{"rewrite":{"id":"r_ffedefb20f1a0f88d5af7901","clusterId":"c_de9bbffbc29b4a1ad1a225c3","slug":"anifem-round-up-covers-contraceptives-gunpla-and-crunchyroll-price-hike","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"AniFem Round-Up Covers Contraceptives, Gunpla, and Crunchyroll Price Hike","summary":"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.","whyItMatters":"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.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eAnime 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.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Crunchyroll's second price hike since the Funimation merger follows the end of its free tier. The round-up's subtitle complaints suggest the increase funds platform infrastructure, not content.","twitterPost":"Crunchyroll's second price hike since the Funimation merger follows the free tier's end. Subtitle complaints suggest the increase pays for platform, not content.","threadsPost":"Crunchyroll's second price hike since the Funimation merger comes right after killing the free tier. The round-up links to community posts criticizing subtitle quality and platform usability. The increase funds the site itself, not the shows.","newsletterBlurb":"Anime Feminist's weekly round-up covers Japan's new over-the-counter emergency contraception law, Crunchyroll's latest price increase, and a feature on women's role in Gunpla. Also included: an analysis of Orb's political themes and community complaints about streaming subtitle quality.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime Feminist\",\"url\":\"https://www.animefeminist.com/weekly-round-up-28-january-3-february-2026/\",\"title\":\"Weekly Round-Up, 28 January - 3 February 2026: Emergency Contraceptives, Gunpla Girls, and Crunchyroll Price Increases\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":6646,"outputTokens":756,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1780182020,"createdAt":"2026-05-30T22:55:38.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-30T22:59:19.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-30T22:59:19.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_de9bbffbc29b4a1ad1a225c3","canonicalTitle":"Weekly Round-Up, 28 January - 3 February 2026: Emergency Contraceptives, Gunpla Girls, and Crunchyroll Price Increases","representativeArticleId":"a_cdf7ffc6f1112a375a6562de","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit\"],\"manga_titles\":[\"Sanda\"],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"other\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":true}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-02-04T06:44:05.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-02-04T06:44:05.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-30T22:59:19.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime Feminist","url":"https://www.animefeminist.com/weekly-round-up-28-january-3-february-2026/","title":"Weekly Round-Up, 28 January - 3 February 2026: Emergency Contraceptives, Gunpla Girls, and Crunchyroll Price Increases"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit"],"manga_titles":["Sanda"],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"other","domain":"other","is_roundup":true},"keyFacts":["Japan began allowing over-the-counter sales of emergency contraception on January 28, 2026, but buyers must take the pill in front of a pharmacist.","Crunchyroll raised its subscription prices by $2 per month across all tiers in late January 2026, its second increase since merging with Funimation.","The COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 series Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury drew more female builders into the Gunpla hobby, according to an article highlighted in the round-up.","An analysis in the round-up compares the anime Orb: On the Movements of the Earth to present-day censorship and authoritarianism.","Community posts in the round-up criticize Crunchyroll's AI-generated subtitles and platform usability, including a lack of screenshot functionality and poor closed captioning."]}