Unveiling Crunchyroll: The Ultimate Anime Streaming Service You Can't Miss

Crunchyroll, backed by one of the most influential entertainment companies in the world, has the potential to dominate the anime world with its ever-expanding content library. Despite having one of the largest anime catalogs globally, Crunchyroll faces a significant obstacle in its service. While it rivals other popular anime streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney-Hulu in terms of customer base and influence, Crunchyroll struggles to provide seamless access to its content based on the user's location.

Although Crunchyroll is available in over 90 countries worldwide, customers traveling outside the United States cannot access the service, unlike American subscribers who enjoy unrestricted access within the country. The only viable solution for American customers to access the service they pay for is by using a VPN. This access issue contradicts the remarkable strategic foresight displayed by Crunchyroll in positioning itself at the forefront of the growing anime industry's popularity.

Crunchyroll Users Can't Use Their Account When Traveling

Crunchyroll, in its early stages, was founded by three college classmates who shared a love for anime and believed that the public would embrace it as well. Without any clear path to success, they started streaming unlicensed anime content in 2006. Surprisingly, Crunchyroll's focus on anime gained immense popularity, resulting in a growing userbase and catching the attention of larger companies lacking expertise in the anime industry. Consequently, Crunchyroll became an attractive opportunity for these companies. After a series of acquisitions and mergers, Sony acquired Crunchyroll in 2020.

Sony's decision to acquire Crunchyroll was noteworthy because the company already controlled two anime divisions - Aniplex and Funimation. Similar to Crunchyroll, Funimation's success led to its acquisition by Sony in 2017. With two innovative anime streaming services under its belt, Sony made the strategic move to merge both divisions into one unified entity, under the Crunchyroll brand, in 2021. This decision was highly praised by anime fans, not only for the extensive content library the combined companies would offer but also for the potential to improve access to anime content, which has long been a challenge in spreading its popularity beyond Japan.

Despite the excitement surrounding the vast amount of content available, streaming access has proven to be more challenging for fans since the companies merged. This is unfortunate because Crunchyroll is not just another participant in the industry; it is a vital pillar of the anime community worldwide. While it is understandable that there are valid reasons behind the streaming restrictions, such as combating piracy and adhering to regional content regulations, the promise of Crunchyroll providing on-demand anime access to its paying customers remains unfulfilled.