Danica Davidson
August 7, 2024 
There have been some serious leaks in the anime world. Episodes of the new Ranma ½, DAN DA DAN, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Terminator Zero, and the whole anime movie Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa illegally found their way online. They appeared on various forums and torrent sites.
Ranma ½, which is set to debut in October after a worldwide premiere at Anime NYC in August, had episodes one, three and four leak online. In other words, it kind of already got its world premiere, but not the way it should have. However, what happened to episode two is anyone’s guess.
A whole six episodes of DAN DA DAN managed to get online. But it’s worse for Terminator Zero, because every single episode of that title was leaked.
The third season of Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- had one episode leaked, and it has a Japan Expo 2024 watermark, connecting it to an event in France last month. This could give a clue on who leaked it and how. The initial anime to leak had their watermarks blurred out and had a low-resolution ninth-HD format.
Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa hit Japanese theaters on July 26. It’s the beginning of a movie project.
As of now it’s not clear how these anime were leaked. There are some early suppositions online that it may have been a breach at Netflix, but more information would be needed to confirm if this is the case.
How Leaks Affect the Anime Business
Takamitsu Sueyoshi, a rights agent and producer at Shueisha, previously talked publicly about how leaks can hurt projects. Besides causing the people working on a project to lose money, leaks can prevent investments and adaptations. Sueyoshi asked people who stumble upon any leaks to not pay attention to them so they get fewer clicks and eyes on them. Companies like the Pokémon Company are known to go after leakers by taking legal action against them.
Source: ANN
____
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.
