Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month - Employee Spotlight: Nobuhiko Kurosu

In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM), Crunchyroll’s A.N.I.M.E Rising Employee Resource Group is spotlighting Nobuhiko Kurosu, Producer. Read more about his experiences growing up in Japan and his journey into Anime.

1. Tell us a little about yourself!

I was born in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, but moved around a lot due to my father's job transfer, so I had lived in Niigata from the first grade of elementary school until I graduated from high school. Niigata is a snowy country, but I lived by the seaside, so my favorite pastimes as a child were fishing and skiing.

I was a member of the track & field club in junior high school, the amateur wrestling club in high school, and the judo club in university, and I currently have the 3rd dan of black belt in judo.

I majored in Italian linguistics at university and was stationed in Milan and Hong Kong after I got a job. More than 5 years have passed since I joined Crunchyroll. Before that, I worked in KADOKAWA for 11 years, where I was in charge of the overseas market for the anime & live action business. At Crunchyroll, I have been a producer for 34 productions, mainly including "In/Spectre", "ODDTAXI" and so on.

2. When was your first encounter with anime and what was that experience like? Any anime recommendations? Who is your anime twin/spirit animal?

In my childhood, I grew up watching anime on TV every day. I don't remember the first anime I watched, but I watched all genres of anime including the American "Superman," "Popeye," "Tom and Jerry," "Wonder Three," and "Wacky Races" as well as Japanese anime.

However, my favorite title is "Candy Candy” which I watched in my high school life. I also went to a concert of Mitsuko Horie, the singer of the OP theme.

3. Do you have experience living and/or working in the US? What was that experience like?

I have never lived in the U.S., but I was in charge of North America for a long time after I started working, and I went to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Las Vegas, Denver, New Orleans, Dallas, Chicago, and New York on business trips.

I longed for the city life of New York rather than the car-oriented society of the West Coast.

4. Overseas mainstream media / Hollywood has often been criticized for its lack of representation or trivialized portrayal of Asian and Pacific Islanders. What are your thoughts on the current state? Who was the first Asian or Asian American you remember seeing or encountering in the media entertainment space (can be TV, film, music, or social media)?

Traditionally in Japan, there is a saying, "actions speak louder than words" and it has been considered a virtue to show by one's actions rather than by words. It is true that Japanese people, in general, may not be very good at expressing themselves, but no matter what we express in words, it is meaningless if we cannot leave achievements. Even if we use words to explain what we cannot achieve, it looks good on paper but won't work.

There are many Asians and Japanese who are active internationally in the entertainment industry. Akira Kurosawa and Jackie Chan are masterpieces among them. More recently, Naomi Osawa of tennis and Shohei Otani of baseball have left their mark in both achievements and words.

But above all, we should not forget the achievements of Kun Gao and Gen Fukunaga. It was these two Asian Americans who laid the foundation for the rise of Japanese animation in the world today. No matter how much our business grows, we must always keep in mind the entrepreneurial spirit of these two pioneers which is their love of anime and respect for its creators.

5. Our theme for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is to “Rise to Greater Heights”, no matter how small or large the action is. How are you challenging yourself to do so this month to honor the Asian & Pacific Islander’s culture and traditions?

Bam himself of "Tower of God" has no greed while Rachel wants to go up to the tower to see the star that is everything in the world, and he just followed her while cherishing his friends but risking his life to achieve his goal. Like him, no matter what hardships I may face, I would like to engage in my task with faith in my colleagues without overconfidence in myself, and without losing my humble attitude.