The landscape of anime streaming has grown prodigiously over the last 20 years. Where anime was once only available outside of Japan through swapped Betamax and bootlegged VHS tapes at niche conventions and backrooms, it has now skyrocketed into home video and streaming on demand. For the right money (or even in some cases FREE), you can get it dang near anywhere and stream it on dang near anything. While quite a few anime fans might be able to navigate the anime digital divide with aplomb, for some fans, especially those new to the genre, it can be confusing to figure out how best to consume the media. Some services offer a vast catalog of selections, while some are geared to specific niches, and even more offer anime merely as an afterthought, throwing some random shows on their service to check a box. 

While you could opt to make like Ash and catch ’em all, and if you’re able to do so, more power to ya, if, instead, you are more fiscally cautious, allow me, your Cajun Samurai Uncle Josh, to give you a detailed (read: Long Winded) profile of some of the more major services in the series I’m calling “Samurai’s Streaming Survey”. We’ll be looking at some of the major and minor streaming services that provide anime, giving you a breakdown of their history and going in-depth to see what makes them tick, how much they cost, and if it’s worth investing in. 

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For our second post, we’re going to look at what has to be the textbook definition of “underdog” in the world of anime. A service that, despite its comparatively small catalog, still finds a way to stay relevant in the anime streaming world: HIDIVE.

Service Overview: 

If Crunchyroll is the Walmart of anime streaming services, then HIDIVE is The Fresh Market of the anime world—you’re only going there for something specific and not necessarily for regular grocery shopping. To some, this seems like a far cry from a company that was once affiliated with one of the biggest anime licensors in the day. Formerly known as Anime Network Online until being acquired by HIDIVE LLC, which in turn was acquired by AMC Networks, the service now serves as a streaming home for Sentai Filmworks’ licenses and several old-school ADV Films licenses. HIDIVE also manages to pick up shows that would go on to be big names like Your Boy Kongming and Food Wars. However, in some cases, like with Food Wars, the license is shared with other streaming services like Hulu or Amazon Prime Video. This does make users wonder, “Heck, if I can get this show elsewhere on another service, why not go there instead of getting a brand new one? 

All that said, with their relatively clean track record, plus their long history in the anime industry that outlasts even Big Orange (if you count the old Anime Network Online days and the affiliation with Sentai, formerly known as ADV Films), HIDIVE is one of the last citadels of anime companies that still feels like a mom-and-pop company, offering up a small and focused collection of shows that, for better or worse, you can’t get anywhere else.

Site Layout: 

Much like Big Orange, HIDIVE adopted the Netflix style of displaying its wares using the sliding panel approach organized in several creative front page categories like “Young But Mighty”, “Don’t Get Mad Get Even”, and, of course, “Ecchi Adventures”. Again, it’s a very cool way to find what you want to watch when you don’t know what you wanna watch! Sadly, though, the main page looks cheap and dated, like those ad-loaded free streaming services that offer direct-to-video movies and shows, and the dark, gloomy colors just aren’t appealing. While I love black and blue together, it does get exhausting seeing it for too long when scrolling.

I would also love it if they used the official vertical posters for their shows instead of using horizontal ones on the main page. It makes the shows easily identifiable, especially for those who wear glasses. Thankfully, the “Browse” section is MUCH better, putting all its categories at the top and using vertical show posters. Also, it would be PRODIGIOUS if they put shows with multiple seasons under ONE umbrella and let the user select what they want to watch. There’s NO REASON why The Dangers in My Heart needs a separate entry for the first and second seasons. It’s the same show with the same title. (In Retrospect, this might be a glitch on the website, as Dangers does have season 1 & 2 under one entry, but season 2 is separated.) Finally, since I mentioned this in my previous review, HIDIVE has a separate genre for LGBTQ+ anime for those who want to find it quicker. Though they don’t currently have many selections, it’s still cool that they have a section for this exclusively. 

