Anime Strike???, Amazon’s new Premium Anime Service
Amazon just launched its new anime service, Anime Strike. I have to say, I like their name. There’s a similarity to a certain anime blog that I love. But what does this service have to offer and is it anything that can compete with Crunchy roll and other services?
Pricing
Anime strike is only $4.99, whereas Crunchy Roll is $6.95. For their premium membership. Crunchy Roll’s more exclusive membership is $11.95, but that does not offer much more in terms of content. So it could be argued that Anime Strike is the more affordable option, however Crunchy Roll does offer a non-premium service, which is free but filled with Ads. A drawback of Anime Strike however, is that you need Amazon Prime to use the service. That is an additional $10.99 a month.
Content
Amazon only has about 1/15th the content of Crunchy Roll. This is frankly the biggest drawback. They both have Simulcast, meaning new episodes will launch the same day as they air in Japan. Crunchy Roll also provides Dramas and manga included in their package. This is Crunchy Roll’s greatest Advantage. But Amazon isn’t out yet. They will be carrying their own anime exclusives, and in a similar fashion to how Netflix likes to produce their own content, they will produce some of their own content too. Some exclusives will include, “Onihei, Scum’s Wish, and The Great Passage”. While Netflix’s produced anime content has been seen to be mostly flops, Amazon does show some promise. They have already stepped in a promising direction, working with Studio Ghibli to produce Ronia The Robber’s Daughter, a 26 episode series.
Is it worth Getting?
That answer really hinges on the the quality of its exclusive content. If you don’t care about its exclusive content, since you need amazon prime to have anime strike, it really isn’t worth considering unless you already have Amazon Prime. If you don’t have Amazon prime, and you get it just for Anime Strike you will be spending close to $16 monthly. Crunchy Roll is a much better option financially and for viewing diversity. But if you have Amazon Prime, and/or you are excited for the exclusive content, such us Ronia, then it may be worth getting.
