My family watches a lot of anime and there is one streaming service that I always use
We consume a fair amount of anime in my house – not enough to keep a single streaming service going on its own – but it’s enough. I have one kid who can’t miss an episode of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, and when Attack on Titan was still on the air, it was appointment TV in my house. I have to rotate multiple streamers for anime, but Crunchyroll is one I’m happy to pay for, and it’s not expensive.
It’s true that you can watch some things for free, but the basic $8 per month subscription opens the gate to Crunchyroll’s simulcasts. You can watch new episodes the same day they air in Japan, instead of waiting days or months. I’m watching Dandadan this season and prefer to stream on my TV, but my kids often use their phones to stream and watch way more than one season of each series every week.
Simulcasts help you plan your TV viewing schedule
It’s a good thing there is one simulcast calendar This way you know what time each title is broadcast. You can look up the airtimes, whether it’s the popular Japanese subtitled version or a dubbed release in another language. That’s useful if you want to keep up with the latest releases from shows like Dan Da Dan (I keep mentioning this show) or Re:Zero, or other favorites like Jujutsu Kaisen, Solo Leveling, and Demon Slayer.
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Simulcasts are its strong point, and that’s partly due to Crunchyroll’s mega library. When the merger with Funimation took place two years ago, their catalogs were brought together, offering viewers tens of thousands of new and old anime series and movies. Does it have every anime title out there? No. I have to call Hulu and HiDive for some stuff. But there’s a lot to watch, including Crunchyroll originals and adaptations of well-known manga like Chainsaw Man, Dragon Ball, and My Hero Academia. In addition to anime, Sony’s app also has music content that you can stream.
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Until this year, one of the downsides of Crunchyroll was that it only offered one profile for your account. If there are three or more people in your family using the app, things can get tricky. Last April, the streamer introduced the ability to create up to five profiles for premium subscribers (including avatars), allowing viewers to keep their watchlists and ongoing shows separate from anyone else who might share the account.
Why is Crunchyroll a great gift?
The service is available in more than 200 countries, with access to more than 1,600 hours of classic and new anime from around the world. The $8 per month plan is perfect for any anime lover, and upgrading to the $10 per month Mega Fan plan or the $15 Ultimate Fan plan will give you more benefits. In addition to letting you watch anime, each of these subscriptions includes access to Crunchyroll Game Vault and discounts on the Crunchyroll merchandise store, which is now a holiday gift guide also worth a look.
If you need additional gift ideas for the people in your life, here are 52 of our favorite gifts available right now.
