The teams behind Dragon Ball and Attack on Titan are massive, but that doesn’t mean they get everything right. Toei Animation has shared a problem with Kodansha for years now, and that issue is theft. Time and again, these studios have found themselves targeted by illegal websites that stream unlicensed anime, and that is why the pair are teaming up with other brands to create a Youtube channel to offset those sites.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The news comes from Variety as the trade confirmed a new Youtube channel is being worked on by some of anime’s biggest studios. Toei Animation, Kodansha, Nippon Animation, and a few more have agreed to back the channel. The page, which will be called Animelog, aims to post free content for fans to watch with official subtitles so they aren’t forced to torrent episodes.
Currently, this channel is only available in Japan, but the plan is to open it up to other markets. To be specific, subtitles are being planned for English and Chinese speakers as both markets still rely on torrent sites at times.
Animelog’s launch in Japan has been soft with shows like Black Jack and Future Boy Conan being posted. The ultimate goal is to shared 3,000 anime titles on the channel with shows coming from:
Toei Animation
Kodansha
Nippon Animation
Tezuka Productions
Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions
Shinei Animation
At this time, there is no word on what titles will make it to Animelog, but fans are hopeful hit series will be added along with more obscure ones. The most common complaint given by international fans when it comes to officially licensed content is its limited scope. Shows like Dragon Ball can be found on most streaming sites like Crunchyroll or Funimation. But when it comes to more niche titles, fans often find themselves looking for illegal streams if there are not official venues hosting the show. Hopefully, Animelog can solve that issue and covert more of the user base that relies on illicit torrents.
What do you want to see from these new channels? How could these Japanese companies better serve international fans? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
