White Box Marketing Director Malu Arantes Discusses Anime Marketing in the Americas
The interview provides a rare, detailed look at how anime marketing strategies differ across the Americas, revealing that Brazil's passionate fandom and high viewership have not yet translated into proportional licensing and investment from major industry players.
Reporting from 1 sources: Anime By The Numbers.
Malu Arantes, Director of Marketing at White Box, discussed her career and the differences between anime markets in the U.S., Brazil, and Latin America in an interview published by the newsletter Anime By The Numbers on June 13, 2025. Arantes, formerly of Crunchyroll, described building Crunchyroll's Brazilian community from 30,000 to over 4.6 million followers between 2017 and 2023. She highlighted the Rio de Janeiro Chainsaw Man billboard campaign as a standout project. Arantes noted that Brazilian fans have a strong interest in shonen romance titles like Toradora and Rent-A-Girlfriend, and that isekai titles such as That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime and Re:ZERO are fan favorites in Brazil, unlike in the U.S. where they are often seen as guilty pleasures. She also pointed out that Brazil struggles to attract individualized attention from major anime stakeholders after the Crunchyroll-Funimation merger, and that pricing and piracy remain roadblocks.
Malu Arantes, now Director of Marketing at White Box, previously led social media for Crunchyroll Brazil, where she grew the brand's community from 30,000 to over 4.6 million followers across platforms from 2017 to 2023. She described the Rio de Janeiro Chainsaw Man billboard campaign as the coolest IP-specific project she led, noting that it resonated deeply with fans who felt empowered seeing anime promoted alongside mainstream shows.
Arantes explained that Brazilian fans have a strong interest in shonen romance titles like Toradora and Rent-A-Girlfriend, and that isekai titles are widely embraced in Brazil, unlike in the U.S. where they are often considered guilty pleasures. She also noted that Brazilian fans love dubs and treat voice actors as celebrities, and that a dub casting change mid-season can significantly affect viewership.
On the industry side, Arantes said that after the Crunchyroll-Funimation merger, Brazil no longer gets the same individualized attention from major stakeholders. She cited rising manga prices due to import taxes and paper costs, and high piracy rates, as ongoing challenges. She called for smart, localized initiatives from companies looking to invest in the region.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime By The Numbers Mastering Anime Marketing with Malu Arantes