Hulu.com Launches Channel for Free, Legal Anime Streams

[Fluffy]

According to ANN, Hulu.com is now offering a few select Anime titles (http://www.hulu.com/channels/Animation-and-Cartoons/Anime) free of charge. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-09-23/hulu-website-launches-channel-for-free-legal-anime

The video service Hulu (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=6901).com has announced (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2008-09-23/hulu-launches-free-and-legal-anime-channel) that it is launching (http://www.hulu.com/channels/Animation-and-Cartoons/Anime) a channel for free, legal streaming of anime in the United States today. The newly added anime include 20 English-subtitled episodes (http://www.hulu.com/naruto?c=Animation-and-Cartoons/Anime) of Naruto (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=1825), all 37 English-subtitled episodes (http://www.hulu.com/death-note?c=Animation-and-Cartoons/Anime) of Death Note (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6592), and 12 English-dubbed episodes (http://www.hulu.com/mushi-shi?c=Animation-and-Cartoons/Anime) of Mushi-Shi (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=5923).

The service promises to add more titles from the anime distributors Viz Media (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=4552), Funimation (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=13), and Gong — such as Bleach (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=4240), Basilisk (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=4318), Black Blood Brothers (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6449), Kiddy Grade (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=891), MoonPhase (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=4311), Peach Girl (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=4592), and School Rumble (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=4114). The site had already been streaming the Speed Racer (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=776) (Mach Go Go Go) series (http://www.hulu.com/speed-racer?c=Animation-and-Cartoons/Anime) and the 2003 Astro Boy (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=1962) series (http://www.hulu.com/astro-boy?c=Animation-and-Cartoons/Anime). The site requires no fees for its anime streams and supports itself with commercial breaks within the streams.

[Quarkboy]

Wow, that sure sucks to be those people who paid $2 a piece to download the Death Note subs from Direct2Drive, as what they paid.... $74 dollars for is now available basically completely free.

[bayoab]

Wow, that sure sucks to be those people who paid $2 a piece to download the Death Note subs from Direct2Drive, as what they paid.... $74 dollars for is now available basically completely free.

They were paying to get it early and for DTO. This is streaming only, has ads, and the viewing window is very, VERY annoying with that bar sitting right on top of it. (Yes, popup mode and full screen mode both remove this last problem.)

[Quarkboy]

Wow, that sure sucks to be those people who paid $2 a piece to download the Death Note subs from Direct2Drive, as what they paid.... $74 dollars for is now available basically completely free.

They were paying to get it early and for DTO. This is streaming only, has ads, and the viewing window is very, VERY annoying with that bar sitting right on top of it. (Yes, popup mode and full screen mode both remove this last problem.)

Yeah, I realize that, but to be honest I'd almost rather have the series available for streaming from "the cloud" whenever I want than locked to 2 computers like direct2drive's DRMed videos are.

But this isn't the case with, like, discount box sets vs. singles... The box sets are maybe 50% off the price of the singles and a year later or so. This is literally 100% off and about a year later... the annoyance of a few ads and a web player is not much when you consider that you can watch it for free.

Sort of a moot point, though, since I know of 0 people who actually bought the entire show from direct2drive.

[ArcticMech]

Good move for all parties involved. With cable channels like Cartoon Network deemphasizing anime, more free legal anime content will undoubtedly end up on the net, whether it be Hulu, Youtube, Crunchyroll, or somewhere else.

[Mafty Allegro]

Good move for all parties involved. With cable channels like Cartoon Network deemphasizing anime, more free legal anime content will undoubtedly end up on the net, whether it be Hulu, Youtube, Crunchyroll, or somewhere else.

It surely is, and it's a smart move on the parts of the anime companies involved in taking advantage of a good opporitunity with a popular site like Hulu and getting attention to their series. And it certainly helps that the anime channel is getting a big front page notice along with the other channels on the site.

