About Funimation
Until relatively recently, Funimation and Crunchyroll each shared around half of the series for each anime season, with a limited number of anime shows being available elsewhere, such as HIDIVE, Netflix, or Hulu. The streaming service was particularly famous for its SimulDubs, with some works only being available in English, though their dubbing activities had to significantly slow down during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. While Funimation’s library wasn’t quite as large as Crunchyroll’s, it was still the best place to watch many new releases that were not available elsewhere. This, however, changed following the recent announcement about the Crunchyroll and Funimation merger. Does it mean that a Funimation account is not worth it anymore? Here’s what we know so far.
Is a Funimation Subscription Still Worth it Following Crunchyroll Merger?
Purchasing a Funimation subscription in 2022 if you didn’t have one already might not be worth it, since the streaming service will eventually completely merge with Crunchyroll. Those who wonder if Funimation is shutting down might be happy to hear that the platform is still around as of August 2022, as it takes some time for all its features and its many anime shows to be transferred to Crunchyroll. In fact, the discontinuation of Funimation has not officially been announced and we currently have no end date. That being said, anime fans who aren’t subscribed to either of the two platforms might find Funimation a bit disappointing right now, given that the new ongoing titles are not as many as they used to be and those that do exist on Funimation can be found on Crunchyroll too. Funimation itself currently encourages users to cancel their subscription and move to Crunchyroll, which will, eventually, be the right thing to do for everyone who wants to keep using a big anime streaming service, given that we do expect Funimation to shut down at some point. Of course, those who are watching completed series, are encouraged to check if their favorite shows are already on Crunchyroll, as it might be disappointing to shut your account only to find out you no longer have a way to watch your anime legally online. In short, buying a Funimation account right now is probably not as worthwhile as Crunchyroll, given that the streaming service’s library is not getting any bigger, and it’ll likely lose more titles and feature even less new ones moving forward. The few new shows that still appear on Funimation will also be on Crunchyroll, meaning that Funimation is no longer the best way to stay up to date with the latest anime trends. If, on the other hand, you are already on Funimation, you might want to consider keeping your account for a little while longer, depending on what you are currently watching But if this isn’t an issue for you, it might be best to move to Crunchyroll to access the largest and most up to day anime library.
