Weekly Round-Up: Crunchyroll Layoffs, MangaONE Pulls, and Tamon's Fangirls
The simultaneous Crunchyroll restructuring and Takahashi's quiet withdrawal from MangaONE signal ongoing industry instability and creator pushback against publisher accountability.
Reporting from 1 sources: Anime Feminist.
This week's round-up covers multiple stories across the anime and manga industry. Crunchyroll is undergoing restructuring in its HR, Product, and E-Commerce departments, with layoffs estimated at roughly one-eighth to one-seventh the size of its August 2025 cuts, according to a source speaking to ScreenRant. The restructuring involves shifting merchandise strategy and moving roles internationally to address growth in Latin America, India, and Southeast Asia. Separately, manga creator Rumiko Takahashi has quietly withdrawn all her works from Shogakukan's MangaONE platform, without a public announcement, following the publisher's handling of a sexual abuse case involving creator Shōichi Yamamoto. The victim in that case released a statement through Anime News Network, denying a tabloid headline and clarifying her goal of exposing the truth; Shogakukan has since expressed plans to establish a third-party committee. The round-up also includes a discussion of political themes in anime, a review of BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!, and a feature on Silent Hill's feminist themes.
Crunchyroll's latest restructuring follows a pattern of consolidation under Sony ownership, with the company moving roles to regions where it sees growth. The source told ScreenRant the layoffs are smaller than August 2025's cuts but did not provide exact numbers. On the publishing side, Rumiko Takahashi's withdrawal from MangaONE is notable for its silence-no official statement has been made, contrasting with George Morikawa's public and criticized response to the Shōichi Yamamoto case. The victim's statement, published by Anime News Network, denied a Shūkan Bunshun headline and said Shogakukan apologized privately; the publisher then announced a third-party committee. The round-up also features a discussion of political anime at Anime News Network, a review of BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! at The Afictionado, and a feminist analysis of Silent Hill at Mothership. A separate scandal in yuri publishing, reported by Okazu, involves an author named Namboku allegedly deceiving a fan who later died by suicide, with publishers facing criticism for lack of response.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.