Anime Fans Online

As an anime fan in the US the biggest problem is finding anime. Sure we all have our favorite little shops, but the small local stores usually don’t have much selection. Where do you go to find a large selection of anime? Online. You don’t have to download fansubs, you can rent anime online. Here are 4 places to rent anime online, with a few pros and cons for each.

1. Netflix.

Netflix is one of, if not the, oldest online movie rental company. A lot of people already have accounts and are very happy renting movies from them. They have a pretty good selection. They carry classic anime, popular titles and some lesser known stuff.

• Pros

Around 1,500 animated titles to choose from.

You can rent non-anime movies too.

Established. They’ve been around for a while.

They offer a free trial.

• Cons

Not all of their 1,500 animated titles are anime. Anime is mixed in with other animated titles.

No brick and mortar stores. It’s online only.

2. Blockbuster.

You may be more familiar with their local stores. They’ve been offering online rental for a couple of years now. Lately they’ve been promoting their online rentals a bit more. They’ve been renting movies for a while now, so they know what they’re doing.

• Pros

Brick and mortar stores. You can take your online rentals back to a Blockbuster store and get another one there.

Lots of anime titles. They have new and old anime. The oldest anime I found was Gigantor, from 1963.

Like Netflix, you can rent non-anime. Just in case you need a break.

Free trial available.

• Cons

The biggest con is the web site. It’s been vastly improved, but it’s still a bit tough to negotiate.

Family oriented. If you’re looking for hentai, you won’t find it here. Even some ecchi titles can’t be found at Blockbuster.

Even though they rent games, they’re not included in the movie rental. You have to sign up for game rental and pay more.

3. Rent Anime.

If you only want to rent anime, this is a good choice. They’re run by AnimeNation, a reputable anime store and distributor.

• Pros

Huge selection since they only rent anime. You should be able to find just about any anime title you want.

Adult anime fans can find ecchi and hentai there.

The online rental site for AnimeNation, an established and trusted online anime store. AnimeNation has been around since 1995.

Free Trial.

• Cons

Online only, no brick and mortar stores.

The site looks good, but it can be hard to find the information you’re looking for.

4. Anime Takeout.

I’m not very familiar with Anime Takeout. I’ve included them here for one reason. The also offer manga rental for an extra fee. Manga can be expensive, so a manga rental option could save you some money.

For a better idea of Anime Takeout check the customer reviews at DVD Rental Review.

• Pros

You can rent anime and manga.

Lots of titles.

• Cons

Renting manga almost doubles the subscription price.

No matter what plan you sign up for, you can only have 2 manga out at a time. The only way to rent more than 2 manga at a time is to sign up for another account.

Slow shipping and returns.

No hentai for adult anime fans.

No free trial.

Poor to non-existent customer service.

The winner is…

I’d have to say for anime only rentals, RentAnime is the clear choice. If you want to rent some non-anime from time to time, I’d go with Blockbuster for the ability to return DVDs to the store instead of mailing them in.

It might be worth keeping an eye on AnimeTakeout. If they get their act together, then having manga rentals could be a very strong selling point

anime, manga, list, 4, four, list of 4, list of four, rental, rent, rent anime, rent manga, rent online, rent anime online, rent manga online, anime rental, online anime, online anime rental, Netflix, Blockbuster, RentAnime, Rent Anime, AnimeNation, Anime Nation, AnimeTakeout, Anime Takeout, DVD rental, online rental,