Streaming services Funimation and Wakanim are “unifying” under the Crunchyroll brand and merging their libraries on Crunchyroll website, the companies announced today. Sony-owned Funimation owns both Crunchyroll and Wakanim, along with Crunchyroll’s VRV.
As a “welcome” gift existing Funimation, Wakanim, and VRV subscribers get a special deal for 60 days of Crunchyroll Premium for free. The pricing will remain the same, and current Funimation and Wakanim users are urged to cancel their subscriptions before the merge is completed.
Users will now be able to have one account to access the libraries (and will by default pay for one subscription). Current seasonals will be updated on all 3, but starting with the Spring 2022 anime season new episodes will only be added to Crunchyroll. This includes simulcast, but also dubbed titles. A short announcement video was also revealed:
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It may be a somewhat unexpected move, but the Crunchyroll brand was always stronger with a more stable and accessible website. Crunchyroll awards took place for the 6th year in a row last month and their mascot turned VTuber, Crunchyroll Hime is a recognizable face among most western anime fans. Crunchyroll also tried its hand in anime production. Titles such as Tower of God, God of Highschool, and Tonikaku Kawai are Crunchyroll originals.
Funimation previously merged with AnimeLab – a streaming service that was dedicated to the Australia and New Zealand area. The acquisitions raised concern among many fans who noticed that Sony now has an almost complete monopoly over the western market.
Source: Crunchyroll