Crunchyroll Removes User Generated Content From All Platforms

Last week, I decided to watch My Hero Academia Dubbed. I know that Crunchyroll is slower with English Dub than Funimation was. Since Funimation Streaming was sacrificed for this merger, many current Crunchyroll subscribers complained about the late updates in the comment section. Next thing you know, I’m rewatching The Apothecary Diaries [I can’t and won’t disclose how many times I’ve watched it, because I really don’t know] and the comment section was gone. I thought maybe something was wrong with my app.

The night before I watched Dubbed Demon Slayer Hashira Training Arc Episode Two. That’s when I noticed the comment section had zero comments. Clearly a popular anime that released this spring would have hundreds of comments by now. To my surprise Crunchyroll made its announcement July 8, and promptly started removing user generated content.

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

The user ratings system will, however, remain allowing you to express your opinions through star ratings.

Crunchyroll, “Why is Crunchyroll Disabling Comments?”,

In my opinion, the comment section was being filled with Crunchyroll criticism. It’s been about three months since we lost Funimation. Whether users were defending or criticizing Crunchyroll, it was taking away from users discussing the show. Users even claimed they’d start pirating anime and how/where to do it. In my opinion, this played a role in Crunchyroll’s decision to remove user generated content.

I doubt this will have major draw backs for the platform. Many successful streaming services don’t have comment sections. Still, as popular as anime has become, it can still be an isolated interest/hobby. Some users may have enjoyed the commenting aspect of Crunchyroll, because they talk about the show without using Social Media.

That being said, this does seem like an interesting way to censor user. I’m not privy to the exact comments that triggered this decision. Nonetheless, I’ll miss the convenience of community engagement on Crunchyroll, but there’s always Instagram.