatsu Margaret. His masterpiece “Shojo Koi.” -Virgin Shoko-san.” Currently, “Kuroko and Villain-kun” is being serialized in “Dessert.” Her works are characterized by storytelling that evokes empathy, and are supported by many readers, mainly women.
■ Satoshi Ogasawara
Manga artist, illustrator. He moved to Tokyo alone from Hokkaido and worked as a graphic and mechanical designer at a game company before becoming a freelance illustrator. His representative work is “Code Geass”
Examples include “Lelouch of the Resurrection” and “New Mobile Report Gundam Wing Endless Waltz: Glory of the Losers”.
■ Natsuo Sai
Manga artist. Comic adaptation of the TV anime “PSYCHO-PASS” series “PSYCHO-PASS Supervisor Shinya Kogami” “PSYCHO-PASS”
Psychopath Sinners of the
Responsible for drawing in “System”. In 2022, Shueisha’s “Shonen Jump +” will publish the spin-off novel “NARUTO” based on Masashi Kishimoto’s manga “NARUTO”.
We are serializing “NARUTO Konoha Shinden”, a comic adaptation of “Konoha Shinden Steam Ninpocho”. Currently, he is working on Young Champion’s “POLICE TRIBE”.
K-9” is currently being serialized.
*About Whatever Co.*
A creative studio based in Tokyo, New York, Taipei, and Berlin. We work with members who have globally acclaimed planning and craft skills to tackle genre-less creative tasks that are not bound by traditional frameworks, such as advertising, events, planning and production of TV programs, and service and product development. By working together with members who can carry out development using the latest technology, we continue to create ideas that “no one in the world has seen before, but that everyone in the world can relate to.” Website: https://whatever.co
*About Crunchyroll*
Crunchyroll,
LLC (Crunchyroll) provides anime and manga in over 200 countries and regions. In addition to free and paid distribution through an advertising model, we create an anime community through events, theatrical anime, games, goods, and manga publishing.
Through Crunchyroll, anime fans around the world have access to the world’s largest collection of officially licensed anime in multiple languages. The latest popular works are simultaneously distributed immediately after they are broadcast in Japan. Crunchyroll is available on 15 platforms, including almost every gaming console. Crunchyroll is a Sony Pictures company.
This is a joint venture between Entertainment Inc. and Aniplex Inc., a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Website: https://www.crunchyroll.com/