Rashmika Mandanna interview: On the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2026, growing up with Naruto and learning emotion through anime

Two years ago, Rashmika Mandanna became the archetypal Indian histrion invited to contiguous astatine the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, an yearly awards amusement organised by the anime streaming elephantine to honour the precise champion successful Japanese animation released during the erstwhile year. The ceremonial returned for its tenth day solemnisation this twelvemonth with presenters including The Weeknd, Winston Duke, Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, and Thai K-pop stars BamBam and TEN. Last weekend, Rashmika joined that assorted roster of high-profile weebs, returning to contiguous erstwhile much astatine the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa successful Tokyo.

As 1 of the astir outspoken personage otakus from India, Rashmika’s instrumentality to Tokyo seems to centre connected the nostalgia of fandom coming afloat circle. “Once upon a time, I opened up a random transmission aft a unsmooth time and got hooked connected to thing similar an anime — that was my precise archetypal introduction,” she says, remembering the years she spent watching anime connected cablegram TV successful India. “Getting the accidental to conscionable the creators and witnessing the crushed for the anime assemblage to beryllium what it is contiguous was decidedly thing I ne'er thought would beryllium possible. I’m truly grateful that it’s happening. It’s thing precise surreal and special, and I conscionable consciousness similar I’ve done thing right”.

The anime fandom successful India has ever possessed a peculiar generational texture that radical extracurricular the state seldom understand. Long earlier Crunchyroll was ever a thing, anime circulated done 480p rips connected YouTube, illicit cybercafe downloads, dubbed CDs from grey-market electronics stores, and inconsistent cablegram broadcasts. Japanese amusement transmission Animax was cardinal to that nostalgic ecosystem done the 2000s due to the fact that it introduced Indian otakus to shows specified arsenic Naruto: Shippuden, Death Note, Inuyasha, and Fullmetal Alchemist done severely timed cablegram TV runs that aired aft schoolhouse hours and precocious astatine night.

As idiosyncratic who grew up astir the fandom, I’ve seen anime inhabit a precise circumstantial rung successful the Indian societal hierarchy. It was often that weird thing that you perfectly did not notation retired large unless idiosyncratic other started first, since nationalist admittance of affection usually invited peculiarly pronounced looks of derision, and/or snarky remarks astir “cartoons”.

Rashmika believes that the taste temper has shifted. “I deliberation the procreation is simply a batch much comfy with voicing retired what we truly similar and what our interests are, and that’s a bully start,” she says. “I’ve ever been precise vocal astir loving anime due to the fact that I beauteous overmuch grew up watching it. Everyone thinks it’s each conscionable visual, but there’s besides a batch of in-depth affectional storytelling and layering, and that’s what gets maine hooked connected watching something”.

The shonen classic Naruto: Shippuden was foundational to her attachment. “I consciousness similar determination heavy down, his [Naruto’s] diagnostic trait of ne'er giving up has someway ever been subconsciously embedded successful me,” she says portion discussing the series’ power connected her personality. “So it feels similar ne'er giving up has go my motto successful life, and that’s wherefore I’m capable to bash what I’m capable to bash today.”

Masashi Kishimoto’s long-running bid followed the titular isolated teen hopeless for designation wrong a nine that viewed him arsenic a burden. Unsurprisingly, it has resonated profoundly with Indian audiences navigating world pressures and societal insecurity, but the affectional concern besides came from the sheer duration of the storytelling itself — watching Naruto meant increasing up alongside him. “It’s 400-500 episodes of world-building, of 25-30 minutes each, and that takes years for radical to complete,” she says, explaining wherefore the anime stayed with her for truthful long.

Rashmika’s fascination with the signifier besides extends beyond the wonders of its storytelling. Asked whether anime changed the mode she thinks astir acting and expression, she instantly focuses connected animation’s quality to externalise interior emotion. “In live-action, we’re portrayed however we are to beryllium portrayed from a director’s lens. Whereas successful animation, I consciousness similar you witnesser and you recognize precisely what they’re feeling,” she says. “Anime has the quality to marque you consciousness similar you person a chromatic successful your throat. It tin truly marque you consciousness affectional due to the fact that of the tiny nuances that they’ve gotten close lone done animation.”

Her observations consciousness particularly revealing due to the fact that her surface persona successful Indian cinema has developed astir expressive immediacy. Fans online routinely notation to her arsenic the “expression queen,” a rubric she connects straight to anime’s ocular grammar. “It’s crazy, but I consciousness similar if idiosyncratic from backmost location is calling maine the ‘queen of expressions’, I deliberation that comes from animation,” she explains.

The Anime Awards 2026 marks her 3rd clip successful Japan, and Rashmika admits she keeps coming backmost due to the fact that Japan remains “one of my apical five” favourite places successful the world. “I consciousness similar what gets radical falling successful emotion with Tokyo is really its people,” she says, trying to explicate her attachment to the city. “There is truthful overmuch respect successful Japan that goes into the environment, into cleanliness. It’s ingrained into the people, and that’s what I consciousness makes america each autumn successful emotion with Tokyo oregon anyplace successful Japan.” She chuckles astir however often she present catches herself bowing and saying “arigato,” and hopes to bash much “namestes” backmost home. “I deliberation Indians and Japanese person a batch successful common, due to the fact that we’re each rooted and cultured.”

Rashmika presented the grant for Best Animation, on with Hollywood histrion Winston Duke, astatine this year’s ceremony. Though My Hero Academia won Anime of the Year for its last season, and Demon Slayer, Gachiakuta, and Solo Leveling dominated different categories, she keeps returning to the 2nd play of The Apothecary Diaries arsenic 1 of her favourites this year. The humanities enigma series, which follows a young apothecary solving conspiracies wrong imperial China’s rear palace of consorts, was besides 1 of the night’s biggest winners, taking location awards for Best Drama, Best Main Character, and dependable acting honours successful some Japanese and Hindi. “I emotion it! It’s cute, it’s precise informative, and I deliberation it’s 1 of this year’s nominees that would genuinely astonishment people,” she says.

When pressed for her recommendations, she describes Your Lie successful April arsenic “a bittersweet communicative that was conscionable truly heartbreaking”. Her bigger obsession, though, seems to beryllium sports anime. “Of each the different anime that I’ve watched, sports is the genre I deliberation anime gets truly right,” she says portion rattling disconnected titles similar Haikyuu!!, Slam Dunk, Blue Lock, and The Prince of Tennis. Her latest mission: trying to person her hubby and chap Telugu prima Vijay Deverakonda into a weeb. “I person suggested Naruto: Shippuden, but I bash consciousness similar Jujutsu Kaisen mightiness beryllium a amended option, oregon possibly Haikyuu!! due to the fact that helium truly loves playing volleyball. But I’ll get him determination eventually.”