Crunchyroll’s Summer is packed
Crunchyroll is cooking this summer with three massive shows. Witch Hat Atelier, Daemons of the Shadow Realm, and Dr. STONE SCIENCE FUTURE Cour 3 (Season 4) are all rolling on the streaming service right now! THS sits down with the casts to discuss all the amazing anime going on right now.
THS talks to all your anime faves
Crunchyroll is cruising into the Summer with a bunch of new shows waiting to be your new obsession. Three big standouts for this season are Witch Hat Atelier, Dr. Stone: SCIENCE FUTURE, and Daemons of the Shadow Realm. That Hollywood Show got to speak with a bunch of the voice talent behind these awesome shows! We sat down with stars like:
- Daemons of The Shadow Realm (Ben Stegmair, Molly Zhang)
- Dr. STONE SCIENCE FUTURE Cour 3 (Aaron Dismuke, Felecia Angelle, Brandon McInnis)
- Witch Hat Atelier (Joshua A. Waters & Madeleine Morris)
Everyone delivered some amazing information about their respective programs. It’s a season of knowledge over at Crunchyroll. We learned what fans can expect as these shows wind down for the season. We’re going to dive right into each series and unpack what our friends have been up to. First up, Daemons of The Shadow Realm has been nothing short of an event since the moment it was announced.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm demonstrates pedigree at every turn
Everyone knew that Hiromu Arakawa was going to bring it with their latest anime. So, it isn’t a shock to see Ben Stegmair and Molly Zhang so energized by being Yuru and Asa. The siblings are throwing down some heavy emotional work along with the kind of action that leaves jaws on the floor. Here’s how both stars approached duality in their performances.
“Yuru has so many different aspects to him,” Stegmair began. “ Going into this, Hiromu Arakawa a brilliant storyteller from all of their past works. And, now more recently with Daemons of the Shadow Realm. They write characters that are full of life, full of death, that have their own goals, dreams, and desires. When the characters are also fleshed out and full and lived in, they have within them, similarly to us in real life, different characters that they play depending on the situation.”
For Zhang, this is true as well. She’s juggling multiple different interpretations of Asa during Daemons of the Shadow Realm. It helps that there’s one grounding throughline linking these performances.
“It’s just so many different versions that it almost feels like different characters you’re portraying. But, it’s really just one girl who’s gone through so much trauma that her emotions fluctuate depending on who she’s comfortable around, who she feels safe with.”
Witch Hat Atelier mixes the fantastic with real stakes
Crunchyroll’s current season of anime might not have had a more anticipated title than Witch Hat Atelier. BUG FILMS is animating a modern favorite that is as beautiful as it is perilous at times. Joshua A. Waters and Madeleine Morris play Qifrey and Agott in the new show.
Morris’s young apprentice, Agott, knows that this world has rough stuff hiding just out of sight. As a witch in training, being prepared is paramount. But, does she take it too far? Maybe just a little bit!
“She has a very clear sense of superiority,” Morris said of Agott. “Especially when we introduce Coco. She says to Tetia, ‘you know, I don’t want to share with someone like this.’ Like, she didn’t earn it, she doesn’t deserve it. I am fighting tooth and nail for what I have and she just gets to waltz in here.”
“But, Coco has never at any point seen her as a threat or as competition in any way,” she continued. “[Coco] proves to Agott, ‘I want to know you, I want to be your friend and peer, and I want to learn from you and learn together.’ Finally, Agott starts to admit, ‘I don’t know everything’ because I don’t know how to handle this type of kindness.”
It’s all very warm, and Waters’ performance as Qifrey has a lot to do with that.They joked of the young characters in his charge, “Those are my daughters, I’m worried sick all the time,” Waters smirked.
But, we all know there’s a little extra oomph hidden under the surface. “He does truthfully and honestly care about these kids. He wants them to learn, he wants them to be safe, he wants to teach them, he wants them to grow into witches of their own.”
“But, he has his own goals. He has things that he is willing to put a lot on the line to do,” they clarified. “And that switch, that desperation that comes out in those moments is something that I have loved playing with. Where you can see that’s still him.”
Dr. STONE and looking towards the future on Crunchyroll
Dr. STONE comes to a close on Crunchyroll. Aaron Dismuke, Felecia Angelle, and Brandon McInnis were in a thoughtful mood as we talked about their stint on the show. The Kingdom of Science has come a long way throughout these four seasons.
Asking Dismuke, who plays Senku, about what they’ve learned about problem solving from these characters, we got a piece of advice that could help your daily life!
“Senku’s always been great at showing that if a problem seems unobtainable, you just need to break it into smaller problems,” Dismuke explained. “Tackle them one at a time. Make yourself a list and start cutting through the list. I think that’s great advice for anything from ‘I want to work in a certain field’ to ‘I want to clean my room.’”
Angelle wanted to reaffirm that thought process during our interview to. Collective strategies for achieving process are possible. We just have to push in the same direction.
“All of that is true. All of it is available to you,” she explained. “You can be a part of a community, and you can participate in change that can affect things on a global scale. None of us are powerless. Together, we are just infinitely strong.”
All of these shows are streaming now on Crunchyroll!
That Hashtag Show has more great interviews with all of your favorite creatives right here.
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