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After rumors that Disney has bought the licensing rights to Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War, further rumors have surfaced that Disney will not be simulcasting the series. A simulcasted anime series is one that becomes available on streaming platforms as it begins airing or immediately after it airs on Japanese network TV.
A non-simulcasted series would suggest that Disney intends to let Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War run its entire programming course in Japan before making the episodes available. This is certainly an interesting decision, with anime streaming juggernauts Funimation and Crunchyroll, the former now part of the latter, having adopted a simulcast approach for several years.
Likewise, many fans have noticed discrepancies between Disney’s approach and that of Funimation and Crunchyroll. Follow along as this article breaks down fans’ reactions to this latest Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War rumor.
Reputed Twitter user claims Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War will not be simulcast by Disney+ platform
The rumors and reactions
Twitter user @JaymesHanson (Hanson) is a YouTube content creator who focuses on author and illustrator Tite Kubo’s smash-hit manga and anime series. While not a leaker in the community, Hanson seems to have been made privy to some startling information regarding the Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War anime series coming this fall.
Per these sources, the series will not be simulcast via the Disney+ platform in a shocking move by the media conglomerate. Such a choice would indicate that Disney intends to let the series run its entire programming course overseas before bringing it to its platform for fans in the United States and other countries.
Fan response to this latest rumor has been negative at best and downright outraged at worst. Many are expressing shock and disbelief that Disney entered a bidding war for the series’ licensing rights only to decide this. The decision is even more confusing to fans as simulcast has been an anime streaming platform industry standard for years.
Many fans argue that this shows Disney isn’t looking to enter the anime market but rather absorb and capitalize on whatever anime or manga intellectual properties they can obtain. Whether via owning the properties outright or licensing them for streaming, the company’s main priority seems to be turning a profit by drawing interest and attention.
Other fans are instead blaming Viz Media, a giant in the anime and manga licensing industry responsible for the distribution of Tite Kubo’s series. This would, in turn, make them accountable for the distribution of the Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War anime as well, explaining why fans are directing their anger towards the company.
Some fans are also pointing out that Crunchyroll also deserves some of the blame here. Rumors from several weeks prior suggested that a battle of media titans occurred via a bidding war for the licensing rights to the series. With Disney seemingly winning that bidding war, given the latest rumors, fans are blaming Crunchyroll for not spending more to own the series’ license.
While there are several ways such a reality could have been avoided, the blame should fall squarely on the shoulders of Disney and Disney alone. The massive corporation certainly has the means to simulcast Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War should they want to.
The apparently active decision to not simulcast the series is likely meant as a way to generate international interest and desire for it. Ideally, this would lead to a much larger-than-normal turnout for when Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War arrives on the platform.
However, in the world of leaks, rips, and general digital piracy, this approach may be more flawed than it would have otherwise been in the past.
Be sure to keep up with all Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War anime news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2022 progresses.
