Streaming Service Part 2: November Rankings

[Alzrius]

So, lemme ask you about Crunchyroll. Are there lots of stuff like Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Ninja Scroll, etc..? A lot of anime I have seen over the years is oddly sexual. Like teens at highschool perving on girls with storylines about panty drawers. Im not saying thats all anime, but its a lot of anime.

There's a very, very large amount of anime on Crunchyroll, with more being added all the time (especially now that Funimation's content is being folded into it), so the general answer to any "is there anime like [insert title here] on there?" question is yes.

That said, while I haven't done a ranking or anything, the "fan service" style of anime (i.e. where that's a heavy focus of the series) has never struck me as being an overly large part of what's available. You can find it without difficulty if you go looking for it, but if you don't want that sort of show there's plenty of other options to choose from.

 

[Willie the Duck]

Right now, the only service I am paying for are PBS Livestream and Acorn -- If I can't have my documentaries, mysteries, 30-50 y.o. Britcoms, cobblestone porn period pieces, and Penelope Keith gushing about quaint little villages of 500 people, my stationary bike would end up as a laundry hanger.

and there's so much filler.

This is my frustration with streaming services in general, and what they've done to the entertainment landscape*. Competition can bring out the best in content creators, or it can make them dash madly at anything (anything) that is good enough to go alongside something good in a listing (that at least some people will tune into, and regardless it makes the service seem like a good deal, what with all the options).
*Yes, yes, I know-this is the same thing that cable did to network TV 30 year earlier

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

This is my frustration with streaming services in general, and what they've done to the entertainment landscape*. Competition can bring out the best in content creators, or it can make them dash madly at anything (anything) that is good enough to go alongside something good in a listing (that at least some people will tune into, and regardless it makes the service seem like a good deal, what with all the options).
*Yes, yes, I know-this is the same thing that cable did to network TV 30 year earlier

I don't think that is accurate. I think that there are two countervailing forces at work.

The first is that competition is continuing to breed quality. While you might prefer 30-50 yr. old Britcoms, I personally think it is inarguable that the time period from 1999 - present is inarguably the "Golden Age" of TV. Why 1999? That's the first episode of the Sopranos, and also happens to be "peak" Buffy (season 3). It's a good demarcation.

Was there good tv before? Yes! Has there been a lot of crud since? Indubitably! But by any measure, the sheer quantity of quality programming has increased by massive amounts. I would argue that the majority of programs that people think of as "mediocre" today would probably be viewed as the best programs of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. At a certain point, most people can't come close to keeping up with the volume of quality programming that's coming out. It's too much, too fast, and a lot of it just blows by you.

You want to have a life, right? I'll show you- here's a list of five amazing shows. How many have you watched?
The Americans
The Patriot
Halt And Catch Fire
Rectify
The Leftovers

2? 3? None? Heck, we constantly see quality shows dropped (Station Eleven) that barely generate a ripple - there's just too much stuff out there. We've never had it better when it comes to the quality of programming.

But....

There's another factor at work. Call it ... Zaslav effect. The prestige model? That's very .... last year. Very "HBO." Very "drive people to pay for a subscription." The new hotness is "keep people to have your shows on in the background while you do other stuff and ads play." And for that, you don't want programming that is all intellectual and taxing and requires you to ... actively watch. Instead, you want low-cost, low-engagement programming that is just filling time and has a lot of room for ads. As we move to tiered services, expect to see more of this.

 

[Hex08]

It's like Shudder. If you like horror, you can easily be sated by the mainstream service. But if you are a hardcore horror lover, you gotta get Shudder. If you're ... um ... really into anime*, you want crunchyroll.

I really gave some serious thought to Shudder. I really enjoy horror but am not a diehard fan. It came down to my unwillingness to pay for another service and not enough hours in the day to work, watch TV, play games and hang out with friends.

 

[Zardnaar]

Hard to say but right here right now.

1. Amazon. We resubscribed to watch The Boys, Wheel of Time, and kept it for Rings of Power. However been doing a bond rewatch and there's a few other back catalog shows to watch. Also did Blackadder.

2. Netflix. Mostly for Sandman, Shadow and Bone rewatch and random stuff.

3. TVNZ on Demand. New season of taskmaster, grand designs random shows and back catalog. Has trek, Dr Who, Halo. It's also free.

4. . Disney+ Andor is great and that's about it atm. MCU has turned into hot garbage movies are meh gave up on the TV shows. One show doesn't save a service.

Probably cancel Amazon soon (it's cheap) and maybe Disney+ and resubscribe when something comes on.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

4. . Disney+ Andor is great and that's about it atm. MCU has turned into hot garbage movies are meh gave up on the TV shows. One show doesn't save a service.

That is the thing with the large choice on D+. You love Star Wars and hate the current Marvel stuff. Others love Marvel and hate Star Wars. I have enjoyed all the MCU series more than Andor, though Andor is still alright, and Boba Fett was only saved by Mando.

Then there are others want it for all the Disney and Pixar stuff and don't care about Star Wars or Marvel. And next November will come all the people who subscribe to it for all the new Doctor Who specials and series.

 

[Zardnaar]

That is the thing with the large choice on D+. You love Star Wars and hate the current Marvel stuff. Others love Marvel and hate Star Wars. I have enjoyed all the MCU series more than Andor, though Andor is still alright, and Boba Fett was only saved by Mando.

Then there are others want it for all the Disney and Pixar stuff and don't care about Star Wars or Marvel. And next November will come all the people who subscribe to it for all the new Doctor Who specials and series.

They're getting Doctor Who? I get that fit free here on the TVNZ app.

I wasn't a huge fan of the MCU anyway but the older stuff was watchable.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

There's another factor at work. Call it ... Zaslav effect. The prestige model? That's very .... last year. Very "HBO." Very "drive people to pay for a subscription." The new hotness is "keep people to have your shows on in the background while you do other stuff and ads play." And for that, you don't want programming that is all intellectual and taxing and requires you to ... actively watch. Instead, you want low-cost, low-engagement programming that is just filling time and has a lot of room for ads. As we move to tiered services, expect to see more of this.

Agreed. I call this TV. Seriously, this has been the model since the early days of TV.

The fact that this is the very model that made so many people move away from TV to streaming is probably not going to slow down the adoption of it as a business model for streaming services.

I'm just happy I've had about 20 years in which so many quality TV shows have happened. Fact is, there's enough material I haven't yet seen to keep me going for many years.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

They're getting Doctor Who? I get that fit free here on the TVNZ app.

The UK and Ireland will still get it on BBC, but for everywhere else in the world, it will be moving to Disney Plus in 2023 for all new productions. No word yet if older seasons will also be moved there.

 

[Zardnaar]

The UK and Ireland will still get it on BBC, but for everywhere else in the world, it will be moving to Disney Plus in 2023 for all new productions. No word yet if older seasons will also be moved there.

Ah might give post whatshisface a go. For a while there we were getting more use out of the free. TVNZ app than our paid ones. Had all the new trek, Halo and some British stuff for free.