Illegal anime and manga websites KISSANIME and KISSMANGA were unceremoniously taken offline possibly due to copyright violations, as they themselves hinted on their now blank websites. This comes in the wake of Japanese IP owners and rights holders winning victories against copyright violators and merchandise bootleggers, including Bandai and Shueisha.

However, there is always a silver lining in the form of legal streaming sites such as Netflix, which has been steadily acquiring anime shows as well as producing their own. For those who can’t exactly afford a paid subscription in these trying times, you can also watch legal anime for free on Youtube via official studio accounts as well as legal licensees such as Muse Asia.