An anime haven with an excellent streaming experience
I rate Crunchyroll a 6.9 on 10. Crunchyroll is a fantastic anime streaming service with an extensive archive and excellent support for simulcasts. It also features original anime shows as well as novel extras like a clothing and manga store.
However, it lacks offline downloads, and just a few of its series enable dubbing.
In addition, reviewers have described its UI as clumsy and uncomfortable, and the adverts on the free plan have been seen as invasive and obnoxious by others.
Filtering out mature content is not an option in a Crunchyroll account. There is no option to create multiple user accounts under a single charge so that various family members or roommates can build their libraries.
Crunchyroll's video quality is limited to 1080p HD and does not support 4K HDR.
Crunchyroll is an anime-focused streaming service. It was previously owned by WarnerMedia's Otter Media until Sony's Funimation in late 2020 purchased it. It competes with other services such as Sony's own Funimation to deliver Japanese animation to anime fans, with hundreds of titles available.
In addition, manga titles, which are Japanese-style graphic novels, are also accessible on Crunchyroll. Over four million people have paid for the service for Crunchyroll premium, and many more are watching the free content.
Crunchyroll subscription
- Crunchyroll prices for three paid subscription options are:
- At $7.99 per month, the "Fan" plan gives you full access to Crunchyroll's free premium library, including digital copies of manga comics (in English only) and access to new anime releases within one hour of their Japanese release.
- Although the Fan plan is ad-free, users can only view it on one device at a time.
- At $9.99, customers can upgrade to the "Megafan" plan, which includes all of the benefits of the Fan plan plus the ability to download content to watch offline.
- The Megafan package allows you to stream on four devices at once and gives you discounts on Crunchyroll's online anime store.
- Subscribers to this plan also get preferential access to Crunchyroll.
- Those who sign up for the Megafan plan for a year get a tiny discount (it's $99.99 for the year, which saves roughly $20).
- Finally, the $14.99 per month 'Ultimate Fan' subscription increases the number of devices you can stream on to six and gives you better discounts in the Crunchyroll cost shop.
- Subscribers will also receive a yearly swag bag and an exclusive figure.
Features
User Interface:
- Crunchyroll divides its material into two categories: drama and anime.
- A Crunchyroll account displays a list of "popular" programs in each of these two menus (with no regard for the genre).
- The software also highlights "simulcasts" and "updated" content on numerous platforms (new episodes).
- After the Crunchyroll signup, the content is also arranged in alphabetical order. You may (finally) sort content by sub-genres at the bottom of the menu.
Content catalog:
- Crunchyroll is a specialized service that specializes in Asian programmings, such as live-action dramas and anime.
- I'm not an anime specialist, but the substance seems to be quite good.
- Highly sought-after anime shows such as Bleach and Naruto are available, with hundreds of episodes on Crunchyroll premium tier.
- Rather than putting them into seasons, it appears that they are sorted into separate titles beneath the anime's primary title, with numbering that continues.
Streaming experience:
- The application failed to load a couple of times completely, instead of sending me to a blank screen with one "OK" button that took me back to the selection screen.
- After the content has loaded, it usually streams quite consistently but not wonderfully.
- On mobile devices, the video quality fluctuated a bit between HD and sub-standard definitions. It was in high definition a lot of the time.
What features does Crunchyroll lack?
DVR storage:
- The app does not have any storage or offline download options
Parental controls:
- A Crunchyroll account should also consist of more comprehensive parental control measures, in my opinion.
- I like that the options allow you to filter explicit video and manga content, but there's no way to lock those settings down.
- Given the library's vastness, the ability to whitelist series that a parent thinks are appropriate for their child might be helpful.
Conclusion
There's no reason why you shouldn't check out Crunchyroll's free premium tier if you're an anime lover (or even if you're just curious about anime). On a wide range of streaming devices, you'll be able to watch the latest episodes from Japan one week after they're released in 1080p HD.
Whether or not paying for a premium is mainly worthwhile depends on your patience. Not only will you have to wait one day after Japan for the latest releases on the Fan and Mega Fan levels, but you'll also have to wait for pre-roll and mid-roll advertising. I found Crunchyroll's free tier's advertisements to be just too intrusive.
