Hey guys! Samurai here. Pop your Ibuprofen and use a good hand moisturizer, my Niblings, because you’re about to be doing some omega-level facepalming, courtesy of Big Orange.

So by now we all have heard the news that effective January 2028, Sony will no longer produce video games on physical media. Suffice it to say the shockwaves that went through the community blew up my timelines on all my social media accounts so much you thought the queen died…again. (RIP Queen Elisabeth II, you were a real one.) 

However, in a case of “Oh, wait, you think that’s bad? Hold my beer”, Crunchyroll, which is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, announced their storefront, one that’s been open to all for years, will now be locked behind their two high-tier paywalls this August. So yes, to be graced with the honor of buying stuff that you may or may not be able to purchase for cheap in other places, you must have either a Mega ($13.99 per Month) or Ultimate Fan (17.99 per month) membership. 

Oh, and for those who didn’t hear about it, earlier this year, Big Orange went up on their prices for ALL subscription tiers by $2. I was originally going to write about that, but life got in the way in the form of my job…and my immune system. The joys of being 41…but I digress.

If that weren’t enough, per reporting from Gamespot.com, Big Orange also announced that they are focusing less on physical media like DVDs and Blu-Rays and more on “Convention-exclusive merchandise” like collectables and limited release items. In other words—the Crunchyroll Store will now become a high-tier, member-only place to buy tchotchkes. Want to purchase that hot new anime that aired a few seasons back? Tough Tacos. Take your Nezuko plushie (that you could probably get from Amazon for cheaper) and kick rocks. While it wasn’t explicitly stated in any press release, one could easilly speculate that Crunchyroll, which, again, is owned by Sony, will eventually phase out physical anime releases here in the US. 

You can imagine just how this news went down in the anime community—to say people were up in arms would be as big an understatement as saying Ryan Colt Levy loves coffee. The news had people harkening back to the (admittedly better) days of The Right Stuf International (bought out by Big Orange in 2022) and the Funimation Store which offered a wide variety of anime memorabilia including a wide selection of physical media, at competitive prices including discounts and free shipping options, and was also OPEN TO EVERYBODY. Novel idea, huh? 

Let me put this as plainly as I possibly can. The changes that are being made by Crunchyroll gatekeeping their store and their potential phase out of physical media have the potential to create a major shift in the way we own and consume anime, the likes of which we haven’t seen in years. While there are other retailers where anime can be purchased, keep in mind that Big Orange currently makes up the lion’s share of licensing and home video releases, and if they follow Sony’s lead of ceasing production of physical media, Katie-chan, bar the door. Let me explain.

Anyone who has been in the anime fandom for any length of time is fully aware of a time when anime purchasing was as simple as going to your local store or stores and picking up a (sometimes overpriced) VHS, DVD, or Blu-Ray of your favorite show, and that was it. You and that show would live together until the 12th of Never. Physical media has been a part of the anime genre since the genre has existed back in those bygone days of swapping bootleg VHS tapes in backrooms of anime conventions. It’s as much a part of the culture as conventions are to the Star Trek world. 

Eliminating the option to purchase physical media, especially in this time when streaming rights are as fickle as a summer breeze, is nothing short of catastrophic and eliminates one of the bedrocks of anime—owning what you love and rewatching whenever you want. Thankfully, other providers make a point of rescuing shows that have either fallen into the licensing abyss; if we’re being frank, there’s only so much these companies can do with their limited funding and resources. 

In the meantime, the fan community ends up either mourning the loss of a show Big Orange lost the license to (See Black Lagoon and Baccano…), or they’re stuck trying to speed-run an anime series because, on the off chance the license goes bye-bye and the home video is either nonexistent or out of print. (See Psalms of Planets Eureka Seven and Nerima Daikon Brothers…) While plenty of fans can speed-watch and fully enjoy some shows, and if you’re one of those who can, more power to ya, for others, physical media is essential for the preservation of these shows and the simple fact that when people tend to like something, they actually OWN and can watch and rewatch at their leisure.

But I hear you saying— “Samurai, NOBODY uses physical media anymore. Everything is on streaming now!” To which I say… “Didn’t I say you can call me Josh? We’ve had this talk before.” Physical Media is about more than just watching the show. It’s about owning something that you want to keep forever. It’s about being able to say that you love and respect something so much you are willing to spend money on it. It’s like getting an autograph from your favorite V/A at a convention…you want something tactile that you can look back at and remember “Hey, I remember that time I met Tiffany Grant at MechaCon! She was so awesome!” Physical Media does more than hold a show. It holds memories, it holds feelings, it holds that thing you spent hours of your life watching and enjoying so much you gave money to have it on your shelf. 

And the arguement that nobody uses physical media anymore to watch shows? Yeah, no. Physical Media is still alive and well, despite what some YouTubers or major companies might want you to believe. Heck, we’re currently living in a time where vinyl records are still being pressed with modern day music, and despite actions to the contrary, two of the major video game consolees of the day, XBOX and PlayStation, both still offer the ability to play disks from the humble Music CD right up to that copy of B Gata H Kei: Yamada’s First Time you don’t want anyone to know you bought…hey, we don’t judge around here; you do you. Just do better.

You know, once upon a time, and it wasn’t that long ago, unless your name was “Costco” or “Sam’s Club”, you didn’t have to have a membership to buy products that we wanted. You could just go on the website, see that nice Koushiro plushie that you wanted, type in your credit card number and address, and in a few days or weeks, you had the holder of the Crest of Knowledge on your shelf.

Or if you wanted to buy a copy of that emotional rollercoaster of an anime Kodocha, you just head over to Right Stuf, maybe set up a free account, get a discount code for a few percentages off, type in your info, and a few weeks later, you’ll get a hard copy of the anime that features the rapping spazzy dork and her friends going through the ups and downs of growing up in a crazy, mixed up world that you can watch and rewatch at your leisure. 

I said all that to say this: The movements that Sony and Crunchyroll have been making are antithetical to the very nature of gaming and anime, threaten the idea of what “ownership” really means, and frankly, we should all be concerned. At what point does ownership become long-term loans? At what point does the storefront become just a rental counter? And most importantly, what happens to our favorite shows when those streaming rights expire, no other service picks it up, and no physical copy to fall back on? Does it just fall into obscurity only to be remembered by random clips on YouTube or Twitter? 

I don’t know what the future holds for the anime industry with these recent changes, and heaven only knows I don’t know what changes are to come, but honestly, while things do look grim, remember that anime has survived and endured throughout the decades. Through format wars, company bankruptcies and buyouts, and even terrorist attacks, the medium has not just survived but thrived, and in that survival, one thing has always remained constant: the passion, love, and adoration of the fans. This ever-growing and evolving community has always found a way to adapt and change with the times and has proven time and again that it is PRODIGIOUSLY bigger than any one company or any single distributor. And even if Big Orange decides to stay this course, stupid though it may be, while it would be a huge shock, the community will adapt as it always has and always will.

That said…If there are any shows that you’re interested in, or even REMOTELY interested in, I would highly recommend you get your coins together and get it NOW. Having seen, in real time, how the prices of out of print/out of streaming series spike like Shōyō Hinata, you really don’t wanna be on the outside looking in, wishing that you had purchased Barakamon for $25-30 instead of over $100. 

I’m Josh, the Cajun Samurai. That’s The Way I See It. Have a Good Evening.