One of the most successful online streaming anime platforms is celebrating its tenth year of service.
Crunchyroll.com offers over 25,000 episodes of licensed content from Asian media companies, online forums for fan discussions, live simulcasts, a merchandise store and a detailed news section. A subscription runs for $6.95 per month and they also offer a free 14-day trial of their premium subscription to new users. Most of their shows include English dubs, if subtitles are not preferred. Some of their content is free, but ads will be shown throughout the viewing.
For anyone unaware of anime or need a starting point, here’s a list of recommendations to get you started.
Title: Sword Art Online
Episodes: 25
English Dub: yes
Plot: Two high school students play a virtual reality role-playing game, but there’s a life-threatening catch. If a player dies in the game they die in real life, and they are trapped in the game until they beat the highest level.
Title: Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma
Episodes: 24
English Dub: No, but subtitles are available
Plot: A middle school student is set on becoming a better chef than his father. His father enrolls him in a prestigious culinary program that has a ten percent graduation rate. He must face challenges as a chef and person in order to have a chance of graduating the program.
Title: Your Lie In April
Episodes: 22
English Dub: No, but English subtitles are available
Plot: A young piano virtuoso refuses to play after his mother’s death, but he changes his mind once he meets a talented violinist. Their relationship grows as they enter competitions together, but their time together is jeopardized by a bittersweet connection to the boy’s past.
Title: A Lull in the sea
Episodes: 26
English Dub: No, but English subtitles are available
Plot: Four middle school aged students emerge from under the sea to attend school above water. This is a coming of age drama about the children as they adjust to a new way of life with people who are not accustomed to their ways.
