Disney+ Launches Official Anime Collection

It looks like Disney+ is ready to take its anime offerings to a new level. Following the likes of Netflix and Amazon, The Walt Disney Company has made it clear that anime is becoming a focus. From original orders to exclusive licenses, Disney+ has nabbed a number of big shows for markets across the world. And now, Disney is putting a spotlight on the medium with an official collection.

Yes, you heard right. Disney+ has an anime collection available for fans, but there is a catch. It is only available and running in markets that use Disney’s Star branding.

As you can see below, the official anime collection on Disney+ has a number of projects ranging from Summertime Rendering to Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War and more. The playlist houses several original hits as well like Star Wars Visions, and several Western animated titles made the cut. These exceptions include shows like The Owl House, and as Disney+ broadens this category, you can expect more shows to be added.

Sadly, the collection is not available to users in the United States. Disney+ does house some anime on-site domestically, but a number of its exclusive titles are streaming through Hulu. For instance, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War streams on Hulu stateside while regions elsewhere can find it on Disney+ directly.

At this time, it is not clear whether this collection will come to fans stateside, but users are curious to see how Disney evolves its anime approach. Users have been notably vocal about Disney’s lack of communication when it comes to series premieres and simulcasts. Summertime Rendering suffered from this stateside as Disney+ did not release the hit anime until this year despite its early 2022 debut. This problem was repeated with Bleach in several European and Latin American markets. But when looking at Japan, Disney+ has collected a booming catalog of titles with little drama.

What do you make of anime’s push into the streaming realm? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.