Crunchyroll removes multiple anime series to fan fury
Crunchyroll has quietly removed several titles from its streaming library recently, including a notable classic anime series, making them almost impossible to stream legally. At first, it seemed Norihigo Yagi’s Claymore was the only title removed. But then Death Parade and 91 Days went missing a few days later.
Like Claymore, fans can “technically” still watch those shows via Crunchyroll’s Amazon Video Channel/Roku Channel. But other than that, there is no way to watch these shows, and they are also at risk of leaving those platforms. This was first spotted by X user MangaAlerts.
If Crunchyroll’s licenses have expired, it means these shows won’t be streaming on the service for the immediate future until a new deal is signed. Crunchyroll used to provide expiration dates for titles leaving the service, but it no longer does. For years, the company has not consistently notified users about which titles are leaving, and sometimes anime disappear without any warning. According to posts on Reddit from Crunchyroll users, licensors no longer allow the service to post license expiration dates, as doing so allegedly harmed relationships with licensors. (Platforms like Tubi and Netflix notify audiences when titles are leaving their platforms.)
Claymore being removed is peculiar, as Yagi’s original manga is now in development on a new live-action series project starring Heroes‘ Masi Oka. The new live-action series was teased to “preserve the action and complex moral dilemmas of the original manga and the anime TV series,” but little has been revealed about the new project since it was confirmed to be in the works earlier this spring. The series is a joint project between CBS Studios, Propagate Content, and Shueisha, so it’s possible Claymore may end up on Paramount Plus in the end.
Claymore, created for Shueisha’s Monthly Shonen Jump magazine in 2001, remains the longest series that Yagi has ever developed, and introduced fans to a dark new fantasy world. Following a race of super soldiers known by the public as Claymores that were created to defend humanity from deadly monsters, the series essentially tracked each of these characters as they slowly headed toward their respective deaths. It was a rather notable anime series that ran for 26 episodes, but ultimately went with its own original ending compared to the manga release.
Death Parade is a one-season psychological thriller anime created, written, and directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa and produced by Madhouse. It sees the recently deceased compete in deadly games at a bar called Quindecim to decide the fate of their souls.
Meanwhile, 91 Days sees a man returns to his hometown bent on seeking revenge after his family is murdered in a mafia dispute during the time of Prohibition.
Polygon has contacted Crunchyroll for comment on the removal of those anime and will updated this story when the company responds.
