Anime fans in the US and Canada can truly rejoice because two of the biggest anime streaming services have officially joined forces to serve up oodles of anime goodness!
‘By sharing titles across streaming, home video, and electronic sell-through (EST),’ FUNimation and Crunchyroll recently announced the news that they have formed a title-sharing partnership, which truly is a match made in anime heaven:
“This is not a drill! This is not a dream! This is really happening! Crunchyroll and FUNimation have formed a partnership to bring YOU the best in anime via a bounty of home video releases, English dubs, catalog titles, and shared simulcasts that begin TODAY!”
The partnership means anime fans will have more ways of experiencing anime shows than ever before. Crunchyroll is set to continue bringing us the ‘best subtitled streaming experience for fans,’ and FUNimation will ‘focus on delivering the best English-language dubbed’ anime shows.
Crunchyroll will be streaming some of FUNimation’s summer simulcast including the likes of First Love Monster, Puzzle & Dragons X and D.Gray-Man Hallow. Cowboy Bebop, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash and PSYCHO-PASS will also be available to stream soon after (it’s important to note that some of these shows are restricted to certain territories – you can check here).
FUNimation will respond in kind with some of Crunchyroll’s summer line-up such as Orange, Mob Psycho 100 and 91 Days, with Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club and The Testament of Sister New Devil joining in at a later date.
FUNimation will also be distributing both subbed and dubbed versions of other Crunchyroll titles via home video and various downloadable outlets. The planned anime titles listed so far are Ace Attorney, Bungo Stray Dogs, Alderamin on the Sky, ReLIFE, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and JOKER GAME, and the streaming service promises many more will follow in future.
Both streaming sites will continue to be separate companies in the anime industry, but the partnership is big news for anime fans in the US, and these words from Kun Gao – the Founder and GM of Crunchyroll – really do get us quite excited for the future of streaming anime:
“This partnership will allow Crunchyroll to continue making the best subtitled simulcast experience for all fans. Anime is a lifestyle experience shared by millions, and we look forward to new ways to delight fans together.”
I think I’ll just leave it up to Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama from Mob Psycho 100 to express how we feel about this partnership.
Be sure to check out Crunchyroll and FUNimation’s news announcements if you want to read more about this delightful pairing.
