Themed watch parties are a really smart community play because genre-themed weekly marathons give fans a reason to keep checking back and turn passive streaming into a shared event. The Action week lineup has serious heavy hitters too, with Solo Leveling, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Hell's Paradise anchoring week one in a strong way to grab the biggest possible audience right out of the gate. The genre rotation across all five weeks is also well-balanced since hitting Action, Sports, Isekai, Shojo, and Catalog Gems means there's something for nearly every type of anime fan to look forward to. And the week-long replay window is great for accessibility because letting viewers catch the marathon anytime before the following Saturday respects different time zones and busy schedules.

Crunchyroll has big plans for Ani-May 2026, including weekly watch parties. Each week, themed marathons will make their way to YouTube, and the first week's shows have officially been revealed under the overarching theme of Action. If you can't make it live, don't worry. You'll be able to watch it in full until the following Saturday.

Ani-May 2026 Watch Parties Week 1: Action — May 2

Featuring episodes of:

• Sentenced to Be a Hero

• Black Clover

• Solo Leveling

• Wistoria: Wand and Sword

• Hell's Paradise

• JUJUTSU KAISEN

Upcoming Weekly Themes

• Week 2: Sports — May 9

• Week 3: Isekai — May 16

• Week 4: Shojo — May 23

• Week 5: Catalog Gems — May 30

About Ani-May 2026

Each week of Ani-May 2026 will feature a themed marathon streaming on Crunchyroll's YouTube channel, with replays available until the following Saturday. Future marathon lineups will be announced in the coming weeks.

Which Ani-May 2026 themed week are you most looking forward to? Is the stacked Action lineup featuring Solo Leveling and Jujutsu Kaisen the marathon that's pulling you in for May 2, or are you holding out for the Catalog Gems week to see what hidden classics Crunchyroll digs up? Let us know in the comments.