Crunchyroll Review

Genres and channels

You can view a wealth of anime content on Crunchyroll. The two main categories are Anime and Drama. Under Anime, the sub categories are Popular, Simulcasts, Updated, Alphabetical, Genres and Seasons. Popular titles include Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia and One Punch Man. Titles are constantly being updated with the latest episodes so you never miss out. With the Genres section, you can check the boxes to view shows listed under Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Ecchi, Fantasy, Historical, Mecha, Romance, Science Fiction, Mature, Shoujo, Shounen, Slice of Life or Sports. With the Drama section, you can browse using the same sub categories.

Top Crunchyroll shows and movies

My Hero Academia – This anime is set in a world where people with superpowers are commonplace. Izuku Midoriya has dreams of becoming a superhero, despite being teased in school for not having a superpower – known as a Quirk. After he is the only one who tries to save his friend from a villain, Japan’s greatest hero – All Might – gives him a Quirk called One For All. He then enters a special school designed to produce the next generation of superheroes.

Attack on Titan – This dark anime focuses on a world where humanity is based in cities surrounded by walls as protection from giant humanoid beings called Titans, who devour humans. Eren, Mikasa and Armin have their lives changed forever when a Colossal Titan breaks through the wall of their hometown. Eren and his friends join the Scout Regiment in an effort to defeat the threat.

Hunter X Hunter – Hunter X Hunter follows the story of a boy called Gon, who discovers that the father he thought was dead is in fact alive. Ging is actually a Hunter, who left his son with relatives so he could follow his own dreams. However, Gon decides to sign up for the Hunter Examination and find his father in order to become a Hunter himself.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – All 27 volumes of the manga are incorporated into this version of Fullmetal Alchemist, unlike the first series. Two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Eric, are growing up raised by their mother Trisha Elric in a remote village in Amestris. Their father is a gifted alchemist who abandoned the family, but the boys soon begin to show a talent for alchemy too. They travel the world to progress in their alchemic training and carry out some dangerous acts in the process.

Naruto – A powerful fox called the Nine-Tails attacks a hidden leaf village called Konoha, which is located in the Ninja World. The leader of Konoha seals the fox inside his newborn son Naruto’s body. As a result, the leader loses his life and Naruto is ridiculed by the other villagers for being Nine-Tails’ host. Naruto learns the truth and becomes a ninja, forming a team with a few others.

Blue Exorcist – Rin and Yukio Okumara are twins raised by Father Shiro Fujimoto, who is an Exorcist. They discover they are the sons of Satan. After Shiro dies to protect Rin, he draws a demon-slaying sword called Kurikara and gains demonic features along with the power to ignite into destructive blue flames. He vows to become an exorcist so he can become stronger and beat Satan.

One Piece – Monkey D Luffy is a young man who embarks on a journey from the East Blue Sea to find famous treasure called One Piece and therefore announce himself as the King of the Pirates. He is inspired by powerful pirate Red Haired Shanks, and befriends a swordsman, Nami, Usopp and Sanji as he progresses on his journey aboard a ship called the Going Merry.

Your lie in April – Kosei Arima is a gifted piano player who becomes famous but controversial. His mother Saki dies suddenly, which leads to Kosei experiencing a mental breakdown. He can no longer hear the sound of the piano, even though he has no problems with his hearing. Two years later, he meets a girl called Kaori who changes everything.

Bleach – A 15 year old high school student named Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper after Ruki fails to perform her duties following a battle with a particularly tough Hollow. He reluctantly accepts the responsibility and discovers several of his friends and classmates have powers of their own, such as being able to use spirit particles, possessing a group of protective spirits and using strength equal to the Hollows.

The Seven Deadly Sins – The Holy Knights were once a group that made use of powerful magic to protect the kingdom, but they have now overthrown the king to rule an oppressive and tyrannical reign. The third princess of the Kingdom of Liones, Elizabeth Liones, embarks on a mission to find the Seven Deadly Sins. These are a group of powerful but dangerous former Holy Knights who are now wanted criminals for betraying the kingdom a decade earlier.

