TLDR;
Okay, so this video is about some shady stuff happening with Crunchyroll and Kadokawa. Basically, Crunchyroll is doing layoffs while also trying to expand internationally, which seems kinda sus. They're also cancelling back orders from Right Stuff and making people pay more, which is not cool. Plus, there's this whole thing with Kadokawa wanting to find manga artists overseas and possibly censor stuff to appeal to Western audiences. It's all pointing towards Sony/Crunchyroll trying to create a monopoly and control the anime and manga market.
- Crunchyroll is laying off employees and focusing on international growth, raising concerns about cost-cutting and monopolistic practices.
- They're cancelling Right Stuff back orders and increasing prices, which is pretty scummy.
- Kadokawa wants to find manga artists overseas and might be trying to censor content to appeal to Western audiences, which is worrying.
- Sony/Crunchyroll's growing control over the anime and manga market could stifle competition and lead to a monopoly.
Crunchyroll's Layoffs and Restructuring [0:00]
So, Sony's Crunchyroll is laying off people as part of a restructuring plan to focus on growing in international markets. This news came out right after they announced a partnership with Delta Airlines to stream anime on flights, which everyone was pretty happy about. But, there's also this other thing where Crunchyroll is cancelling back orders from Right Stuff Anime and making customers pay more to get their stuff. This is happening even with recent reprints of older manga, and Crunchyroll is saying it's because the reprints have different SKUs. People are getting these excuses in emails after requesting their back orders.
Right Stuff Anime Back Order Cancellations [0:27]
Crunchyroll is cancelling back orders from Right Stuff, which is pretty bad because they promised to honor those orders after Sony bought Right Stuff a while back. Manga Alerts pointed out that Crunchyroll is being incompetent and instead of honoring the original price, they're cancelling orders and charging more. This is messed up, especially since they made a promise to fulfill those back orders.
The Bigger Picture: Monopoly Concerns [3:32]
These layoffs and back order cancellations are happening right after the news about Sony restructuring Crunchyroll to focus on international growth. This is a sign that something's up with Crunchyroll. People might be happy about the layoffs because Crunchyroll has a bad reputation for things like bad translations and how they treat their workers. But, this could be a sign of something more sinister, like Crunchyroll trying to save money and expand their monopoly. The Delta Airlines partnership probably cost a lot, and Crunchyroll might be making sacrifices to cover those costs.
International Expansion and High Dive [7:02]
Crunchyroll is focusing on international markets like Brazil, Mexico, and India, which might seem good for access to anime. But, it's also a sign that they're trying to create a monopoly around the world. High Dive, which is one of the only anime companies challenging Crunchyroll, had to pull out of some regions because they didn't have enough money. Crunchyroll is basically choking them out of the market with merchandise and licensing. If Crunchyroll expands into other markets, they could choke out High Dive and other competitors in those regions too.
Kadokawa and Potential Censorship [8:54]
Kadokawa, a major manga publisher, is looking for new manga artists overseas because they claim there's a labor shortage in Japan. But, that's probably a lie. The CEO of Kadokawa has a history of trying to censor manga and focus on Western ideals. They want to make manga more appealing to a wider audience, even if it means losing what made anime and manga popular in the first place.
Sony's Influence on Kadokawa and the Future [11:22]
Sony bought a chunk of Kadokawa, and there's a fear that Sony might buy them out completely. If that happens, there would be no competition in the anime and manga market. The government might have to step in and break up Sony/Crunchyroll because of the monopoly. Crunchyroll is also planning to create a manga subscription service to compete with Viz Media. They're gaining more and more control over the markets around the world, and it's not getting enough attention. Crunchyroll is trying to save money and expand their business to the point where nobody can compete with them, and someone needs to stop them.