Wakanim

Wakanim is a French subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service operated by U.S.-based Crunchyroll, LLC, a joint venture of Sony Corporation of America's two subsidiaries: Sony Pictures Television and Sony Music Entertainment Japan (through Aniplex).

Wakanim
Logo for the streaming service since 2015
Type of site
Subsidiary
Available in
List
Founded27 February 2009 (2009-02-27)[1]
Dissolved3 November 2023 (2023-11-03)
Headquarters
Tourcoing
,
France
Country of originFrance
Area servedEuropean Union, France, Germany, Schengen Area, Russia and the CIS Region, Scandinavia
Founder(s)
  • Olivier Cervantès
  • Ludovic Alcala
  • Jonathan Fontaine
PresidentOlivier Cervantes[1]
IndustryEntertainment
Products
Services
  • Film distribution
  • Television distribution
Revenue€713,600 – 2013[1]
Employees6 to 9 – 2018[1]
ParentCrunchyroll, LLC
URLwww.wakanim.tv

The service specializes in the online streaming and simulcasting of Japanese anime series. It was also the first company to offer videos for download without digital rights management on anime series in Europe.[2]

History

Wakanim was founded on 27 February 2009 after YouTube appeared in France in 2007,[1] and broadcast its first series in October 2010, The World God Only Knows.[3] The aim was to launch simultaneous broadcasting (simulcast) of animated series with Japan, as the French market of the Japanese animation[4][5] did not yet have an adapted legal offer and that it suffered from piracy (fansub).[6]

In October 2013, Wakanim began expanding overseas, with the service extended to the United Kingdom in partnership with British distributor Anime Limited.[7][8][9] Wakanim UK was later discontinued in 2014, with Space Dandy being the final title simulcasted in the region.[10]

In July 2014, Wakanim announced a new service called Wakanim Music which is about Asian music news and would offer music streaming.[11] It was launched in February 2015[12] but the service is no longer available.

In March 2015, Aniplex became the company's main shareholder, allowing for Aniplex to enter the French market, and strengthen its European presence.[13][14] From 2017, Wakanim began expanding internationally. In June 2017, Wakanim established an English-subtitled version for the Nordic countries.[15] In September 2017, Wakanim announced that it would be available for the German-speaking regions with subtitles and dubs in cooperation with the AkibaPass service.[16][17] In January 2018, Wakanim further expanded by launching a Russian service for Russian-speaking countries and regions.[18][19] In April 2020, Wakanim expanded its English language service to the Netherlands, with select titles from Wakanim Nordic's catalogue being made available.[20]

In October 2016, Wakanim offered their first simultaneous French dub with Drifters, in partnership with the French television channel J-One.[21][22]

On 24 September 2019, Aniplex and Sony Pictures Television announced that they were consolidating their international anime streaming businesses, with a new joint venture, Funimation Global Group, LLC., with Funimation general manager Colin Decker leading the joint venture. The joint venture would operate under Funimation's branding, and allow Funimation to acquire and distribute titles with Aniplex subsidiaries Wakanim, Madman Anime Group and AnimeLab. The first title under the joint venture, Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, would receive a 30-day exclusivity on FunimationNow, AnimeLab and Wakanim, and provide Funimation exclusive rights to the English dub for one year.[23] Following the merger, Wakanim began offering Funimation SimulDubs in its English language service.[24]

On 1 March 2022, it was announced that Wakanim, alongside VRV's and Funimation's SVOD service, would be consolidated into Crunchyroll.[25][26]

On 11 March 2022, Crunchyroll and Wakanim announced that they would suspend their services in Russia due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[27]

On 19 September 2023, Wakanim announced that it will be ceasing operations on 3 November 2023, with all content being merged into Crunchyroll.[28]

