StokeYdral

One of the main criticisms I've seen of Crunchyroll is that when you support CR, you're not really supporting the Japanese anime industry, just a bunch of middlemen. I know when anime was at its most popular in box stores around the US it was common for a Japanese company to sell the US distribution rights for a flat fee and then have no other involvement no matter how well (or poorly) a series sold.

1. Does Crunchyroll have any kind of revenue sharing in place for the Japanese producers, or is it purely an upfront payment with no further interest on their part?
2. If there is no revenue sharing, can you give us a rough estimate of how much Crunchyroll pays for the rights to stream a typical anime? (For example, a two cour series of middling popularity expectations)

Buying directly from the Japanese companies is obviously the most direct way to support the animators but anime and related merchandise is not cheap. It's a niche market and is priced as such.

Every time you feel like you have $30 to "donate" put it aside. When you have enough to buy a boxset, do so. Short of mailing your money to Japan there's really not a better way to support animators.

AmiAmi is a great place to buy depending on what you're looking for. You might want to look this over.