The month of Ani-May starts this week, on 1st May 2025 to be exact, and to celebrate Crunchyroll in the UK will be offering discounts at retail, an exclusive competition at HMV, new merchandise, free anime to watch on the Crunchyroll streaming platform for non-subscribers, and new games for subscribers.
Discounts at Retail:
Online retailers (such as Amazon UK, HMV, & Anime-On-Line) will be offering discounts on Crunchyroll related Blu-Ray and DVDs throughout the month.
HMV Competition:
Crunchyroll have partnered with HMV for a special competition, in which the winner will receive a weekend VIP trip to Paris, France for the Japan Expo event in July. Sadly specific details about this competition, such as how to enter and the exact nature of the prize, were not mentioned in the press release we received, but we suspect that it will be similar to last year where you will receive an entry into a prize draw once making a purchase at HMV.
New Merchandise:
During the month new merchandise will become available based on popular franchises, such as Solo Leveling, Kaiju No. 8, Bananya, My Hero Academia, Overlord, and The Apothecary Diaries. Specific details of this merchandise were not confirmed, but they will become available to purchase at participating retailers and on the Crunchyroll store.
Crunchyroll Store Promotions:
The Crunchyroll Store will participate with new and exclusive product launches, unbeatable deals, and an exciting gift-with-purchase offer: a Crunchyroll-exclusive Ani-May pin. Each week will highlight a different genre of product with deals on popular items for collectors, action / adventure titles, shonen shows, and fantasy fan-favourites. Additionally, the store will celebrate nominees for Anime of the Year in the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards® (25th May).
Free Anime on Crunchyroll:
Finally, throughout the month of May, a variety of of popular anime titles will become accessible for non-subscribers, with shows such as Black Clover, Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, and Solo Leveling being made available. This means that non-subscribers will be able to watch these shows with ads, whereas previously they were only available to Crunchyroll subscribers. These shows will only be available for non-subscribers during the month of May, after which they will return to subscribers only.
Games on Crunchyroll Game Vault:
Subcribers to the Crunchyroll platform will be able to enjoy new additions to the Crunchyroll Game Vault, with titles including Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, Grisaia Phantom Trigger and Corpse Party.
There’s lots to explore throughout the month this Ani-May, but how will you be celebrating? Will you be streaming new anime or picking up something from HMV. Let us know!
