Grab a seat mama because I have some SHOCKING news to share with you about Crunchyroll. If you woke up this morning and logged into your favorite anime streaming service to watch something, you may have realized things were looking a little different this morning. Turns out, Crunchyroll made a shocking change to their platform that has left their subscribers scratching their heads.

Anime fans are buzzing all over social media with this bizarre and sudden change to the platform. What exactly is it that the streaming service did and why are anime fans so upset about it? Keep reading for the scoop.

Crunchyroll Makes Shocking Change

This morning, Crunchyroll made a shocking move that left us scratching our heads. Frankly, it left many more than a little frustrated. The streaming service did issue a statement explaining it:

“At Crunchyroll, we prioritize creating a safe and respectful community environment. To maintain this standard, we are hiding all existing user-generated content, including comments and reviews, across all our platforms and experiences.”

Wait, what? All comments and reviews gone? Just like that? Needless to say, the statement left us with more questions than answers.

Let’s dig a bit deeper.

The Real Reason Behind The Decision

Crunchyroll’s summer lineup is packed with controversial titles like Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, Senpai Is an Otokonoko, Twilight Out Of Focus, and Days with My Stepsister. The storylines within some of these titles have sparked negative comments. Unfortunately, they also caused some serious bullying to take place within the Crunchyroll community. So, it’s not a stretch to think that Crunchyroll decided to pull the plug on user-generated content to cut down on the toxicity.

There are some subscribers who think this was a legal move made by the streaming service after their legal team suggested it to protect the company from any repercussions because of the bullying taking place on their platform. 

But, here’s the thing—fans aren’t buying it and they are not happy about it.

Fan Reactions: Not So Peachy

Over on Reddit, the backlash has been fierce. The comment sections on Crunchyroll have always been a place for fans to geek out about their favorite episodes, share theories, and sometimes vent their frustrations. For many, the comments were a highlight, something to look forward to after finishing an episode.

One fan wrote, “The community on Crunchyroll was one of the best parts of the platform. Now it’s gone.” Others mentioned how they relied on brutally honest comments to decide if an anime was worth watching. Here’s what some other subscribers had to say about it:

• “Man, that’s lame. Half the time I usually check out comments as I’m watching because people are pretty dead-honest on whether a show is worth my time, and then if it is, it’s great to see enthusiasm for particular shows and their respective episodes. This definitely feels like some corporate ‘we don’t want to offend anyone’ bs that someone decided at the top.”
• “What the f**k I like reading comments ya there’s a bunch of brainless comments but the good ones really enhance the experience.”
• “I’m devastated… I was watching unnamed memory right as they disabled the comments, the very last comment I saw was an absolute G that filled in all of the plot holes of the anime with like 8 separate comments. It literally saved the anime for me.”

Some subscribers noted comments often allow those who have read the manga to fill in plot holes for those who have not. So, they aren’t happy about the streaming service taking this feature away from them.

The consensus? This was a major misstep on Crunchyroll’s part.

The cowards at Crunchyroll are too lazy to moderate so they’ve removed commenting entirely. They removed forums years ago. Corpos hate communities. People also used comments to point out all the translation and grammar mistakes 🤔 pic.twitter.com/322IVokVRF

— Kougeru 🐉⛩️ (@Kougeru) July 8, 2024

Crunchyroll: Safe Space Or Silenced Space?

While Crunchyroll’s intention to create a safer community is commendable, it’s clear that many fans feel silenced rather than protected. The ability to discuss, debate, and even criticize is a huge part of the anime-watching experience. Without it, Crunchyroll feels a bit more like a ghost town.

This stinks, Crunchyroll removed all the comments/review sections across the platform. It was nice to have to see thoughts and feel out shows I might have been on the fence about. Them pointing ppl to social media is not a general “safer” place vs the actual site/episodes. 🙄 https://t.co/dOGcI2hP2j pic.twitter.com/4aqNlHlyz2

— Rob aka FatherOfVash (@DadNeedsToTalk) July 8, 2024

What’s Next?

So, where do we go from here? Fans are hoping Crunchyroll will reconsider or at least find a middle ground—maybe better moderation instead of a total shutdown. For now, we’ll have to take our discussions elsewhere, but here’s hoping that Crunchyroll listens to its community and brings back the comment sections we all love.

In the meantime, keep sharing your thoughts and frustrations on social media. Who knows? Maybe our voices will be heard, and we’ll see those comments return sooner rather than later. Until then, stay strong, anime fans. We’re all in this together. For now, fans are turning to other social media platforms to discuss their favorite shows.

As always, let us know what you think about this shocking move in the comments.