More information has come out about the recent large anime leaks. While there are still plenty of questions to be answered, both Netflix and Crunchyroll have acknowledged that they were affected.
Netflix and Crunchyroll Leak Statements
A spokesperson for Netflix told TheWrap news site, “One of our post-production partners has been compromised and footage from several of our titles has unfortunately leaked online. Our team is aggressively taking action to have it taken down.”
Crunchyoll also issued a statement, commenting, “We are aware of a content leak ahead of one of our fall series. We’ve opened an investigation to identify the source of this leak, and our team is taking action to have it taken down.”
Early reports showed that titles like the new Ranma ½, DAN DA DAN, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Terminator Zero, and the movie Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa received leaks. The leaks varied in intensity. For example, Ranma ½ and DAN DA DAN both had multiple episodes leak. More seriously (though this is all pretty serious), all the episodes of Terminator Zero leaked, as well as the entirely of the Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa movie.
Since then other titles have been reported to be leaked, including Arcane. Arcane is not an anime, but has some anime influences.
Along with pursuing action to have the anime leaks taken down, odds are the companies will eventually also be taking legal action against whoever leaked them.
Takamitsu Sueyoshi, a rights agent and producer at Shueisha, previously shared how these leaks hurt companies and how they can prevent investments and adaptations of series. Some people have suggested that the leaked titles should be released earlier to try to dissipate the damage that has been done. However, that also throws companies off from their plans, which in turn could hurt investments, as Sueyoshi pointed out. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next.
Source: TheWrap
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.