Crunchyroll, an anime streaming service now owned by Sony, has removed ad-supported viewing on new and continuing series. Viewers who want to stay up to date with the latest anime will have to upgrade to one of Crunchyroll’s premium plans.
Previously, users didn’t need to have a subscription to watch new episodes of simulcast titles, but Crunchyroll would delay the release of these new episodes by one week, while premium subscribers could watch them an hour after they release in Japan.
You’ll still be able to watch cancelled anime free — with ads, of course.
The anime streaming platform will offer some seasonal samplers for Spring 2022. Users will be able to watch the first three episodes of these simulcast titles for free:
- Spy x Family
- A Couple of Cuckoos
- Dawn of the Witch
- Tomodachi Game
- Skeleton Knight in Another World
- Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie
- The Greatest Demon Lord is Reborn as a Typical Nobody
- Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs
Three episodes of the above series will be available for free with ad-supporting viewing one week after their Japanese release date until May 31st. After that date, you’ll need to have a subscription to watch new episodes of these series.
It’s unclear if Crunchyroll will always offer seasonal samplers.
In Canada, premium Crunchyroll access starts at $7.99 CAD.
Sony also owns the anime streaming service Funimation. Recently, Crunchyroll announced that it will be taking over Funimation’s anime library, to slowly merge both platforms.
Image credit: Wit Studio/CloverWorks
Source: Crunchyroll