Service Offerings: 

In a world now dominated by companies like Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Disney+/Hulu, who either spend their own seemingly endless money to secure big-name licenses or rely on big-name parent companies and connections in the industry to secure shows, HIDIVE is at a clear disadvantage; parent company AMC Network (Which owns HIDIVE and Sentai Filmworks) is not exactly rolling in cash at the moment—at the time of printing, AMC Networks is worth $330 Million. In contrast, Sony Group, which owns Big Orange, is valued at $174 billion. As a result, HIDIVE is limited to what it can afford and, frankly, what other companies don’t want. Scrolling through their catalog, you might find one or two well-known franchises like Lupin the 3rd or Urusei Yatsura. But more often than not, you’ll come across shows like Yandere Dark Elf, Plus-Sized Elf, or Beheneko: The Elf-Girl’s Cat is Secretly an S-Ranked Monster. Not EXACTLY titles that will stand the test of time. Methinks someone on the licensing staff has a thing for horny elves. Hey, I listen and don’t judge. If that’s what floats your proverbial boat, more power to ya. I am however curious of your thoughts on elves that work in Santa Claus’ workshop during Christmas. But I digress. HIDIVE also seems to lean heavily on Isekai and Adventure-based anime like the infamous Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon franchise and Ragna Crimson. Sadly, though, if you do find something that you’ve heard of, in some cases, subsequent seasons are offered on other platforms—such as 2023’s juggernaut Oshi no Ko, which will see its third season air on Big Orange after a two-season run on HIDIVE. Is this a sign of HIDIVE not having the funds to maintain licensure of a franchise, or is this yet another case of Big Orange using Sony Pictures’ money to be a little petty? Nobody knows like Dominos, but it is a hassle to need two services to watch one anime. 

Presentation: 

Just like Crunchyroll, HIDIVE offers both older, existing titles and seasonal titles that it is able to acquire. Also, much like Big Orange, seasonal titles air on the same day, plus or minus some minor technical issues. However, HIDIVE is good at using its Social Media platforms to notify subscribers if there’s an issue, and they are typically corrected promptly. HIDIVE also offers “Dubcasts,” which is the equivalent of Big Orange’s “Simuldubs”, only their release schedule isn’t as rapid and varies from show to show. In some cases, a show won’t get a dub until weeks, if not months, after it’s finished airing, even after a home video release with only subtitles, as is the case with 2023’s Insomniacs After School. And of course, switching between languages is easy, though the location of the settings varies depending on what device you’re using. For example, Roku devices require you to press the “Options” button, while Apple TV devices require you to select the “Subtitles and Language” option on the main screen. You can also change the subtitles’ appearance, either the color of the font or the font itself.

Either way, you get the option to watch it however you want to—subs or dubs. Because, once again, the existence of Dubbed Anime does not cause the subtitled iteration to somehow disappear in the ether. You can enjoy anime as you wish in whatever language you want.

Subscription Prices and Features: 

At the time of printing (October 2025), HIDIVE only offers one subscription option, with billing either monthly ($5.99) or yearly ($69.99). Either option gets you ad-free, unlimited access to the entire 500+ title catalog, and offline viewing options for mobile. Honestly, I feel this is a fair price, considering that HIDIVE has a much smaller catalog with no other options like manga. That said, it would be nice if they offered a discount for the Sentai Filmworks store, especially since some of their shows end up on physical media anyway.

Samurai Suggestion: 

So, with all that, should you subscribe to HIDIVE? Well… your Uncle Josh is gonna be honest with you guys: go monthly. Unless there’s something specifically on HIDIVE that you really wanna watch and can’t get anywhere else, and you know you’re going to be using the service frequently, it would be wise if you didn’t spend your money on a yearly subscription. HIDIVE, in my view, simply does not have enough “MUST SEE” titles to warrant payingi annually, and it doesn’t get the highest quality of anime every season…if it gets anything at all. If you are still interested, however, I would highly recommend using every day of that 7-Day free trial to see if anything tickles your fancy. Of course, you always have the option of subscribing on an “As Needed” basis if, by some miracle, they get a hot show one season, and if there’s a show that is out on Home Video, such as the tale of our Sleepy Time Dorks in Insomniacs After School, just buy it on Blu-Ray and you own it forever. It’s totally up to you.

While their catalog is nowhere near as expansive as the bigger services, and their overall site layout and organization could do with some work, HIDIVE still represents an affordable option in the anime streaming marketplace that is worthy of support, especially if you feel some way about other services like Crunchyroll or Netflix and want to support the underdog. 

By the way, if you’re old enough to remember the cartoon Underdog, Advil Dual Action can work wonders for aching backs and knees.

And that’s it for the second entry in the “Samurai Streaming Survey” series! Next time, we’re going to take a flight to Los Angeles, CA, and explore a service that puts old school anime front and center…so much so, it’s in the name. Gatebreaker is going to break down the Big Crush…Retro Crush that is.  

See you then!