life & style // no. 16 theotherpress.ca Anime-zing > Streaming services to check out for your anime fix Brittney MacDonald Life & Style Editor here’s no denying it; anime (stylized Japanese cartoons) is slowly becoming more a part of the mainstream. But that hasn't made it any easier for fans to find their favourite shows, or for newbies to catch up on all those quintessential series that have so far eluded them. As a devoted lover of all things from magical girl to mech, I’ve compiled a list of the three most popular anime streaming services to highlight the pros and cons of each. Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is probably the most well- known streaming service for anime. I do love their user interface—it’s sleek and easy to understand—but my favourite feature of Crunchyroll is also its most problematic. A Crunchyroll app can be downloaded onto your gaming console. This means easy access to your favourite anime from your television as opposed to just your computer. This was great at first, but about three months in the service stopped working. A quick search on the internet showed me that I wasn’t alone, as lots of people were having the same issue, even people who had premium paid accounts (more on this later). Now, I’ve pretty much given up on the app working; it’s been over a year and it works maybe once every two or three months. Besides the issues with the console app, Crunchyroll has another glaring problem. Crunchyroll users are on a tier system—you have the people who use it for free and the people who pay a monthly subscription fee. People who pay a fee don't have to watch commercials, and their anime is broadcast in HD as opposed to the standard 48op. They also have access to a larger anime library. As Crunchyroll gets more aggressive in pressuring users to upgrade their accounts, more and more series are being restricted, which is getting pretty annoying. One of Crunchyroll’s pros, however, is that they translate and subtitle their own anime, which allows them to simulcast. This means that when an episode is released in Japan you can watch the subtitled version that same week on Crunchyroll. These simulcasts are generally not tier restricted—though paid members do get access to the new episodes earlier—so Crunchyroll is great if you're following a current series. Netflix Believe it or not, Netflix does have an anime section, it’s just fairly small and “eclectic.” To say that the Netflix anime library is varied would be a massive understatement— it’s downright crazy. Their available anime basically falls into three categories: adorable, original, and “ecchi.” Adorable anime—such as Little Witch Academia and Fairy Tail—is cute and fun and usually meant fora younger audience. Their original anime series—such as Knights of Sidonia and Castlevania—are actually quite good, and I highly recommend them. Making a wish > Things to know before shopping Wish.com Brittney MacDonald Life & Style Editor hough I had heard of it before, I'd never really explored Wish.com or taken the time to understand what it was. I had seen it in an ad on the sidebar, or spoken about it halfheartedly among co-workers. Now that I’ve actual used the site, I have come to realize that it is the online shopping equivalent of playing poker. That is to say it’s an intense form of gambling. Wish.com is an online shopping site where sellers will blow out old stock at ridiculously discounted prices. Some of the items are free, even, and you just have to pay shipping and handling. You can find everything from cellphones to cardigans, but for the sake of this article and reporting on my own experiences, I will be focusing on the fashion aspect. The Wish website is hard to navigate because there is just so much on there that you can lose hours trying to search for something specific. The website seems made for browsing, instead. The search bar seems to work best with broad and basic descriptions, much like eBay. So simply typing “sweater” will return far too many results, while using brand and design names such as “Nike Women’s Tanjun Athletics Sneakers” won't return Trending Tags Fprom cresses Reansage jewelry Foute any. You also have to keep in mind that many of the sellers on Wish are in Asia, so their English communication skills and ability to speak and write in English varies from seller to seller. This brings me to my next, and probably my most important point— there is no guarantee that the items you purchased will be exactly how you see them in the pictures. This is why I refer to Wish as a bit of a gamble. In my experience, receiving items from Wish has been both good and bad. I’ve gotten really amazing pieces that rival some of the design labels available in Pacific Centre— fderam shorts. Then you get to the “ecchi,” which is a slang word that roughly translates into “pervert.” Though not pornographic, this type of anime does feature a lot of T and A, and is mostly focused on panty-shots. If you're looking for a streaming service where you can watch popular series, anime classics, or even just a site where you can browse until you find something that interests you, then I would definitely avoid Netflix. KissAnime I won't sugarcoat it, KissAnime has the most awful user interface on the planet. It’s confusing, the search bar doesn’t work correctly, titles are case sensitive, and there are ads everywhere. However, out of the three streaming services I have mentioned, I use KissAnime the most. Why? To put it very simply, it comes down to selection. Everything on KissAnime is free to watch, including the fmakeup Frosaches = ites Modis ale but I’ve also gotten some WTF stuff that I’m positive I never ordered, and was actually a mix up at whatever warehouse it came from. Unlike eBay, there is no way to rate the seller of the item, or at least none that I can find. Listings go up and are available until they sell out. They are not organized by seller at all. To combat this, the people who use the site seem to comment religiously. It is not unusual to see a listing with several comments stating various experiences in receiving the item— both good and bad. This makes using Wish a little easier. You can find out fowoator Image via Terrell TIGF on YouTube dubbed series. There are no commercials, though you might have to put up with the occasional buffering, especially if you don‘ hit “hide” on every ad once you're on the episode page. You also don’t need an account to use it, which is nice. This does mean you'll have to pass an J-am-human-and-not-a-bot test before watching an episode. My favourite thing about KissAnime is their library, as it is extensive and covers pretty much every genre you can think of. Though the search bar does require a delicate hand, their anime list can be sorted by title or genre, and this is generally an easier option for if you know what you want or if you just watch to browse, since clicking on a title will bring up a short synopsis. Admittedly, this service does take some getting used to, but it’s worth the effort for people who have exhausted Netflix and Crunchyroll. fr agg oven frruchad Kors Recon Activity Image Via Tech Crunch important things, like whether or not the item in question runs small, or what kind of fabric it’s made from. The last thing I noticed was the shipping time. Because Wish items come from various locations, and are sent by different people, the shipping time can be a bit of a crapshoot. Some sellers are really fast and you'll get your garment in a little over a month, while others might take three. Asa student, Wish is a good option for replenishing or starting a new wardrobe—just buyer beware, and don't expect next-day shipping!