Features

The videos are DRM protected which the playback takes place via a proprietary HTML5 player called JW-Player version 8.11.8 (as of February 2020).[29] In June 2015, they announced a revamp version of their website which in October they started to use the new HTML 5 player instead of Flash.[30][31] Wakanim also have apps for Xbox One,[32] PlayStation 4, Windows 10, Apple TV,[33] Amazon Fire TV, iOS and Android platforms.[34] The iOS and Android versions have an offline mode, in which it is possible to download videos and watch them later without internet access.[35]

Availability

Subscription

When Wakanim's service was launched, the accessible episodes of series were broadcast in simulcast with Japan on the Internet, in paid mode (by streaming or download without DRM) and at the same time free of charge for seven days (streaming or download with DRM) after the first broadcast. In March 2016, Wakanim offered access to its catalog with a monthly subscription.[36]

In June 2017, they changed the way their different offers work.[37] The episodes of the new series are broadcast in simulcast with Japan and are reserved for accounts with a subscription, called "VIP members", during the week following their broadcast.[37] The episodes are offered with the best possible quality (up to 4K) and without ads, and after a week, free members can access it with SD quality (480p) and some ads.[37] The old series are available for everyone but with a quality that varies according to the type of account, up to 4K and without ads for VIP members and in SD (480p) with ads for free members.[37]

In September 2018, they started to offer three-monthly and annually subscription.[38]

Area served

Wakanim offers series and films which are geographically restricted according to the selected language:[39]

