A new report from Bloomberg has brought to light a mystery that has puzzled fans of "Dandadan": why Crunchyroll practically ignored the anime, even though it's a resounding success?
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The series, based on the manga by Yukinobu Tatsu , premiered this year and captivated audiences on Netflix , becoming the second most-watched non-English series on the platform. With so much potential, it was expected that Crunchyroll—the anime giant—would capitalize on the hype. However, the promotion was almost nonexistent.
According to a leaked internal email, Markus Gerdemann , Senior Vice President of Crunchyroll, instructed his team not to pay much attention to "Dandadan." The reason? "Ongoing discussions regarding acquisitions." What does this mean exactly? It's still unclear, but everything indicates that there were behind-the-scenes negotiations that led Crunchyroll to not invest heavily in the series.
What seems even stranger is that the platform stopped mentioning "Dandadan" from mid-October onwards, shortly after its premiere. Throughout the entire run, there wasn't a single post on social media—as if the anime simply didn't exist. The only mention came on December 21st, when the series ended and the second season was announced.
Crunchyroll has made other mistakes before
If this were an isolated incident, perhaps no one would give it so much importance. However, Crunchyroll has made similar mistakes before. One example was during San Diego Comic-Con, where they organized a special "One Piece" show. The idea was for the ship from the series to sail through San Diego Bay, something that seemed epic on paper. But in practice, the ship wasn't properly lit, and most people couldn't even see it.
But what really draws attention is the speculation surrounding the "acquisition discussions." A strong theory is that Crunchyroll was negotiating with Netflix. Perhaps they were seeking a partnership for "Dandadan," or there was something at stake with other licenses. And, since there was no deal finalized, they decided not to promote the series so as not to benefit the competition.
The problem is that this strategy may have backfired. Netflix dominated viewership with "Dandadan," while Crunchyroll was left with the image of having ignored one of the most promising anime of the year. With Disney and Netflix increasingly present in the anime world, many fans are beginning to question whether Crunchyroll is losing ground in the industry it helped globalize.
So, what do you think? Was it a risky strategy, a serious mistake, or is Crunchyroll losing its way? Leave your opinion in the comments and don't forget to follow AnimeNew for more news, updates, and trivia about anime, manga, and otaku culture!
Source: Bloomberg
