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NEWS: Right Stuf Phases Out, Migrates All Products to Crunchyroll Store on October 10


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Kiwi93



Joined: 08 Dec 2022
Posts: 379
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 10:57 am Reply with quote
Damn I had a feeling this would happen eventually once CR bought them.
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Яeverse



Joined: 16 Jun 2014
Posts: 1146
Location: Indianapolis
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 10:58 am Reply with quote
Curious what will happen with my figure preorders

Also about manga and Light Novels, since Crunchyroll does not sell manga and light novels. Will they expand into these two media?
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Kiwi93



Joined: 08 Dec 2022
Posts: 379
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:00 am Reply with quote
Яeverse wrote:
Also about manga and Light Novels, since Crunchyroll does not sell manga and light novels. Will they expand into these two media?

They mention in the article that they will still sell the products that they had on Rightstuff on the CR store so it seems they will be migrating mangas and light novels over.
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Ggultra2764
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Joined: 21 Jan 2004
Posts: 3961
Location: New York state.
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:01 am Reply with quote
Curious how this will impact pre-orders as I have a couple pre-orders due out next month and in November. Still, this really sucks considering how long I've bought stuff off Rightstuf over the years.
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fathomlessblue



Joined: 28 Mar 2012
Posts: 384
Location: Manchester, UK
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:03 am Reply with quote
Well, it’s not like I haven’t been ringing a huge warning bell in relation to Sony/Crunchyroll seemingly being on course to wreck the western anime physical market to anyone that would listen throughout this year - ANN included. Maybe it will finally hold a bit more weight now that it’s specifically affecting the US & Canada, rather than just Europe & Australia.

I’m just left in shock wondering what the purpose of all this was for. Why buy out the largest & oldest space specifically tailored for anime fans, only to gut it for parts a few years later? Is this part of a strategy of phasing out physical media in the west, as certainly appears to be the case outside of the US, or was this always part of an incredibly scummy galaxy-brained scheme of slowly destroying the competition’s access to customers? Because at this point I think most people won’t automatically trust Crunchyroll’s smiling, mealy-mouth pr vomit about supporting a passionate fanbase & things remaining the same, blah blah. Clearly Crunchyroll don’t want things to remain the same, & it’ll be a case of death by a thousand cuts rather than a single sweeping change.

I feel bad for Shawne Kleckner. He seemed heartbroken about his decision to sell up, posting a genuinely moving goodbye letter to the RS staff about fighting the good fight and continuing to go above & beyond for the customers, despite potential challenging conditions under Sony/Crunchyroll. For him to still be around to see the very thing he spent his life building up gobbled up corporate ghouls… I imagine it’s been a tough day.

That said, maybe we should find out how many of the current Rightstuf staff in Iowa will be losing their jobs before giving him all the pity. Unlike them, he at least had a say. And from what I’ve heard about the current CR store, the days of helpful staff responses & secure packaging will be long gone. You know - the very things that engendered long-term goodwill & trust with Rightstuf.

As for me, I’m cancelling my Rightstuf account ahead of time, as painful as it might be. RS have been a huge asset in my life as a fan over that last 20+ years, and I’ll be gutted to see them go. Crunchyroll, streaming or otherwise, won’t be getting a penny from me. I can hold on to grudges like nobody’s business, & I certainly won’t be giving money to a company I don’t trust. Rightstuf under Shawne earned that trust. So far, Crunchyroll under Sony has only earned my contempt.
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VampireNaomi



Joined: 30 Aug 2010
Posts: 146
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:07 am Reply with quote
Well, I made a shopping list on Amazon. I don't want to, but seeing that Crunchyroll Store says they don't ship home video releases outside the US and Canada, I don't have much choice if I want to keep watching Discotek releases in Europe.
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Angel M Cazares



Joined: 23 Sep 2010
Posts: 5499
Location: Iscandar
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:08 am Reply with quote
So, Crunchyroll is indeed getting rid of an institution for anime fans.
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penguintruth



Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 8499
Location: Penguinopolis
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:10 am Reply with quote
I’ve been purchasing anime from Right Stuf since long before I even had my own credit card. It was my favorite online retailer by far, with a good selection, low prices, good deals, and helpful customer service. A good 70-80 percent of all the anime I own now (and that’s hundreds of discs) came from them. I’m devastated by this news.
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invalidname
Contributor



Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 2480
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:12 am Reply with quote
Truly awful news, and it wouldn’t be so bad if Crunchyroll hadn’t spent the last five years or so absolutely pissing away the good will of fans and customers. What a loss.
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
Posts: 4594
Location: New York
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:12 am Reply with quote
Any monopoly is bad, and this is equally so. Crunchyroll has to do a LOT to convince people this won’t be a Diamond Distribution situation.
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Fluwm



Joined: 28 Jul 2009
Posts: 1012
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:16 am Reply with quote
Can't say I know enough about the situation to really weigh in, but...

fathomlessblue wrote:
And from what I’ve heard about the current CR store, the days of helpful staff responses & secure packaging will be long gone. You know - the very things that engendered long-term goodwill & trust with Rightstuf.

...The cynic in me leads me to suspect this will probably be the case. IME Rightstuf very seldom had competitive pricing -- whatever i was looking for would always be cheaper elsewhere. But they did have excellent customer service, and, perhaps more importantly, they always shipped every item i ordered with care. I don't think I ever received a damaged item from them -- meanwhile, while Amazon may have the best proces, I've pretty much resigned myself to the inevitability that any time I order a book, it will be damaged. at least a little. 100% of the time. And BRDs don't exactly tend to fare much better....

So if this marks the end of Rightstuf, I don't know where I'll be able to turn to next. And, to think, after so many sad and dismal years of waiting and futile hoping, we're finally at a point where we can almost see proper, official Macross releases, just over the horizon.


Last edited by Fluwm on Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:17 am; edited 1 time in total
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Cardcaptor Takato



Joined: 27 Jan 2018
Posts: 5161
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:16 am Reply with quote
What will happen to that separate 18+ store they set up to sell hentai titles?
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invalidname
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Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 2480
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:18 am Reply with quote
Cardcaptor Takato wrote:
What will happen to that separate 18+ store they set up to sell hentai titles?

I think BuyAnime.com is nominally independent, but good question.
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fathomlessblue



Joined: 28 Mar 2012
Posts: 384
Location: Manchester, UK
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:18 am Reply with quote
Me, a UK fan: Well, I won't be giving a penny to Crunchyroll from now on, either as a streaming platform or a physical media store to import from

Crunchyroll: Wait, you actually think we ship internationally? What are we, Rightstuf? LOL. LMAO.

Well, at least this might actually explain why UP1, a UK-based site largely dealing in imports, suddenly announced a week back it would be closing down after 30 years. I'm guessing they had gotten the news in advance & figured it would be no longer profitable trying to work through Crunchyroll to acquire stock.
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strawberry-kun



Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 306
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:34 am Reply with quote
I’m not surprised, but I’m so mad. And I don’t hear good things about Crunchyroll’s store on top of all that. Sounds like they purchased Rightstuf just to shut it down. Disgusting.
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