As part of the Amazon Channels service, Amazon is creating its own on-demand video service dedicated exclusively to anime movies and TV shows called Anime Strike. This service will allow streaming of anime series and movies and provide new episodes to series shortly after they premiere in Japan.
This service looks very similar to the on-demand service Crunchyroll, which also offers a vast library of anime. The biggest difference between the two is that Anime Strike appears to feature only anime for mature audiences, whereas Crunchyroll offers mature anime, children’s anime and several Japanese live-action TV shows, which makes it accessible to a much broader audience.
Anime Strike will cost subscribers a monthly fee of $4.99 and will provide viewers with over 1,000 titles, which features classic movies such as Akira and Vampire Hunter D, popular series like Death Note, Attack On Titan and Space Dandy, plus many of its own exclusive shows.
This service is just one of the more than 100 other channels that make up Amazon Channels, which also includes services provided by HBO, Showtime, AMC, Starz and many more. One service which is – unsurprisingly – completely absent from Amazon Channels is Crunchyroll. Amazon will be competing against the service, which currently has over 750,000 paid subscribers.