Streaming library

The interface with Crunchyroll is fairly intuitive, although there is some room for improvement in terms of updating the design and user experience. On the site homepage, upcoming episodes to stream are clearly showcased in the right sidebar, along with titles that are now showing. The next day of content and its air times are shown, along with the following few days after that.

Users can queue shows to watch so there is no need to keep flicking through the library every time an episode ends. Alternatively, they can click on the Random button to be taken to a random show and see if they enjoy it.

Streaming quality

Those subscribed to the Crunchyroll Free plan will have a standard streaming definition of 480p. People on Crunchyroll Premium will get high definition 720p and 1080p for certain titles in the library. However, there is no 4K capability available with Crunchyroll.

It is generally recommended that people who want to stream HD video (which is the category 720p and 1080p streams fall into) will need a bandwidth of at least 5Mbps.

Customer support

People wanting to contact Crunchyroll can fill out an online web form with their inquiry. Those who are Premium Members will receive a quicker response. For video streaming problems, there is a Video Help Guide available for troubleshooting.

There is not a phone number or live chat function available, but community support is on offer in the forum. There is also a knowledge base with a good range of FAQs for browsing.

Free trial

New users can make use of a 14 day free trial before deciding if they want to progress with Crunchyroll. This trial allows people to see if they will want to watch the available content, and if they do, they can simply keep their account open and start being charged for a monthly subscription once the time period has expired.

Plans and pricing

The Crunchyroll Free option gives users limited access to anime titles and dramas. There will also be ads on content. With Crunchyroll Premium, the full library is unlocked and simulcasts are also available. Store discounts and priority support responses are provided.

Customers can choose from three billing cycles with Crunchyroll Premium. 1 month is $7.99, 3 months is $22.99 and 12 months is $79.99. The 3 month option is equivalent to $7.66 a month, and the annual price is the same as $6.66 a month. Furthermore, the 12 month cycle provides savings of 16%.

Competitors

Those interested in the world of anime will know that the main competitor for Crunchyroll won’t be a mainstream option like Amazon Prime Video, Hulu or Netflix. Instead, it is Funimation. Both have their own perks – for example, Crunchyroll has an engaged community where their thoughts on anime they want added to the platform is listened to. However, those who want classic anime should check out Funimation, while Crunchyroll has newer and more popular titles. Crunchyroll has better subtitled options, while Funimation has better English dubs.

Elsewhere, Funimation draws some subscribers due to its higher quality streaming. While both platforms have streams available in 1080p, Funimation has updated some of the classics to this resolution from 480p.

Crunchyroll will get interest over Funimation for those who want to browse live action drama as well as anime titles. By dividing its content library between anime and drama, Crunchyroll has ensured it has a diverse roster that attracts plenty of people.

Is Crunchyroll worth it?

Crunchyroll is one of the best destinations for anime content. There is endless entertainment to be had with shows constantly getting updated with the latest episodes, and you can read manga if you want a break from streaming content. The trial allows users to try before they buy, and the price of a premium subscription is generally cheaper than that seen with larger and more general streaming services.

Over time, Crunchyroll has only continued to grow. On an annual basis, the platform hosts The Anime Awards, also referred to as the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. This event sees various anime over the previous year recognised for its popularity and merit. Meanwhile, 2017 saw the Crunchyroll Expo created. This anime convention has become increasingly popular since its initial launch, with movie premieres, screenings and high profile guests featuring.

In February 2020, Crunchyroll announced they would be creating a number of series as part of their Crunchyroll Originals sector. The anime or animated series are co-produced or directly produced by the company. Series include In/Spectre, Tower of God, The God of High School and Onyx Equinox. Content and developments like these mean that Crunchyroll is definitely one to watch.

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