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 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 fifth post in the series, we’re going to be shifting gears. Up to now, we’ve been looking at anime-exclusive streaming services. But for the next few posts in this series, we’re going to be surveying services that offer anime à la carte—sites where anime is not the primary money maker, but it has enough to draw looks. And to my mind, there’s no better example of this than Big Red. Let’s take a look at the old stalwart of streaming—Netflix.

Service Overview:

If Crunchyroll is the Walmart of anime streaming services, HIDIVE is the Fresh Market, RetroCrush is the Goodwill, and OceanVeil is the Spencer’s Gifts of the anime streaming world, then Netflix is…THE HOUSTON GALLERIA. If you’ve never been in the Galleria, then pretty much imagine your local mall…stacked on top of another mall, stacked on top of ANOTHER mall, with a hotel on top of it for good measure. There are stores aplenty inside with enough selections and options to whet any appetite. To say Netflix is massive is an understatement, and that’s no hyperbole. Having entered the scene as a Mail-In DVD service, Netflix has exploded beyond those humble beginnings to become the world’s top streaming app, synonymous with watching movies and TV series online. With over 300 Million Subscribers and counting, 96% brand awareness, and $39 billion in revenue, it stands to reason that, in the streaming world, Big Red remains the trendsetter.

Of course, with such size and history comes some controversy. Still, a lot of it is related to programming and the politics of the day, such as the fallout over a Netflix Brazil film or the introduction of LGBTQ+ themes in kids’ programming — give you one guess what group is up in arms about that. In addition, it seems that there’s at least one price increase per year, of varying amounts, which causes frustration and anger among subscribers. That, plus the crackdown and enforcement of password-sharing policies, has many searching for streaming alternatives of various degrees of questionable legality. Hey, you do you; it’s not my place to judge.

One of the more notable anime controversies to come from Big Red involves the acquisition of the Evangelion franchise, which included a complete redub of the series and earlier movies, including the series leads—Spike Spencer, Tiffany Grant, and Amanda Winn-Lee as Shinji, Asuka, and Rei, respectively. In addition, the removal of the iconic end theme song “Fly Me To The Moon” and changes to key lines drew sharp backlash from the fanbase. While several of these issues could be seen as logistical rather than a personal attack or a desire to change things for the lol’s, they still stand out to most as a black eye against Big Red.

Controversies aside, we can all agree Netflix is here to stay and grow like a Rita Repulsa monster before the Zord battle. Despite price increases and what you hear online from virtue signalers about the perceived evils of Big Bad, Big Red, the fact remains that in the world of consuming media, Netflix is currently on top of the heap. And with its expanding anime library, Big Red doesn’t look to be yielding its crown anytime soon.

Site Layout:

There’s a reason I frequently mentioned Netflix in my previous surveys. They have become the industry standard by which all other services base their layouts. Huge, vertical sliding panels offering hover previews of the selected show. Not all have them, but most do, and it’s VERY convenient to sample a show before committing. In addition, most shows have tags on their title pages that reflect when new episodes drop or if there’s a new season. I’m of the firm belief that more information is good information, and Netflix provides in spades. There’s even a red “N” on the Netflix Original Series, signifying you ain’t gonna find these shows anywhere else…or see them on home video, sadly enough. Of course, there’s an algorithm that tries to compile what you might like based on what you’ve already seen. However, Netflix takes this to another level by adding a simple Thumbs-Up/Thumbs-Down at the end of every franchise, allowing Big Red to make more refined suggestions. And for the most part, it works very well! In all, you can easily find what you want on the site and even get recommended some new stuff you didn’t know you liked. There’s even a section where Big Red can give you a big playlist of things to watch based on your Zodiac sign…and as a Gemini, I can honestly say…they missed the mark.

