Amazon Launches U.S. Anime Streaming Service

It looks like Amazon is making another entry into the streaming sphere, and they are going about it at a different angle. These days, sites like Netflix and Hulu may be dominating the industry of at-home video, but Amazon is looking to cross that divide. Earlier today, the company confirmed they were launching an exclusive U.S. streaming service specifically for anime, and they’ve got plenty of content to entice anime lovers.

UP NEXT: Is Netflix Looking To Become The Next Big Thing In Anime?

If you are interested in the service, then you can check it out today. Anime Strike was made live earlier today and is Amazon’s first on-demand anime service. The offer will give anime fans more than 1,000 anime episodes for Amazon Prime users, and films will also be included in the service to boot.

Michael Paull, Amazon’s vice president of digital video and head of Amazon Channels, said, “With anime in particular, there’s a strong, passionate audience that is underserved by traditional pay TV.”

Right now, the service costs $4.99 a month for users, but you can get onto the offer for free. There is a seven-day free trail up at the moment, and fans will want to check out the new streaming service. The ad-free videos will be updated each week as Amazon renews its channel’s content. There will be a mix of English subtitled and dubbed projects, and Amazon has even nabbed some exclusive rights.

The company is holding exclusive rights to anime series like Chi’s Sweet Adventure, Onihei, The Great Passage, Shin-chan, VIVid Strike!, and more. Amazon is also streaming popular shows like Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga as well as Death Note, Akira, and more.

Of course, fans have known about Amazon and its plans to enter the realm of anime. The site confirmed that an upcoming curated anime channel of theirs would have exclusive content thanks to a deal with Fuji TV. The popular Japanese network has partnered with Amazon to exclusively stream content from its Noitamina programming block. In the past, Amazon has rolled out anime series from that cable block like Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and Battery the Animation.

So, what do you think? Are you interested in check out Amazon’s new anime service or would you rather leave your streaming to sites like Crunchyroll? Let us know what you plan to do in the comments below!

[HT/] Variety