Crunchyroll, the anime streaming platform already well established in the Western market, recently announced the launch of a new app dedicated specifically to reading manga. At first glance, the news appears to be a breakthrough, promising to centralize and facilitate access to a vast library of titles from giant publishers such as Viz Media, Square Enix and Kadokawa. However, a closer look reveals a much bigger and potentially worrying strategic move. The question that remains is: are we facing a simple service innovation or the deliberate closing of the siege on the ecosystem of scanlations and “alternative” sites that, for years, have been the main – and sometimes only – gateway for fans around the world? This article investigates the sequence of events – from Sony’s acquisitions to police operations against piracy – that suggest an orchestrated strategy to dominate the market and how this might impact Brazilian fans’ access to Japanese content.
Sony’s Strategy: From Acquisitions to the Formation of a Western Monopoly
To understand the launch of Crunchyroll’s manga app, it’s crucial to connect the dots of a larger corporate strategy, orchestrated by its parent company, Sony. The journey began in 2021, when Sony, through the Funimation Global group, acquired Crunchyroll. This acquisition was no mere investment; it was a move to consolidate the anime market in the West by eliminating its biggest direct competitor.
The next step, and perhaps the most significant, took place in 2024, when Sony acquired a strategic 10% stake in Kadokawa Corporation. Kadokawa is not just a publisher; it is a gigantic media conglomerate that owns one of Japan’s largest intellectual property libraries, which includes thousands of manga titles, light novels and anime franchises. Names like Sword Art Online, Overlord, Re:Zero and The Rising of the Shield Hero are just the tip of the iceberg.
By connecting the dots, we have
- Sony (Controller) -> Crunchyroll (Distributor in the West) -> Kadokawa (Content Holder).
This chain creates an almost closed ecosystem. Sony, through its influence on Kadokawa, guarantees the distribution rights of the titles to Crunchyroll, its own platform. This effectively seals a monopoly, where the same company controls the source of the content and the main channel through which it reaches consumers outside Japan. The new manga app is therefore the final piece in extending this dominance from video streaming (anime) to the reading universe (manga).
The Witch Hunt: Operation CODA and the Mass Closure of Websites
Parallel to these corporate moves, a noticeable phenomenon has taken hold of the internet: a global and aggressive campaign against scanlation and piracy sites. The Japanese association CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association), of which Kadokawa is a founding member, has been the driving force behind this offensive.
In the last two years, especially in Brazil, we have witnessed a series of police operations, many in conjunction with CODA, which have resulted in the blocking and closure of dozens of websites popular with fans. Manga Livre was one of the first and most widely felt to go down, followed by a legion of others, such as Manga For Life and, more recently, the giant Comic. The operation didn’t even spare global aggregators like MangaDex, which received massive takedown notices, forcing it to take hundreds of series offline.
The chronology of these events is no coincidence. The “witch hunt” didn’t start out of the blue; it intensified precisely during the period when Crunchyroll/Sony were preparing the ground for their official manga service. By eliminating “illegal” competition, the companies created a vacuum in the market. The fan, who previously had free and easy access to practically any title, suddenly finds himself without alternatives, becoming a captive potential customer for the new “official” service that is about to be launched. It’s a classic market strategy: eliminate the competition before launching your product.
Piracy as an Accessibility Service: The Lack of Options on the Market
It’s tempting to see the closure of pirate sites as a simple victory for the law over illegality. However, this perspective ignores the fundamental reason why piracy flourishes: the lack of an accessible, quality official service.
The author of the original video raises a crucial point: piracy is largely a consequence of a lack of service. For many fans in Brazil and other regions outside North America, scanning sites were, for years, the only way to follow their favorite series. The argument that “it’s a crime” comes up against the reality that there was often no legal option available.
Even when there is, as in the case of Shueisha’s Manga Plus, the catalog is limited to partner publishers. Crunchyroll’s new app, despite adding more publishers, will still leave out numerous titles from smaller or independent publishers, creating a new problem: centralized but still incomplete access.
The central issue is quality and accessibility. Crunchyroll has a troubled history on its anime platform, with constant reports of wrong subtitles, dubbing delays, unstable servers during popular releases and a catalog that varies drastically from region to region. If this is the standard for its core product, what confidence can fans have that the manga service will be flawless? Piracy, ironically, often offers a more stable, complete and up-to-date user experience than paid services.
Review of Crunchyroll’s New App: Limitations, Prices and the Absence of Simulcasts
With the field apparently “cleared” after the mass takedowns, Crunchyroll’s new manga app presents itself as the official solution. However, an analysis of the details revealed so far shows serious limitations that may frustrate fans used to the freedom of scans.
- Volume Distribution Model: Unlike Manga Plus, which offers the latest chapters for free simultaneously in Japan (simulrelease), Crunchyroll will adopt the volume model. This means that readers will have to wait months, or even years, for several chapters to be compiled into a physical volume in order to access the story legally and digitally. This is a significant step backwards in terms of timeliness and engagement with the global fan community.
- Fragmented Pricing Structure: The service will not be an automatic benefit for all subscribers. Reports indicate that it will come as an additional cost (around US$4) to existing plans, or will only be included in the most expensive plan, the “Ultimate Fan”. In Brazil, this segmentation is likely to result in a significantly higher final price, creating an economic barrier for many.
- Platform quality: Crunchyroll’s track record with its video platform generates suspicion. If the manga reader inherits the same problems of instability, confusing interface and slowness, the reading experience – which should be fluid and immersive – will be severely compromised.
- Localization and Launch in Brazil: There is no guarantee that the app will be launched simultaneously in Brazil, nor that it will have the same complete catalog as in the US. The delay in localization (translation into Portuguese) is another real concern, based on the delay that the platform already has with subtitles and dubbing of anime.
The Future of Access to Manga in Brazil: Scenarios and Forecasts
Against this backdrop, what can we expect for the future? Some paths are possible:
- Consolidated Monopoly and High Prices: The most likely scenario in the short term is the consolidation of the Crunchyroll/Sony monopoly. With little competition, the company will have little incentive to lower prices or significantly improve the quality of service. Fans will be held hostage by a single option.
- The Resistance and Resurgence of Piracy: As stated in the video, “take down one site, and three are born in its place”. The pressure will make piracy adapt, migrating to less conventional domains, using technologies such as IPFS or forming closed, decentralized communities. The witch hunt could become an endless game of cat and mouse.
- Opportunity for New Entrants: This monopoly scenario can, paradoxically, open a window of opportunity for other companies. Global streaming services or regional companies may see value in licensing manga catalogs to offer as a competitive differentiator, creating a more diversified market.
- Consumer awareness: The debate is on. Fans are more aware that paying for a service is not synonymous with directly supporting the author, but rather a corporation. This can encourage more direct support for creators through the purchase of official merchandise (goods) or subscriptions to author-specific platforms, where available.
Crunchyroll’s new manga app is not a simple launch; it is the final piece on a corporate chessboard. It represents the transformation of a diverse and, albeit illegal, accessible ecosystem into a controlled, centralized and potentially more restrictive market. As long as accessibility, quality and timeliness are not the top priorities for official services, piracy will continue not just as an act of infringement, but as a symptom of unmet demand. The future of manga access in Brazil will depend on the balance – or imbalance – between corporate control and the adaptive resistance of fans.