FUNimation has been doing the best job out of all of companies in terms of making the most out of digital distribution (Bandai Ent. should try to do so more often, too, unless BandaiChannel is coming to this region...), though it would be nice if they had such a service on cable VOD...

[Drgnfuel]

Boooo Death note is subs.:( Excellent news though. I love Hulu.

[something]

They were paying to get it early and for DTO. This is streaming only, has ads, and the viewing window is very, VERY annoying with that bar sitting right on top of it. (Yes, popup mode and full screen mode both remove this last problem.)
For shits and giggles I tried Death Note (because it's subbed, yay, but I'm buying the DVDs so it's moot) and... what's up with the big Viz watermark that partially obscures the subs at times? They didn't really think that one through.

Well, at least the quality seems a little better than most streaming sites. I was actually going to check out an ep or two of Mushishi (haven't seen it) but it's not available subbed so I passed.

[mitamaking]

I tried out Naruto ep 1, the first half on Joost and second have on Hulu and they both work, Hulu is less hassle so I will stick with it. I hope we get more, like subbed Mar, all of Mar too, not just the first 52.

[Danj]

Oh joy, yet another US-only streaming anime service! Just what the world needs. I guess the rest of us are just expected to pony up or pirate it?

[soatome]

It'll probably see a Canadian launch soon. But the UK and Australlia have other issus to deal with. Mainly many of the series streaming on Hulu are distributed by other companys that won't be getting a piece of the pie from this site so they will be reluctant to allow streaming of their programs in their home region. Harass Madman, Manga and co if you want Hulu to be available in your region.

[Pepperidge]

It'll probably see a Canadian launch soon.

Why so confident? Broadcasters like CTV and Global are probably going to be a far greater hassle to deal with than any of the companies you named, and they're the main reason Hulu.com is being blocked up here. If only there was some way to convince Hulu to let users access part of the library which those broadcasters have nothing to do with.

[Shiroi Hane]

FYI, the first 12 episodes of Kiddy Grade are up (http://www.hulu.com/kiddy-grade) now. Queue English dub complaints.

[prnoct90]

They also added 3 epsiodes of Black Blood Brothers. :)

[Shiroi Hane]

Possibly, but I don't have a google news feed for that one :p

[prnoct90]

And Moon Phase, by the way.

[Asrialys]

First four episodes of SHUFFLE! are now up. Dubbed. 26 episode of Slayers too. Dubbed also.

Heh, dub complaints all over the anime discussion areas.

[prnoct90]

I actually might watch Shuffle. I always wanted to check it out, but do to its low reviews, I havn't bought it. Hopefully they'll add the whole thing.

[Draneor]

26 episode of Slayers too. Dubbed also.

Had this been in Japanese, I might actually have watched Slayers. But of course it isn't.

[chronoclast]

An update of what all is streaming from Funimation on Hulu:

Subbed:
Shikabane Hime - 1-4

Dubbed:
Mushishi - 1-26
Shuffle - 1-12
xxxHolic - 1-12
School Rumble - 1-13
Moon Phase - 1-13
Slayers - 1-26
Peach Girl - 1-12
Black Blood Brothers - 1-3
Blue Gender - 1-4
Rumbling Hearts - 1-14
Galaxy Railways - 1-11, 13
Kiddy Grade - 1-12

[chronoclast]

An update of what's streaming from Viz:

Subbed:
Naruto - 1-98
Bleach - 1-41
Death Note - 1-37

[Shiroi Hane]

I don't know if it will include any anime, but this is at least a step forward:
Hulu coming to the UK (http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/237606/hulu-coming-to-the-uk.html)
Hulu, the video website owned by News Corp and NBC Universal, hopes to expand into the UK.
Peter Smith, President of NBC Universal International, told a European Media Leaders Summit that his firm would love to roll out the online video joint venture further but that there were no concrete plans to announce yet.

He said Hulu was interested in Britain, France, Germany and Japan because online video was already popular and growing strongly in those countries.
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