PurposeDevoid

Hi there, a message from a European (specifically from the UK :D).

Firstly I'd just like to say thanks to CR for over the last 3 years massively improving the quantity (and quality) of streaming of anime in the UK (even if a little lacking compared to US licenses); not only do I think your economic model is the most sensible compared to the other local streaming services but you simulcast almost all the shows you license here; It's particularly good that the improving quality of the CR catalog means more young people end up coming across and becoming interested in anime (I've seen a good increase in anime applicants to the university society I help run, which I think in part is due to crunchyroll :D)

My questions:

1. This season and last season you've particularly managed to get a large number of titles for Europe (which is great!), but some of these explicitly except the UK (i.e. The Irregular at Magical High School, Tokyo Esp, Hamatora, PingPong the animation). Are the UK licenses worth more than the others in Europe and so it's economically preferable to leave some shows to the UK only streaming companies, or are you restricted into leaving some shows to the alternative streaming companies? I ask because while these shows are normally licensed by UK specific streaming companies (animax.co.uk, wakanim.co.uk) there have been issues such as: a) Sometimes they are only released 6-13 weeks after they have aired in Japan and b) Sometimes they are never picked up by anyone :(

2. On a similar line, I am under the impression these companies outsource their translations to CR (since you do them for the US almost all the time anyway), is this true?

3. In the past whenever Funimation have picked up a show to simulcast it has not appeared on CR in the US (obviously), but also not in any other regions on CR. Until recently the license of a show by Funimation means to a European that we will never see it, conversely a license by aniplex mean you get the rights to stream in US and also often end up with many other rights across Europe. Is it not economically worth going after licenses that include many countries but do not the US ?. As the only currently reliable anime streaming service across all of Europe It'd be great to see the shows FUnimation have in the US already. The only example I can think of right now that where you do this is Tokyo ESP with its rather odd regions but it's good to see :D

4. Finally, what is CR policy on streaming anime to a group/society? We currently do not use CR as a society since we understand there are licensing issues but a while back you offered an anime society the chance to win a years membership, so I wonder what the official stance is there?

Thank you for your time and coming on here to answer questions :D
Edit: Added some links.

Hi there!

To Mr Clements, I understand you have lived in China, the UK, been to Japan a lot and currently live in Finland? What are your favourite things about each country you've lived in or been to that stand out from the others?

To Mrs McCarthy, your wikipedia states:

McCarthy was the first English-speaking author to write a book about anime, in addition to being "the first person in the United Kingdom to run an anime programme at a convention, start a dedicated anime newsletter, and edit a dedicated anime magazine."

What are the big changes you feel have happened to anime, both in general and in the UK since you first got interested in anime ?

Thanks for your reply!