Support NeoGAF

[Happosai]

The big worry is that Sony will start censoring anime like they do games.

I do find it weird that Sony is going after streaming content for anime. This is honestly something they should have done during the ps3 era when they had embraced Japanese content a lot more. Then again it is possible that Sony is trying to tie more closely/combine the anime fandom with the playstation fandom. But why they don't just buy or create some anime studios is just weird to me.

As Y YCoCg pointed out, Sony has separate divisions for entertainment. This would be part of their film/media division and although that's Sony...it's never been directly connected to anything with Playstation. Yes, Sony can and will likely start offering the CrunchyRoll app as part of the video app services but they also promote 3rd parties there as well which are not owned by Sony (Netflix and Amazon Prime).

About censoring. There's a chance they may censor content but then again, that's why it's better to just buy an anime series as it is released or watch it from the publisher's webpage if possible. They aren't censoring anime on DVD that often anymore that I'm aware of. In fact, that's one part that makes physical media (especially anime on DVD/Blu-ray) better. They often will advertise the media as been "uncut" which was done because when T.V. networks ran the anime...they would censor and make additional time edits for T.V. This was the case prior to streaming when Cartoon Network via Toonami would show anime. They were censoring it and a few months later publishers like Funimation would start releasing cut and uncut versions of the anime season by season which fans obviously preferred over the T.V. versions.

The final point is that marketing anime in Western countries has always had that trait that: all American cartoons (whether they're American or foreign) must automatically be targeted toward children. Those kind of parents still exist and so do they people who feel that anime is something dirty that they'll only let their teens watch if it's got the "nasty bits" cut out. So, due to that stigma - anime which runs via streaming in which parents are in charge of paying for the service; they put pressure (like they always have) on anything that passes the FCC to censor. Most modern anime titles that air in the West via Crunchy roll have a large percentage of minors watching and parents who control the payment for services. Viacom knew that, Time Warner knows that, and you can bet Sony is aware that if a mild profanity or booby shot pops up on their teens "Japan cartoons," they're going to "expose it" on Twitter or possibly even push the issue to a short Inside Edition special. While I'm not defending Sony - my point remains the same: if you want uncut anime...buy the physical and don't rely on any mass streaming service to provide anything uncensored/uncut.

 

[megreotsugua]

 

[Virt McPolygon]

Since both services have the show, I wonder if Netflix and Sony will have a bidding war for streaming rights for the movie.

 

[sol_bad]

I thought the series was pretty average but this film was fan-freaking-tastic. Loved every second of it.
Obviously if you skip the show and go straight to the film your experience may be different as you won't know the characters very well and you won't understand the lore.

 

[megreotsugua]

Since both services have the show, I wonder if Netflix and Sony will have a bidding war for streaming rights for the movie.

Sony owns Aniplex which owns Demon slayer. Granted Aniplex is under the Sony Music Japan. Perhaps, a different division of Sony would still have to pay the other division for the rights. But it's left hand giving the right hand the money.

 

[Cutty Flam]

Crunchy Roll needs a lot of work. Sony might turn it around, hopefully they do

 

[reksveks]

The Justice Department is worried about an anime monopoly after the Sony deal

Anime is yet another place where streaming services are competing

www.theverge.com

Wouldn't have predicted this to be the merger to be looked at.