References
  1. "Wakanim". Societe.com (in French). Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  2. Romain Heuillard (4 October 2013). "Wakanim : téléchargement définitif en HD et sans DRM" [Wakanim: Permanent download in HD and DRM-free]. AnimeLand (in French). Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  3. Olivier (6 December 2011). "Un simulcast gratuit !" [A free simulcast!]. Clubic (in French). Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  4. "Interview Wakanim : vers une nouvelle vision de la japanimation..." Paoru.fr. 13 June 2012. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  5. dit, Cezulavo (28 June 2019). "Mangacast n°66 – Wakanim 10 ans de VOD, quelles évolutions ? | Mangacast L'émission du manga et de l'animation japonaise". Mangacast (in French). Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  6. "[ITW] Ludo & Oliv de WAKANIM". Kiss My Geek (in French). 29 April 2011. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  7. Olivier (4 October 2013). "WAKANIM s'étend au Royaume-Uni" [WAKANIM expands to the UK]. AnimeLand (in French). Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  8. Andrew Osmond (22 October 2013). "U.K. Wakanim Website Now Online (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  9. Andrew Osmond (2013). "DIGITAL & SIMULCASTING ON YOUR TERMS – WAKANIM.CO.UK". All the Anime. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  10. "Wakanim.tv UK". wakanim.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  11. "Wakanim lance un service musical" [Wakanim launches a music service]. Manga-news (in French). 3 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2 March 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  12. "Lancement de la plateforme Wakanim Music" [Wakanim Music platform launched]. Manga-news (in French). 2 February 2015. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  13. Reith Saji (24 April 2015). "La célèbre maison de production japonaise Aniplex investit dans Wakanim.tv" [The famous Japanese production company Aniplex invests in Wakanim.tv]. Adala-News.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  14. Red-bushi (24 April 2015). "Aniplex investit dans le développement de la société Wakanim" [Aniplex invests in the development of company Wakanim]. Wakanim.tv (in French). Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  15. "Wakanim to Launch Anime Streaming Services in the Nordic Region July 1st 2017". Anime News Network. 14 June 2014. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  16. Robin Hirsch (21 September 2017). "VoD-Plattform Wakanim startet in Deutschland" [VoD platform Wakanim starts in Germany]. Anime2You.de (in German). Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  17. Robin Hirsch (26 September 2017). "Weitere Details zur neuen VoD-Plattform Wakanim" [More details about the new VoD platform Wakanim]. Anime2You.de (in German). Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  18. "Онлайн-сервис Wakanim приходит в Россию" [Wakanim online service comes to Russia]. kg-portal.ru (in Russian). 21 September 2017. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  19. Burak Dogan (6 January 2018). "Wakanim startet in Russland + Interview mit Evgenia Medvedeva" [Wakanim starts in Russia + interview with Evgenia Medvedeva]. Anime2You.de (in German). Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  20. Wakanim Nordic [@WakanimEU] (14 April 2020). "🚨 Warning for the Netherlands: Wakanim is now available in your country! This Spring, enjoy your series live from Japan with our selection of brand-new simulcasts" (Tweet). Retrieved 5 May 2020 – via Twitter.
  21. Bruno De la Cruz (17 October 2016). "J-One et l'idée Simuldub pour Drifters" [J-One and the Simuldub idea for Drifters]. AnimeLand (in French). Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  22. Red-bushi (6 October 2016). "Doublage simultané sur la série Drifters !" [Simultaneous dubbing on the Drifters series!]. Wakanim.tv (in French). Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  23. Spangler, Todd (24 September 2019). "Sony Merges Anime Streaming Businesses Under Funimation-Led Joint Venture (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  24. Wakanim Nordic [@WakanimEU] (29 January 2020). "🗣️🇬🇧 Simuldubs are coming to Wakanim Nordics for VIP Subscribers! Enjoy new, fully English-voiced episodes from selected ongoing shows, every Friday at 5 pm GMT!" (Tweet). Retrieved 5 May 2020 – via Twitter.
  25. Spangler, Todd (1 March 2022). "Crunchyroll Adds All Funimation Anime Content, Sony Starts to Phase Out Funimation Brand". Variety. Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  26. "Anime Fans Win as Funimation Global Group Content Moves to Crunchyroll Starting Today". Crunchyroll. Sony Pictures. 1 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  27. "Crunchyroll, Wakanim Suspend Services in Russia". Anime News Network. 11 March 2022. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  28. "WAKANIM wird abgeschaltet" [WAKANIM is closing] (in German). "Animenachrichten". 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  29. "JW Player Javascript". Wakanim.tv (in French). 24 February 2020. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  30. Hugo_ (25 June 2015). "Wakanim Version 2 dévoilé lors du Wakanim Live #5 le 26 juin à 18H" [Wakanim Version 2 unveiled at Wakanim Live #5 on June 26 at 6 p.m.]. Wakanim.tv (in French). Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  31. Pering (7 October 2015). "Le lecteur Wakanim passe en HTML 5 !" [The Wakanim player goes to HTML 5!]. Wakanim.tv (in French). Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  32. *Lilly* (21 December 2016). "L'application Xbox est arrivée" [The Xbox app is here]. Wakanim.tv (in French). Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  33. Taison (23 July 2018). "Wakanim maintenant disponible sur Apple TV !" [Wakanim now available on Apple TV!]. Wakanim.tv (in French). Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  34. Wakadmin (15 December 2016). "De nouvelles applications iOS et Android chez Wakanim" [New iOS and Android apps from Wakanim]. Wakanim.tv (in French). Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  35. ameheut (12 September 2019). "Regardez vos anime hors-ligne sur iOS et Android !" [Watch your anime offline on iOS and Android!]. Wakanim.tv (in French). Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  36. "Wakanim s'ouvre au visionnage par abonnement" [Wakanim opens to subscription viewing]. Mangamag.fr (in French). 9 March 2016. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  37. *Lilly* (24 April 2015). "Nos offres évoluent !" [Our offers are evolving!]. Wakanim.tv (in French). Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  38. Taison (12 September 2018). "Wakanim présente ses nouvelles offres d'abonnement, en collaboration spécial avec Sony® !" [Wakanim presents its new subscription offers, in special collaboration with Sony®!]. Wakanim.tv (in French). Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  39. "ЧАСТО ЗАДАВАЕМЫЕ ВОПРОСЫ | О WAKANIM | В каких странах доступен сервис Wakanim?" [FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS | About WAKANIM | In which countries is Wakanim available?]. wakanim.tv (in Russian). Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
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