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We tried the Spanish anime ‘Netflix’: AnimeBox offers free access, Android app and a catalog that is still somewhat fair

A new platform for series and movies has appeared in Spain to bring a very specific type of content: anime. Do you like animation made in Japan? Well, you’re in luck: you can add AnimeBox to your list along with Crunchyroll, Netflix, Amazon Prime and others. We have tested the service and it is not bad.

With the huge number of streaming platforms out there, the next step for the new contenders to dethrone Netflix and company is specialize as much as possible. What are you looking for only anime? The first choice that will come to your mind will be Crunchyroll, but there is an alternative newcomer to the streaming ring: AnimeBox. Created by the Spanish distributor Selecta. Vision, AnimeBox is now available to everyone. And I have tried it.

From free access to reduced annual subscription

Animebox Test

I confess that the first thing that caught my attention about AnimeBox was not its attractive launch price, 39.99 euros for the first year, but the fact of finally having the Ranma 1/2 series on an anime platform. Rumiko is one of my favorite mangakas, also one of the most popular authors in Japan, but Ranma had not yet conquered any streaming platform. As a business card, AnimeBox already won me over.

As it happened to the majority of platforms of its style, AnimeBox starts with a fair catalog and with the promise of gradually expanding the available titlesAlso the seasons. Because all the episodes of series like Ranma 1/2 cannot yet be seen, to follow the example: it is only available to play the first season (this happens with all the series that the platform chose to start with). AnimeBox warns that this will be corrected little by little.

This beginning of the journey is adjusted not only in terms of the variety of titles and seasons, but also in applications: currently only the web, the iOS app (iPhone and iPad) and the Android app are available. Smart TV apps are absent, an inexplicable shortcoming for a streaming platform that aspires to compete with the already established ones: neither Tizen nor WebOS nor Android TV (nor Fire TV). These are not on the table at the moment.

Animebox Test

I have tested AnimeBox in the browser, on the iPhone and of course on Android as well. The experience was positive: as far as reproduction is concerned, the platform loads fast, the video and audio quality are at a good level (maximum 1080p with adjustable quality depending on available bandwidth), playback can be resumed where it left off, and content download is available for offline viewing.

The Android app offers playback in a floating window, sends the content to the Google Chromecast, You have a maximum of three different profiles per accountallows you to choose Japanese as the original version, offers dubbing into Spanish and, in some videos, also dubbing into other co-official languages ​​(especially Catalan).

Subscription types in AnimeBox

Animebox Test

Currently, the platform offers four subscription plans ranging from completely free to annual access; with a progression that gaining advantages as the price rises. The characteristics can be summarized in:

Konnichiwa

Tomodachi

Sensei

kami sama

Price

Free

€5.99 per month

€7.99 per month

79.99 euros per year (39.99 euros in launch offer)

simultaneous devices

1

1

2

2

Connected Devices

4

4

4

4

Simulcast (simultaneous Japan releases)

Yeah

Yeah

Yeah

Yeah

content playback

rental only

Rental and access to the standard catalog

Rental, access to the standard catalog and premium movies

Rental, access to the standard catalog and premium movies

downloads

No

No

Yeah

Yeah

Free access does not offer more than simultaneous content with Japan, the so-called “Simulcast” and that was already available on the Selecta Visión page, a Spanish company that develops and maintains AnimeBox. All prices are per month except for the Kami-Sama annual subscription; which is currently halved per launch. This offer applies to the first year, not for life (as is the case with SkyShowtime, for example).

Both for the free subscription and for the paid one, you have to create a user account in AnimeBox. Within each account profiles can be added so that each user (within the family) maintains their own lists and favorites.

Current Limitations of Animebox

Animebox Test

After this initial test of AnimeBox I have found several limitations. Some are specific to the platform, others are a consequence of the initial state in which it is found. These limitations are:

  • The reproduction is only available in Spain. The content of AnimeBox has georestriction: to view it outside of Spanish territory you need a VPN with servers in this country.
  • Only four devices can be registered per account. This greatly limits the range of options, since you have to remove a registered device if you want to add a new one. And only two simultaneous in the most expensive subscriptions.
  • Only the first season of the series. Animebox has already confirmed that it will be adding the remaining seasons, but even so, having only the first one available is a major shortcoming.
  • Apps are somewhat unstable. Playback isn’t a problem, browsing is. During use I have had to log in more than once, the sending of content to the TV has been paused after closing the applications, if the screen turns off during playback the video starts from the beginning and I have had some closing creating new ones profiles.
  • No apps for Smart TVs and players. That a major streaming platform does not offer apps for smart TVs seems inexcusable to me; It is not for nothing that these devices are the most interested in accessing streaming.

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