- When HBO Max first came out,
there was a lot of talk about it's anime library.
So, is HBO Max an anime paradise?
Is it going to make Crunchyroll and Funimation obsolete?
I mean, just scrolling through the HBO Max front page,
you see Crunchyroll right there in the "hubs" section.
So, what gives?
Yes, there was a lot of hand wringing in the beginning
about whether Crunchyroll
would be absorbed by the mega streaming service
and basically just disappear,
but that's not the case, at least not at this point.
Today, I'm going to explain
how the HBO Max/Crunchyroll relationship works
and why it's both amazing and disappointing
for the serious anime enthusiast.
So, let's dive in.
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Alright. Now, here's what you need to know.
HBO Max, of course, is the mega streaming service
that you can get for 15 bucks a month.
Once you're signed up for it,
once you get into the service,
you can scroll down on their main page
and you'll eventually come across the "hubs" section
and there is a Crunchyroll collection right there in the mix
with all the rest of those hubs.
Now, what you see in that hub
is not the Crunchyroll library.
What you're seeing there
is a curated list of a few titles
that Crunchyroll is sending over to HBO Max.
So, a curated selection on HBO Max
means that what you're getting
is some of the best titles available on Crunchyroll
without wading through the rest
'cause I mean, anime is like anything else, right?
TV, movies, music, books, whatever.
Most of what's out there is mediocre at best
with some real garbage thrown in there too,
and yes, some amazing gems as well,
and that's basically what the Crunchyroll collection
on HBO Max is.
It's the gems pulled together in a single list.
Now, I make no claims of being a connoisseur of anime,
so what I did was I took a poll
of the more informed, cultured co-workers that I've got
and ask them which titles
currently available on HBO Max
are the absolute must watch titles
and the overwhelming consensus
was pretty much what I expected.
If it boils down to one,
if you're new to anime
and you've got to pick the one show you have to watch,
the title that kept coming back,
was Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
Yeah, it's a pretty standard pick,
maybe even cliche,
but that doesn't make it any less of a good choice, right?
Now, I did get some pretty interesting responses
when I asked about any lesser known gems
among the Crunchyroll collection
and, in fact,
I would like to hear your responses to that question
as well.
So hit those comments,
but the most common responses I got
were Kill la Kill,
maybe not exactly a hidden gem, but still,
Mob Psycho 100, and, interestingly,
Food Wars made that list too,
but, even then,
although these are more niche titles than
Full Metal Alchemist,
we're not exactly getting into truly obscure territory,
right?
And I'm gonna come back to that concept in just a moment,
but first, let's wrap up
talking about what you can get on HBO Max
because we can't talk about anime on HBO Max
without at least mentioning Studio Ghibli.
The entire studio Studio Ghibli collection
is available on HBO Max
and this is the first time
that it has been available for streaming in the US,
so that's a big deal all by itself
and that is not a rotating collection.
That's there to stay for the foreseeable future
and HBO Max also has tons of other stuff
outside of strictly anime.
So, if you also enjoy other animated fare,
you've got Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, DC Universe,
all of which have some standout titles.
So, alongside Full Metal Alchemist and Howl's Moving Castle,
you can get Batman Beyond, and Adventure Time,
and Rick and Morty, and old Space Ghost reruns,
but anyway, back to anime.
Here's where things stand with anime and HBO Max.
HBO Max is not going to kill Crunchyroll,
at least not for the foreseeable future,
but it is going to be a nice relationship
for us to enjoy for a while.
HBO Max isn't necessarily the place to be
if you are a hardcore anime fan
and you love that obscure stuff,
but they can at least scratch that hardcore fans itch,
and it's going to be a great place to introduce new fans
to some quality titles.
So, if anime is all you watch,
stick with Crunchyroll and Funimation
and whatever other service you use
to get those hundreds of obscure, super niche titles,
but, if you just like to sprinkle some anime
in with your other shows and movies,
then HBO Max really,
again, becomes a must have service.
I've said it before, and I'll say it here
with anime as well,
HBO Max is fantastic.
At least, that's my take, you know what to do now,
let me know what you think.
Hit the comments below.
Make sure you give this a like, subscribe.
Be nice to puppies.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Be excellent to each other.
Anyway, I'll see you guys next time.
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