Crunchyroll Removes Comment Section From Platform Amid Safety Concerns

Crunchyroll is undoubtedly one of – if not the largest streaming platforms in the western world to watch anime. One aspect of the service that always helped it stand out was the comment section, which allowed anime fans to connect with one another by sharing their thoughts on new releases.

In a bold move, however, Crunchyroll recently completely removed the ability to comment on content across the entire site, including on their “Crunchyroll News” page.

Why Did Crunchyroll Remove Comments?

The topic of Crunchyroll‘s removal of one of their core community features has been met with a great deal of scrutiny, but in a recent statement from the company, it seems as though they made the move with only the best intentions:

While some fans may not know what exactly happened that prompted a statement of this kind, it actually stems from the recent release of the BL (boys’ love) anime, Twilight Out of Focus. Boys’ Love anime being hosted on the platform isn’t surprising in the least, as anime like Given have existed for years, but for one reason or another, the new series was flooded with bigoted comments.

While unfortunate – and odd timing given other recent controversy that Crunchyroll has found themselves in with the alleged utilization of AI generated translations – it’s at least somewhat good to see the platform trying to protect users from absorbing unwarranted bigotry on the site. Popular anime content creator Mother’s Basement commented on the situation as well, saying the following on his public X account:

This is a developing story, and all information aside from what has been explicitly confirmed should be treated as alleged.