Right Stuf
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing, Distribution, E-commerce |
| Founded | July 1987 |
| Founder | Robert "Todd" Ferson, Shawne P. Kleckner |
| Fate | Merged into Crunchyroll brand |
| Headquarters | Grimes , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Shawne P. Kleckner (co-founder, former CEO) |
| Products | Anime and live-action movies publishing and distribution, e-commerce platform |
| Parent | Sony Group Corporation (since August 2022) |
Right Stuf Inc. (previously known as The Right Stuf International Inc.) operated as a U.S.-based publisher and distributor concentrating on Asian entertainment, particularly anime and live-action movies. Its business units featured Nozomi Entertainment, which handled production, and RightStufAnime.com, an e-commerce platform. In 2012, the company introduced 5 Points Pictures to focus on live-action releases. Additionally, it offered production and distribution partnerships with Japanese companies including Sunrise Inc., Eleven Arts, Pony Canyon, and Aniplex of America.
Established in July 1987 by Robert "Todd" Ferson alongside Shawne P. Kleckner, Right Stuf was headquartered in Grimes, Iowa. The company became part of Sony Group Corporation in August 2022 and was merged into the Crunchyroll brand. After this acquisition, Right Stuf ceased offering hentai content on its sites, a decision that sparked some backlash among its audience. Operations were managed by Crunchyroll, LLC, a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Aniplex (a Sony Music Entertainment Japan subsidiary). Prior to this integration, Funimation—now operating as Crunchyroll—collaborated with Right Stuf’s Nozomi Entertainment to stream selected titles via the FunimationNow app in 2019.
In December 2022, co-founder and CEO Shawne Kleckner announced his retirement after leading the company for 35 years. By September 2023, Crunchyroll declared that Right Stuf would be consolidated into the Crunchyroll Store by October 2023. This change involved adopting Right Stuf’s pricing and shipping methods while ending its separate operations. Subsequently, BuyAnime was launched as the successor platform.
Nozomi Entertainment
Nozomi Entertainment served as Right Stuf’s production arm focused on releasing "collector-quality" editions of both classic and contemporary anime targeting a broad audience. Its extensive library included titles like Astro Boy (1963), Dirty Pair, Mobile Suit Gundam, The Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Princess Knight, Kare Kano, Kimba the White Lion (1965), Macross, and Junjo Romantica. In 2007, CEO Shawne Kleckner rebranded the company’s production division under the Nozomi Entertainment name, debuting with the release of The Third. Some series were initially licensed through the now-defunct Lucky Penny Entertainment label.
Following Right Stuf’s integration into the Crunchyroll Store on October 10, 2023, Crunchyroll confirmed that Nozomi would remain active under its own brand while continuing to license its classic anime catalog. The English-dubbed Blu-ray edition of the 1980s Dirty Pair series—funded through Kickstarter—was also slated for release.
5 Points Pictures
5 Points Pictures functioned as Right Stuf’s former division dedicated to distributing live-action films. Founded in March 2012, it established a partnership with CJ Entertainment to broaden Right Stuf’s footprint in live-action content distribution.
Critical Mass Video
Critical Mass Video was Right Stuf’s former adult anime label offering a variety of titles catering to different tastes. After the Crunchyroll acquisition led to the removal of adult content from Right Stuf’s offerings, this label was acquired by BuyAnime.com and shifted its distribution focus accordingly.