"Anime is mainstream now" according to Crunchyroll exec

In recent decades we've seen anime jump from what felt like a niche audience to much more of a mainstream one. However, even with shows like Attack on Titan, One Punch Man, Demon Slayer, and more gaining wider audiences, to some there still lies the question of whether anime is mainstream or not.

At Cannes Film Festival, we chatted with Mitchell Berger, Crunchyroll's senior vice president of global commerce, and asked whether he sees anime as being properly mainstream now.

"I would argue that anime is mainstream now. It's certainly much more mainstream than it's ever been before," Berger said. "There's a billion people worldwide that are anime interested or aware of it. There's a huge audience there so there's tons of room to grow. I think for us it's about bringing anime to the fans themselves and helping them express that."

"As I said before, that is kind of that mainstreaming of it. It's not something that you don't talk about," he continued. "It's not something that you don't talk about. I mean we're here talking about it today which is in itself I think a comment of how mainstream it's already become. People know about anime and that's a wonderful thing for the genre and for the business."

So, as anime and its audience continue to grow, it seems that it will very soon be an undeniable part of mainstream culture. At least, according to Berger. Do you agree? Check out our full interview below: