Top 5 ways to ways to watch anime

When it comes to watching anime there are many types of ways that one can get their fix. We all have different methods we each use to watch anime and so I thought I’d highlight the top 5 ways that I have used, and maybe, just maybe some of you may find an alternative to the current way in which you get our anime content. I for one have already found one new option that I didn’t know about prior to doing research for this article, and I’m happy that I know about it now, because I plan to use it for a lot of my future anime watching. Anywho shall we begin….

Hulu

I feel I must start this article with a bit of back story so here goes. When I was a teen I downloaded most of my visual content or watched it via DVDs, but now that internet quality in my country has advanced to a degree that it is possible to steadily stream content, I have switched to streaming most of my Favourite tele Series, movies and of course Anime. It should noted that even though the net speed in a particular location is fast enough to stream it doesn’t mean that streaming may be the best option.  This is because streaming is a process that is reliant on a few factors. Some of which are the servers that the content is being streaming from, the web media player that is used and the individual’s internet download speed. These factors all come together to ensure a proper quality stream, and as such this brings us to Hulu.

Did I mention that Hulu is my Favorite of all 5?

Hulu is one of the few online streaming services that allow for quality streaming with limited requirements from the streamer’s download speed. This means that you can have pretty shit net and still watch some anime on Hulu. It may not stream to you in ultra HD quality but you will be able to watch it.  This is because like most quality streaming services Hulu adjusts the quality of the video you’re streaming according to the download speed you have, and it does it all seamlessly without any interruption while streaming. Now I know 75% of you are all thinking “but Q I don’t have the money to pay for Hulu every month”, however what many of you don’t know is that Hulu is mostly a free service. The subscription to Hulu plus gets you access to all their content and ability to stream on devices other than your pc, but theses are not required features. What we care about is the anime content and that is mostly all there in the free category. So If you want to watch some anime on your PC that is connected to you Tele like I do, why not try Hulu.

Many don’t know this but a lot of Hulu’s content it actually available for free

Pros:

• Most of the anime content is Free
• It also has other tele content available (can I get a “woot woot” for The Flash?)
• The streaming quality is great
• No account required
• Auto loads next episode
• It has a mobile app
• Lots of new and classic anime

Cons:

• Hulu is only “officially” available in the US (if you can’t get Hulu in your country check out my article “the foreign gamer“)
• Content comes with ads
• Censored content

Netflix

Netflix is probably the most commercially popular option of all those that will be mentioned in this list. It is a one hundred percent subscription based service that allows its users to steam movies, Tele series, anime and more. It’s probably the most well designed/ organized option of all 5 options mentioned in this article, and like Hulu it has some quality servers and a great video player that allows for quick streaming no matter the device you’re using. I have even been able to stream content using mobile data from my cell phone and the streaming quality was great. Netflix is also one of the few Video streaming services out there that is readily available on numerous devices from Smart TVs to handheld game consoles like the Vita and 3DS. Netflix also gives users the ability to stop and continue watching from the exact location in that show, on as many shows/ series that you’re watching, and on any device that your account is logged on to. I know I’ve said all nice things about Netflix to this point, but I’d be wrong in not mentioning it’s flaws. One of those is that the service is seriously lacking in anime content and that is not a good thing for us anime fans. This is because Netflix does not get series while they are airing, but rather after they have completed a season. For the avid anime fan waiting till the end of a season to watch a series is too long a wait. For those that don’t care for the newest and current popular series this should not be an issue, oh and did I mention it has Ouran High school host club?  So…… yeah it’s awesome.

Pros:

• High quality streaming
• Flexibility to watch on almost any device
• No ads
• Auto loads next episode
• Multiple customizable accounts
• great recommendations
• it has Ouran High School Host Club

Cons:

• Requires monthly subscription
• Content may vary depending on region
• Censored content
• Limited amount of anime

Chrunchyroll

This is a service that I am no longer subscribed to because of my disinterest in the quality of their service. This is not to say that their service is completely bad, but rather that I have found favor with some of the other options mentioned in this list, and ultimately decided to abandon my subscription with this one all together. This service is primarily for anime, dramas, collectibles and manga. It is a streaming service that has a pretty respectable amount of anime on offer. Though I have found that as a service that is focused on anime it is lacking in content  when compared to some of the others, and this is what ultimately hurts it. When you have services like Hulu that has a large collection of anime for free it is hard to recommend crunchyroll. Yes it does have some free anime, but I have found that its selection is greatly limited. The manga app Is also lackluster and not even worth your time/ effort to download. The Subs are not always accurate …. Blah… blah… I know I’m totally only saying negative things about this one, but the only reason I do is because I believe with some effort they can improve and become an even better service. Currently it’s only a service I’d recommend if you have not access to any of the others, which is very unlikely.

Pros:

• Availability on a variety of devices
• average streaming quality
• They sell collectibles

Cons:

• Surprising lack of anime variety
• Subscription required for better options
• Censored content
• Ads

Torrent

This option should only be left as a last resort, due to the fact that unlike the other options it is not legal.  The content shared via Torrents may not be shared with the permission from the official anime distributors so please only use this as a last resort. With that being said they are sometimes the best option when it comes to quality and also sometimes the only way to get uncensored versions of your favorite anime. Lack of uncensored content is a big issue for fans of mature anime content. It’s not really a deal breaker to have censored content, but it does make the content less desirable if it was changed from the way  it was originally meant to be viewed. Especially if they put bright light flairs or clouds all over the screen to censor mature content. I can only recommend the use of Torrented anime if you already a paying subscriber to an official distributor of that anime or if you live in a region where streaming is not really a possible option.

Pros:

• High quality options
• Uncensored content
• Its Free
• No ads
• Almost limitless variety of anime
• Ability Download Episodes
• Downloaded videos can be viewed on a variety of devices

Cons:

• Content Is reliant on other users sharing them
• Downloads/ streaming speed is reliant on peers/seeds
• Not a legal option
• downloads require storage space on HDD

Kissanime

Finally we have our last option for watching anime, Kissanime. It is the newest option that I have started using and I’m quite satisfied with it so far. It is a website based option that allows viewers to view a wide variety of anime through their website. The anime is all stored on YouTube and so the streaming quality is as good as streaming any other YouTube video, which as you may know is pretty good. The anime on this service is also almost as varied as those that can be found via Torrents. I have not been using the service for long, but so far everything I have searched for I have been able to find, and a lot of it is available in both subbed and dubbed versions. The anime on this service were also uncensored which is a big plus in my book. The only flaws I found with this one is that it doesn’t allow for anime episodes to be played automatically one after the other like Hulu and Netflix. It also lacks a mobile app but supplements that by use of a mobile version of the website. It also seems possible that the anime is all legal because they are all stored on YouTube and if you know anything about YouTube you will know that they have a strict rule to take down any content that infringes on copyright laws.

Pros:

• Wide variety of anime
• Quality steaming
• Ability to download episodes
• Its Free
• No ads (other than YouTube ads)
• Viewable on any device with a web browser
• Uncensored content

Cons:

• No official mobile app
• no continuous streaming

So these are my top 5 ways to watch anime. If you find interest in/use any of these options, or would like to suggest one that I’ve missed, feel free to let us know in the comments below. Oh and what is your favorite?

if you’d like to hear more of my thoughts about this topic, then I suggest you listen to the Buttonsmashers podcast.