The anime short Anime De CrossFit, airing this season on Crunchyroll, has America’s otaku and fitness enthusiasts alike buzzing with excitement. The new strength and conditioning anime eschews expensive gym equipment and features exercises that builds viewers’ strengths and flexibility.
The colorful anime features cute girls engaging in exercises such as burpees and flipping heavy tires while encouraging viewers to follow along. These Episodes of the Week, known to viewers as EOW’s, are only four minutes long, but feature a wide variety of activities.
The anime is not without criticism; observers have claimed that some exercises may be dangerous, noting that at least one user tore a hamstring getting up out of their computer chair. Other members of anime discussion boards bemoaned the endless mentions from viewers that they are indeed watching Anime De CrossFit.
“The moment Anime De CrossFit is mentioned, a horde of fans immediately start mentioning that they’re currently watching it, and start talking about the EOW and talking about how it’s the best show ever and trying to get you watching too,” reddit user Jason “purpleReina1” Stark told Anime Maru. “It’s like Re:Zero all over again.”
At least for now, the Anime De CrossFit craze shows no signs of slowing down. We asked viewer Angela Tinsley about her opinion on the popular show.
“It’s really a godsend. I’ve been watching every EOW on Crunchybox and I’ve seen huge gains,” Tinsley replied. “It’s not an anime, it’s Anime De CrossFit,“