Nintendo has announced that Crunchyroll, the number one anime streaming service available without breaking any laws, has been added to the Wii U.
The massive anime repository, which features over 25,000 HD videos ready to be streamed at a moments notice, will be the fifth streaming service on Nintendo’s flagship console. Premium Crunchyroll members (which is a requirement to use the service on your Wii U) also have the ability to watch select anime episodes one hour after they air in Japan. Currently, there is no state-side equivalent for other TV shows without also having a cable subscription. The best you can do is Hulu, where shows are put on the service one day after they air. So for anime fans who want to jump on message boards while an episode is still hot, this short time to streaming is huge.
Even with the addition of Crunchyroll, Nintendo is still lagging far behind the other flagship consoles in terms of streaming services. They have the essentials with Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, and YouTube, but nothing else. Your best hope as a loyal Wii U fan with a desire to stream content is that Crunchyroll is Nintendo’s first step to getting some other niche services like Crackle, HBO GO, Twitch, or individual sports packages.
To celebrate their launch on the Wii U, Crunchyroll is offering a free month of their premium service, which is normally $11.95/month. You don’t actually need a Wii U to register, so if you’re just interested in trying out the service head over to their sign up page and give it a whirl.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSp-5mjfkgg
Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
