Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

[Chris Beveridge]

With the news earlier today about Crunchyroll having broken the 100,000 paying member mark and how they’ve done it, we’ve decided to ask the readers here, who largely use streaming services to see the latest anime, where they stand on it and their experiences with the service. With Crunchyroll starting from dubious beginnings for many [...]

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[cress2000]

Re: Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

I am, though I admit to going entire months without using it at all. I think that'll change once they get HD streaming implemented on PS3 though.

[EmperorBrandon]

Re: Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

I am one of Crunchyroll's paying members, continuously so since around October 2009. No one does anime simulcasts better than them IMO, so I'm happy to stick with it. I've mostly only used their website. I have their Android app after getting my smart phone just this year, but I prefer watching stuff on my laptop screen.

[Hayate Kurogane]

Re: Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

I'm a paying member, though I didn't sign up until some time after they'd launched that option. Early on, though, I did pay to download and own some of those initial offerings, since I was keen on that model at the time; I have half of Linebarrels of Iron, and all of season 1 of Strike Witches.

Though I won't go through months of non-use like cress mentions, my usage is pretty sporadic. It actually doesn't motivate me to watch or try that many shows, and those few shows I do follow I will go 2-3 weeks without looking at and then get caught up during a viewing session one day. Even so, I still think it's worth the fee to have the option, and I very much agree with EB that it's by far the best of the options out there in terms of simulcasts. I'm not going to lose sleep over $6.95 per month, anyway, even if I may go a month without using the site at all; if I did, I'd have bigger issues to deal with.

[ProvidenceBreaker]

Re: Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

I'm really fickle when it comes to new anime. I either follow one show per season or none at all. In those circumstances I'm better off just dealing with some ads and watching episodes a week or two late. I'm rather materialistic in nature and would prefer to put my money towards physical releases. The subscription is a paltry sum, but that's just how my brain is wired. I may have been tempted with Fate/Zero, but NicoNico was streaming it immediately for free.

[GingaDaiuchuu]

Re: Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

Of course. I've been a paying member since paid memberships were necessary to watch new simulcasts the day they aired in Japan (January 8, 2009 sounds right). Now, I watch 14 simulcasts every week on Crunchyroll, and if the percentage of new series they simulcast is as good or better next season, that number will be much higher.

I only watch on computers, although I will definitely be watching some on the PS3 when the PS3 app is in HD.

It's such a cheap price for so much content, and they do such a better job than anyone else that I always hope they get everything I'm interested in, rather than anyone else. I basically try out anything that Crunchyroll simulcasts unless I'm really sure I'll hate it or just don't have any extra free time. I'm very glad that they got all but like 6 shows this past season, since they're by far the best at simulcasts, and I hope for even better next season. It's absolutely the best use of my money for the amount of content I get out of it.

[omoikane]

Re: Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

Paying member since Dec 26, 2008. Considering I thought the CR premium membership was an acceptable deal back towards the beginning, when I would watch maybe 2-3 shows a season on CR, things has only looked up since then. I'm watching or planning to watch 18 shows this season. Yep...

I watch some shows on the PC, some on my Android phone, some on the PS3. I noticed some shows look MUCH worse on the PS3 than others (like, Total Eclipse) and I don't know why. I actually watch CR on my phone streaming over WWAN, and it works...well enough that I keep doing it.

I sort of remember the early days when they would have capacity issues, especially on Naruto or Bleach days. Thankfully most of that has gone away by end of 2009. Their old web player also sucked. Not anymore though. Today, they still have random issues with, say, some shows being delayed on some devices and there's no notice of it (like Nakaimo...), some issues with "no naughty shows on iOS" and the like, and issues with their content provider releasing things later than other TV stations. Other than that and random one-shot issues (don't screw up your Tari Tari releases please), there's no complaints from me!

[wagr]

Re: Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

I have been a member since about when they first offered it. Like cress, there are some months where I don't use it. Data caps keep me from using it more often. I typically get to the last weekend of the month and see how many episodes I can afford to watch.

What I do watch is viewed on my TV streamed through my laptop.

I prefer them over Funi or Anime Network, partially because I'm more used to their interface, and because their video is less block-y over my slow connection.

[Keith Palmer]

Re: Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

I only signed up not quite a year ago, but I've been a paying member ever since. Actually, I decided on the three-month renewal to begin with "just in case," so I ought to move to the yearly renewal and save money... My viewing habits aren't extravagant, just a series or two (or three) every season, but even at the price I'm paying it seems value for money.

[Sabure]

Re: Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

Yes, I'm a paying subscriber. I don't remember exactly when I signed up, but it was around the time they started streaming Shugo Chara that I decided to go forward with a subscription. Usually I'll watch the simulcasts on my laptop, but I do have their iPod app and use that on occasion. At first I used CR's services just to check out a few shows here and there, but now it's an integral part of my anime viewing experience (especially this year with all of the cool shows they acquired).

[GundamWingMan]

Re: Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

I've had the premium membership for a couple of years now, and in my opinion, it's money well spent as I watch anime several times a month. To be honest, I spend more every week on the lottery than I do on CR, so it's a darn good deal. At first, I started just watching on my computer, when I got the app for my iPad, I hooked it up to my HDTV and watched shows on that. Now I've got the app for my PS3 and with it, no more cables and 5.1 sound. Whoo! All in all, I'm glad to be a member of CR.

[fireaxe]

Re: Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

I'm a paying subscriber since the beginning of the current season, so it's all pretty new to me. Simulcasts never really appealed to me until very recently, and I was against the idea of giving some of my money for a service hosted by people who worked against the anime industry for so long. So I held off for a couple of years, but now that they seem 99.5% legit (the past can't be re-written) I decided to stop procrastinating and give it a try. I've been watching 3 simulcasts a week all summer (Tari Tari, Humanity Has Declined and Yuru Yuri S2), and I can affirm that I'm pleased customer. I've been mostly using it on my PC for the simulcast, but I do watch some older/lighter shows on my Android phone and it works super fine.

[Jimmie M]

Re: Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

I've been a paying member since January 28th of this year & it has been worth it IMO. I had been watching CR exclusively on my laptop up until last month when I downloaded the app for my PS3 & now I pretty much watch it on TV via the PS3. There's only been 1 simulcast that I was able to keep up with (Bodacious Space Pirates) due to other things that I have going on with physical media (Plus Hulu Plus & Netflix) but I do have a number of shows in my queue & I try to get them in at least twice a week.

[Draneor]

Re: Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

I've been a paying member since shortly after launch. CR has changed my anime viewing from fansubs to legal streams. Mainly because they're usually timely and so darn convenient!

[LKK]

Re: Questioning Fandom: Are You One Of Crunchyroll’s Paying Members?

I've been a premium anime member since July 2010. (Don't have a live drama subscription.) I use the web app almost exclusively. The "almost" refers to the couple of times I used my Android phone. I watch multiple simulcasts on a weekly basis. I rarely go for its back catalog but that would change if they added an older show that I wanted badly to see. My cable internet speed is fairly steady at a fast rate so I usually have little trouble watching the 1080 stream. To that end, I bought a separate 24" TrueHD monitor for my laptop so that my husband and I could watch CR's 1080 streams and not bang our heads together. I've gone from someone who refused to watch CR during its piracy days to someone who hopes that CR gets a stream of every new show of every season.