It looks like one industry deal is finally paying off for anime fans. For those unaware, the anime dubbing and streaming company Funimation acquired Crunchyroll back in 2020. The two anime streaming moguls have always been at odds, causing significant splits in the industry on the most popular shows. This made things difficult for anime fans. With two subscriptions required for all the hits, it was more of a hassle than anything. However, that’s finally going to change in light of the acquisition. Funimation confirmed today that they would be moving a large anime line-up to Crunchyroll, and all continuing series will simultaneously stream there as well.
A United Front of Anime Production
The Crunchyroll-Funimation unification has a lot of possibilities for the industry. Both focus on different aspects of production. Crunchyroll has an extensive line-up for its comparatively young age. Beyond that, they also have taken to funding/creating worthwhile originals. Most are done by currently existing anime companies. Examples of such are Tonikawa and In/Spectre. However, a couple of successful hits were genuinely original. Both Tower of God and God of High School are entirely original animations that were created in tandem with popular Webtoon works. The additional money and staying power of Funimation will make these efforts stronger.
On the other hand, Funimation has been an anime mogul longer than anyone. The dubbing company was started in 1997 and became a hit producer by the 2000s. You can’t see a major anime dub without that Funimation jingle upfront. It’s no understatement to say that they helped build the Western anime voice acting business in general. And with it has come a huge anime line-up of Funimation exclusives. Although, that will no longer be the case. With this in mind, Crunchyroll’s already impressive 2022 list just got much bigger.