AniFem Round-Up Covers Contraceptives, Gunpla, and Crunchyroll Price Hike
The round-up frames Crunchyroll's price increase and subtitle issues as part of a broader pattern of service degradation under Sony's monopoly, while also connecting anime fandom to real-world social and political issues.
Reporting from 1 sources: Anime Feminist.
Anime Feminist's weekly round-up for January 28 to February 3, 2026, covers a range of topics beyond anime and manga. In Japan, emergency contraception is now available over the counter without a prescription, though buyers must take the pill in front of a pharmacist. Crunchyroll raised its subscription prices by $2 per month across all tiers, its second increase since merging with Funimation, following the removal of its free streaming plan at the end of 2025. The round-up also highlights an article on how women have always been central to the Gunpla hobby, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 series Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury drawing in more female builders. Another piece examines Orb: On the Movements of the Earth and its parallels with present-day censorship and authoritarianism. The round-up also includes links to videos, community posts criticizing Crunchyroll's subtitle quality and platform usability, and a retrospective on Paru Itagaki's manga Sanda.
Anime Feminist's weekly round-up for the period of January 28 to February 3, 2026, bundles together several stories that extend beyond typical anime and manga news. The most significant non-entertainment item is the change in Japanese law making emergency contraception available without a prescription, though with strict in-pharmacy consumption rules. The round-up also features a deep dive into the Gunpla hobby's female fanbase, arguing that women have been a sustaining force for the franchise since its early days, and that recent series like The Witch from Mercury have accelerated that trend. On the streaming front, Crunchyroll's $2 price increase across all tiers is contextualized alongside ongoing complaints about AI-generated subtitles and platform usability, with community posts calling for screenshot functionality and better closed captioning. The round-up also links to an analysis of Orb: On the Movements of the Earth as a commentary on modern authoritarianism, and a retrospective podcast on Paru Itagaki's Sanda.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.