Service Offerings:

…it’s NETFLIX. Name a show, and they probably got it. From Bridgerton to Beastars, Big Red is that spot for whatever you wanna watch. With regards to anime, Netflix sports a catalog of roughly 294 anime series and movies…and counting. This is noticeably smaller than the likes of anime-exclusive sites like Big Orange. Still, because it has millions of dollars at its disposal, Netflix has become a key player in the licensing battles, picking up some notable seasonal titles. In addition, Netflix collaborates with other anime studios to produce “Netflix Original Series” (NOS), which, of course, air exclusively on its service. Netflix also licenses content from other platforms, such as Crunchyroll and HIDIVE. Shows like Dr. Stone, Witch Watch, DanDaDan, and Hell’s Paradise all have dual citizenship with Crunchyroll and Big Red, with both services offering simulcasts as they air in Japan. However, the NOS shows are exclusive to Netflix, of course. Shows like the reboot to Ranma 1/2, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity, or The Summer Hikeru Died are locked behind Big Red’s walls and subject to their terms. In addition, Big Red offers multilingual dubs of its NOS licenses; however, the dub release schedule varies by series. Some shows won’t get a dub until after the original production is completed, and some are done a week or so after the original show airs. It really just depends on the show. Heck, in the aforementioned The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity, the show was released in the US weeks after the Japanese airing. Why, I don’t know…but it was a silly decision to make.

Presentation:

If it can connect to the internet, then it can get Netflix. Heck, I’m pretty sure my Apple Watch can connect to the service. Now there’s a thought—watch Witch Watch on my watch. But I digress. The experience across the device divide is pretty much the same everywhere. The player is simple yet functional, letting you scrub along the timeline with previews, and also allowing language swaps between subs and dubs with one click. THIS IS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE DONE. No separate entries for shows, no hunting around for the next episode, no clicking around the interface trying to find language settings. Just a straightforward, clean interface that gets out of the way quickly.

As mentioned earlier, Netflix also offers Subtitled and dubbed anime. In addition, Netflix provides the unique feature of letting viewers watch Japanese subs with English dubs, which I take advantage of whenever I watch on DVD or Blu-Ray. Yes, I know to some it seems weird to have subs on with a dub, but that’s just how I roll. You can customize your own viewing arrangements as you see fit because, as I’ve said many times in the last four posts, the existence of Dubbed Anime does not cause the subtitled iteration to disappear into the ether. You can enjoy anime as you wish in whatever language you want.

Subscription Prices and Features:

The most controversial aspect of Big Red is the cost of entry. As of the time of printing (November 2025), there are three monthly packages available. Standard (With Ads) is $7.99 per month, Standard (No Ads) is $17.99, and Premium is $24.99. I have to admit, it is a little miserly of them not to offer a free trial for their services. I mean, come on, let us try out the services before we plunk down so many coins for it! Aside from the Ads, the main difference between the plans is video and sound quality, and the number of devices you can stream and download videos to for offline viewing. Keep in mind, you’re not just getting access to anime; you’re getting access to NETFLIX. The entire catalog of thousands of movies and TV shows, both live action and animated, is at your beck and call, no matter where you are.

Samurai Suggestion:

So, with all that said, should you subscribe to Netflix? I can safely say YES. Even if you plan on exclusively using the subscription for anime, you’re still getting access to a healthy, high-quality library with a good mix of new, old, and exclusive titles you can only get on Big Red. Heck, with some of the more popular “Dual Citizenship” series like DanDaDan and My Hero Academia being available, you MIGHT be able to get by without having a Crunchyroll account. It just depends on what you want to watch. And of course, should you decide to give anime a rest, you have so much to fall back on.

As for what subscription to pick? Well, that depends on your viewing setup and how much you’re willing to spend. Unless you have an actual 4K+HDR TV with speakers in every nook and cranny of your room, you really don’t need the PREMIUM plan. The Standard should be just fine for all your casual viewing, or if you don’t mind the occasional ad, you can pop for the Standard (With Ads) plan to save a bit of money. To my eyes, the quality of animation has improved by leaps and bounds since the early days, and it will pop on any screen, from the lowliest Walmart-brand FHD monitor to Best Buy’s Black Friday Special Samsung OLED 4K UHD. Just make sure you are prepared for price jumps, as Netflix is notorious for raising prices on a whim.

Dearest gentle reader, Netflix has been at the top of its game for decades now, and shows no sign of stopping. Despite the price increases and controversies, Big Red keeps growing and growing in subscriber count. Now that they’re ingrained into the world of anime licensing and streaming, they have truly grown into their one-stop shop for everything you want to see…whether you literally like it or not.

*KNOCK-KNOCK*

And that’s it for the fifth entry in the Samurai Streaming Survey series! Coming up next, we’re going to visit a literal shopping center and check out their anime offerings! While most go to this site for Prime deals on household items, it’s the Prime Video that we’re going to be looking at.

See you then!