The stage at the 10th annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards turns purple as singer Yoko Takahashi, wearing an outfit inspired by one of the hulking mechas from ¡°Neon Genesis Evangelion,¡± sings ¡°A Cruel Angel¡¯s Thesis,¡± .

Takahashi¡¯s performance at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo on May 23 came closest to delivering the level of spectacle typically associated with a traditional awards show, which has long been one of the event¡¯s ambitions.

This year¡¯s edition of the Anime Awards reinforced many familiar messages, primarily that anime¡¯s cultural footprint continues to grow globally. Crunchyroll representatives noted that paid subscribers to their platform , up from 17 million the year before, during a press conference days before the ceremony.