Crunchyroll was the first streaming video service of any kind that impressed me enough that I got a paid subscription. In part, that was because I didn’t have to hand them money to watch any of the shows or join the online community, which made me feel welcome and included. In part it was because they have a huge library of programming available from a lot of sources, including not only Anime but also live action dramas and even music videos that never get played here, and I wanted to support that so it would continue to be available. In part it was to get the HD video quality, since the free version only comes in standard def. I do have to confess that while I told myself it was also so I could watch my favorite Anime shows an hour after the episode first aired in Tokyo, I only did that with six episodes of a single show just to feel that new-show thrill. I find I enjoy it more if I can watch 3 or so episodes back to back every several weeks, at a time of day that does not involve setting alarm clocks. When you watch enough different shows, this actually works out very nicely. If you are an Anime fan, you owe it to yourself to check out Crunchyroll, and if you like what you see you should at the minimum join the fan based community there.
Daisuki launches this month, a coalition of 6 Anime houses in Japan trying another way of making their product available around the world. Some of the shows they own are not available through existing streaming services, but many of them are, scattered across multiple providers. Part of the logic of launching this new service is they hope to gain subscribers because they will be a one-stop shop for their titles, so you don’t have to go different places to watch the different shows. At the same time, they have made it clear that they have no intention of pulling shows like Puella Magi Madoka Magica, One Piece, or Lupin the 3rd off of the various streaming services now carrying them. This already makes me appreciate their approach, and I look forward to checking them out once they launch. While I have not been able to find an exact launch date listed, sometime in late April is the announced target, so it shouldn’t be long now.
Yes, this Saturday is the start of the new season of Doctor Who, and the premier of the new series Orphan Black on BBC America. If that wasn’t enough, Chris Hardwick will be following that block up with the new season of The Nerdist. I have already programed my DVR to grab all 3 shows each week, and I am really curious to see how Orphan Black works out. It is a new BBC America production, and I was quite impressed with what they did with Copper, I am hoping this new show will be every bit as twisted and convoluted.
Rooster Teeth, the folks who brought us that masterpiece of combat comedy Red Vs. Blue, have a tasty new animation project: RWBY. The latest trailer is the top one, the Black trailer. After that are the earlier trailers, the White and Red. They haven’t released the Yellow trailer yet, but this will give you an idea of what the new series is up to. I find the style on these very interesting, almost like they recorded Machinima and then rotoscoped them into Anime. Which wouldn’t be a huge surprise, since Red Vs. Blue was some of the finest machinima ever made.
One of the least politically correct superhero comedies ever made, Misfits has been signed up for season 5 according to Digital Spy. Apparently they are also considering doing a movie, and if that happens we may get the return of a few of the earlier cast members as well. So far only the first two seasons are available in the US except through a service like Hulu Plus, and yes, this show is the reason I got a Hulu account.
The 50th anniversary of Doctor Who is coming up in November, and they are making a ton of wonderful specials for it, on top of the actual new episodes in both audio and video format. One of those specials is An Adventure in Space and Time, about how Doctor Who came to exist. David Bradley gets to play actor William Hartnell for this one, while Jessica Raine is the show’s producer Verity Lambert. Check out the exclusive Radio Times photo of Dave as Hartnell, and enjoy this video snippet of the recreation of the pivotal scene from the very first Daleks episode.