Crunchyroll will remove over fifty anime titles from the platform on March 31st. Currently, there is no explanation for these. However, many of the deleted series are internationally distributed by Sentai Filmworks, which owns and operates the competing HDIVE service.
Crunchyroll’s removal decision comes weeks after Funimation announced that it was moving to Crunchyroll. Sony, who owned Funimation since 2017, purchased Crunchyroll for $1.1 billion. According to the service, the addition of Funimation now gives the company the largest anime streaming library in the world.
Sony’s purchase of Crunchyroll was first criticized by many. Those who had problems stated that it gave the Japanese giant an uncompetitive level of control over the anime market. Sony also owns Aniplex, a company that has led to some of the biggest anime titles in history (Fullmetal Alchemist, Black Butler, Demon Slayer, etc.).
Despite operating its own streaming service, HDIVE, Sentai Filmworks has previously licensed other anime titles on other streaming services. AMC (the same as the cable Network) bought Sentai Filmworks last January. Since then, the company has increased its number of exclusives available on HDIVE, including titles such as My Love Story! and Made in Abyss).
Crunchyroll Removing Anime: What’s Specifically Leaving?
The complete list of leaving titles include:
- Akame Ga Kill!
- Amagi Brilliant Park
- Ano Natsu de Matteru
- BanG Dream! (seasons 1 and 2)
- Beyond the Boundary
- Black Bullet
- BTOOM!
- Chivalry of a Failed Knight
- Diabolik Lovers (seasons 1 and 2)
- The Familiar of Zero F
- Flowers of Evil
- Food Wars! (seasons 1 and 2)
- GATE
- GIRLS und PANZER
- Golden Time
- Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East (seasons 1 and 2)
- Haven’t You Heard I’m Sakamoto
- HENNNEKO- The Hentai Prince and the Stony Cat
- Himouto Umaru-chan
- Hozuki Cooolheadedness (seasons 1 and 2)
- Infinite Stratos
- Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dunngeon?
- Is The Order a Rabbit (season 2)
- Kids on the Slope
- Kokoro Connect
- Listen to Me, Girls, I’m Your Father!
- Little Busters!
- Little Busters! Refrain
- Lov, Chunibyo & Other Decisions (seasons 1 and 2)
- Majestic Prince
- Medaka Box
- MONSTER MUSUME
- Monthly Girl’s Nozaki-kun
- Motto Love Ru
- My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (seasons 1 and 2)
- Mysterious Girlfriend X
- No Game No Life
- Non Non Biyori (seasons 1 and 2)
- Outbreak Company
- Phantasty Star Online 2
- Say “I love you”
- SCHOOL-LIVE
- Sunday without God
- Tanaka-kun is always listless
- The Pet Girl of Sakurasou
- To Love Ru (seasons 1,2, and 3)
- Ushio and Tora
- Utawarerumono The False Faces
- Watamote
- Wolf Girl and the Black Prince
- Young Black Jack
It is unknown if other platforms will also delist other Sentai Filmworks anime titles. Those platforms include Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO Max. Also, there is no update if these titles will appear in the future.