Streaming Anime Duel: Crunchyroll Vs. Funimation
If you’re new to anime or are already a hardcore fan, there are two streaming services you need to know: Crunchyroll and Funimation. One offers you simulcast subtitled shows currently broadcast in Japan, and the other offers you dubbed versions of the most popular shows. Either way, you’ll have more anime than you can ever watch. Let’s see which one is best for your viewing pleasure.
Applicants
Anime is no longer limited to imported DVDs and nightly blocks on premium cable channels. Now you can stream almost any anime to almost any device whenever you want. Let’s take a look at two of the biggest players on the pitch:
- Crunchyroll Premium : This American East Asian media distributor was founded in 2006 by a group of UC Berkeley alumni and now has over a million paying subscribers. Their streaming service Crunchyroll Premium is best known for popular anime subtitles such as Naruto Shippuden , manga and live-action dramas, as well as simultaneous broadcasts of recently released shows in Japan.
- Funimation Now : Founded back in 1994, Funimation began distributing the popular Dragon Ball Z series on the Toonami Cartoon Network. From there, he grew up and began distributing other popular anime shows such as Digimon . Currently, their streaming service Funimation Now is known for a large collection of dubbed classic anime in addition to dubbed versions of some of the recently released shows.
While you can also find anime on streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, these two services deal exclusively with popular imports. Hulu also has a decent amount of anime on their platform, but both Crunchyroll Premium and Funimation Now offer ad-free followers.
Both can be seen anywhere, but Crunchyroll has a slight edge.
If you have some kind of device with an internet connection and an internet connection, both services can fill your eyes with awesome cartoons. Crunchyroll Premium and Funimation Now are available at:
- iOS
- Apple TV
- Android
- Chromecast
- Xbox one
- Xbox 360
- Playstation 4
- Playstation 3
- Playstation vita
- Windows Phone
- Roku’s box
- Amazon Fire TV
- Kindle Fire
Of course, both services can also be viewed in any browser. However, Crunchyroll Premium has a few more options. You can watch Crunchyroll on Wii U, but not Funimation. Plus, Crunchyroll has more support for fancy streaming platforms like internet connected Blu-ray players and smart TVs. It may or may not matter to you.
Both offer competitive pricing and free trials.
Crunchyroll will actually let you stream on most devices for free, but you will be exposed to ads and the quality will be reduced to 480p . The shows you can watch for free will also be pretty limited. If you want to avoid all of this, Crunchyroll Premium is $ 6.95 per month if you use monthly payments. If you’re looking to save some money, they also offer a three-month plan for $ 19.95 and an annual plan for $ 59.95.
Funimation is slightly more expensive on a monthly basis, charging $ 7.95 per month. But it also has an annual plan of $ 59.95 a year, which is exactly what Crunchyroll is doing. Funimation Now also has an option for those looking for a show with extra numbers for $ 4.95 a month. Both services offer a free 14-day trial, so you can try them out and see which one you like best.
Crunchyroll is the venue for current niche shows and fairs, Funimation packages in classics and dubs
Crunchyroll Premium has over 800 animes on its list, many of which are popular shows still airing in Japan, such as One Piece , Dragon Ball Super , Gintama , Blue Exorcist, and the recently concluded Naruto Shippuden . It also features many more niche anime shows like Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid , Fuuka , Schoolgirl Strikers, and Kemono Friends . All of these shows are subtitled so you have to read while watching, but many of them are also streaming concurrently, which means you can watch them one hour after they originally aired in Japan. Crunchyroll also has an extensive library of subtitles, drama and comedy TV shows, and digital manga titles for you to read.
Funimation Now, on the other hand, is a more elaborate experience as its library mainly consists of dubbed and dubbed classics like Fullmetal Alchemist , Cowboy Bebop , Dragon Ball Z, and Yu Yu Hakusho . If the show has both a dubbed and a dubbed version, you can choose whichever you like best. There are fewer niche and brand new titles available, but that means fewer things to sift through if you’re not an ardent anime fan. This makes Funimation a great starting point for those new to anime, or ideal for those looking to relive the magic of the extracurricular cartoons they once watched.
Both services will cost you $ 60 per year and are available almost everywhere, so it all depends on your personal preference. If you want hot new shows and don’t mind signing up, Crunchyroll Premium is for you. If you don’t mind waiting a bit to watch the show, don’t like niche stuff, and hate reading subtitles, choose Funimation Now. In addition, both services recently entered into a partnership whereby each will begin offering selected titles from each other’s libraries. No matter which one you choose, you really cannot fail. And if you’re an avid anime fan who wants everything, subscribing to both will allow literally everything.