Ever since the purchase (and subsequent merging) of Funimation and Crunchyroll by Sony, the undisputed streaming service when it comes to anime is Crunchyroll. So prominent is the service that it’s difficult to run across an anime fan who doesn’t have a subscription to the service. Despite the popularity though, there have been complaints of a clunky user interface, difficult-to-navigate titles, and an app that constantly logs out the users.
While these are all technical issues that are constantly being updated, there are some more practical changes the app could have that would make the experience better. Despite being the largest anime service around, Crunchyroll still has to compete with competitors like Netflix, Amazon, and HiDive, so making the service better would not be a bad thing. Here are some features that fans have been asking about for years, and Crunchyroll may want to consider them in order to make their service even better.
Multiple Profiles (This Includes a Kids Option)
Considering that anime is watched by a wide spectrum of different people, it’s crazy to think that profiles aren’t a thing on Crunchyroll. Please note that we are not recommending this feature for password sharers (Crunchyroll is one of the few services that do a good job of cracking down on those people). However, it’s not uncommon for multiple family members in the same house to watch anime, and just because multiple people watch anime doesn’t mean they want to watch the same things (or the same thing at the same pace).
Having separate profiles would give family members a chance to have their own lists and get their own personal recommendations without having to worry about family members burying their shows (or accidentally removing a series someone else is watching). While they’re at it, maybe it’s time to create a ‘Kids Profile’ option for parents who want to introduce their kids to anime. It’s great that kid-friendly stuff like Saint Seiya and Cardcaptor Sakura is on the service, but you don’t shows like these popping up next to mature titles like Chainsaw Man and Demon Slayer either.
More Specialized Categorization
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Categorization on Crunchyroll is (we’re sorry to say) not ideal. While there are the typical categories that you would normally find on all streaming services, Crunchyroll has a tendency to cross categorize too much in some cases and not enough in others. One Piece (for example) shows up in action, shounen, comedy, drama, and fantasy. While the series has elements of all those genres, most would agree that it mainly falls under the action and comedy labels. Most viewers looking for a drama would not watch that show (and whether or not the supernatural elements make this a fantasy is also debatable).
On the other hand, you then have areas where they don’t categorize at all. All of their live action shows show up in the live action category without any indication of what genre the show actually is. For that matter, there is no separating movies and shows, and as such anime and live action films get buried in among the various TV shows. While the site is good if you are searching for a specific show and movie, most would agree that trying to discover movies and shows is more difficult than it needs to be.
Ability to Skip Intros and Endings
While we all love anime intros and ending themes for our favorite shows it doesn’t mean we want to watch them every single time. Virtually every streaming service has the option to skip intros on their service.
Considering anime tends to have episode previews and lengthy introductions in addition to intros and endings, having options to manually or automatically skip these would be a welcome addition by users of the service.
Toggle Options for Languages and Subtitles
The Most baffling thing about Crunchyroll is how they separate the different languages for their shows. Virtually every streaming service has a toggle option to switch between different languages and subtitles on the fly. Seeing as how anime has the great ‘dub vs. sub’ debate that still rages, it’s crazy to think that Crunchyroll’s solution to this is to separate the language by treating them as if they are different seasons.
This becomes extra frustrating if viewers decide to switch their preferred language midway through a show, which leaves two versions of the same show in the history bar. It’s a confusing and frustrating experience for the users (and even more so if you are just getting into anime for the first time). While we’re on the subject, new users should be given the option to having a ‘viewing preference’ setup when creating an account, and the service should be intuitive enough to make the preferred viewing option the default for the content (when available).
Advanced Filter Options
There’s more to filtering content than just genres; there are actors, studios, directors, age ratings, and so much more. Yet Crunchyroll only seems to filter by genre (and as mentioned before, they tend to fail in that area as well). A more robust filtering system would be a welcome addition to the service (especially since anime fans tend to be extra nerdy when it comes to their favorite producers).
Favorites Tab
There is nothing wrong with queues. They provide practical ways for people to bookmark shows and movies they want to watch at a later date and Crunchyroll’s queuing system is just as good as any other service. Several streaming services (including competitor HiDive) have been experimenting with a second list: the ‘Favorite’ queue. This is a queue where if a viewer enjoys a show/movie enough to want to revisit it down the line, it gets put in a special queue that makes this easier to do.
While by no means an essential feature, it has become one that is quickly gaining traction, and with many anime series becoming personal favorites, having a queue that holds a viewers all-time favorite series that they love to revisit would be a welcome addition to the service. Even better is that since this is more of a recent idea, Crunchyroll could be AHEAD of competitors like Netflix and Disney+ in this regard!
Make it Happen Crunchyroll
Now that Crunchyroll has solidified its lead in the streaming wars with the biggest anime selection on the internet, it's time for them to improve the service itself. Having the biggest library will still only get you so far, as there are other, methods for which fans can get their anime fix.
While it is a feather in their cap that they are known for having the most anime over all other streaming services, it would be even better if Crunchyroll were known for being a user-friendly site as well, and implementing some (or all) of these ideas could go a long way to enhancing their reputation.