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Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2997
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2026 9:16 am Reply with quote
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As Chris and I discussed in a previous column, REMOW is uploading all of the classic shonen gag anime KochiKame to the It's Anime YouTube channel! And while they have switched to uploading episodes in batches since Chris and I first talked about this surprise release, they seem to be keeping at it!


REMOW's last upload of Kochikame episodes, 41-50, was back in August. There was some initial confusion as to how much they had licensed (they had stated at a small con panel that it was the first 100), but in a comment for that last batch they confirmed that they had only licensed the first 50 episodes. I'd love to see more of Kochikame offered by REMOW, because I really enjoyed those first 50 episodes, but they are most certainly not "keeping at it" with new batches.
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Greed1914



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 5348
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2026 9:51 am Reply with quote
It's almost funny to see companies putting anime on youtube since I remember back 20+ years ago thinking that officially uploading at least a few episodes would have helped with the old business model of selling DVDs for series that you couldn't legally view and were expected to buy sight unseen.


One of the more interesting aspects of what is happening now is that it seems like the license owners are maybe not as thrilled with streaming exclusivity as they once were. Akane Banashi is going to also be on Netflix with a dub, but it will be weeks after the series started on youtube. The number of titles that I see on both Crunchyroll and Netflix seems larger in more recent seasons. Older series being uploaded to youtube feels like an, "I'll do it myself" thing. It's a little humorous seeing Hulu's billboard saying it is the "anime destination" and then there is Naruto on there, and Viz has always been keen to put that one everywhere.
I certainly wouldn't mind if the trend continues.
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EmeraldSaucer



Joined: 31 Jan 2025
Posts: 935
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2026 2:58 pm Reply with quote
Hopefully YT doesn't become a go-to as more companies get burned by streaming services, because YT's terrible compression is very clearly not made with drawn art in mind
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Zalis116
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Joined: 31 Mar 2005
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Location: Kazune City
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2026 3:29 pm Reply with quote
Fun fact: when YouTube first started out, it got word-filtered here on the forums to "A place with a lot of stupid videos and a lot of pirated videos and not much else." That filter eventually got lifted as the "Wild West" era of YT gave way to copyright crackdowns and more legitimately-hosted anime.
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Top Gun



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 5293
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2026 4:00 pm Reply with quote
Zalis116 wrote:
Fun fact: when YouTube first started out, it got word-filtered here on the forums to "A place with a lot of stupid videos and a lot of pirated videos and not much else." That filter eventually got lifted as the "Wild West" era of YT gave way to copyright crackdowns and more legitimately-hosted anime.

I too mourn for the days of "Cowboy Bebop Episode 5 Part 1/3."
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Kicksville



Joined: 20 Nov 2010
Posts: 1415
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2026 6:04 pm Reply with quote
The earliest big official YouTube push I can remember (maybe not the actual first) was Gonzo with Tower of Druaga: Aegis of Uruk and Blassreiter. This was 2008.

It was along with putting them on Crunchyroll (right as they were getting venture capital, but weren't fully legit yet) and BOST TV (which I don't remember at all), even with pay-what-you-want download options. Although I also don't recall if any of this streamed in its entirety, or how long they were up for - availability on Crunchyroll may have been dicey.

Maybe someone else's memory of this time is better than mine.

Funny enough both shows ended up getting licensed by Funimation and are streaming on Crunchyroll now thanks to the buyout.
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JustMonika



Joined: 17 Jan 2022
Posts: 1567
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2026 7:29 pm Reply with quote
I assume Crunchyroll is still kicking themselves in the butt for not licensing Cinderella Gray.
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Saeryen



Joined: 26 Aug 2020
Posts: 1162
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2026 9:05 pm Reply with quote
I’m surprised there’s no mention of Magical Sisters Lulutto Lily, which has official English subs on YouTube.
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Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2997
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Tue Apr 28, 2026 9:07 pm Reply with quote
JustMonika wrote:
I assume Crunchyroll is still kicking themselves in the butt for not licensing Cinderella Gray.


I don't think they really care, quite honestly. They're too busy licensing so much stuff every season (if not being a part of the production itself) that missing a single title, unless it winds up being a major mainstream hit, doesn't really make a difference to them.
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Glordit



Joined: 11 Sep 2020
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 29, 2026 12:36 am Reply with quote
Lord Geo wrote:
Quote:
As Chris and I discussed in a previous column, REMOW is uploading all of the classic shonen gag anime KochiKame to the It's Anime YouTube channel! And while they have switched to uploading episodes in batches since Chris and I first talked about this surprise release, they seem to be keeping at it!


REMOW's last upload of Kochikame episodes, 41-50, was back in August. There was some initial confusion as to how much they had licensed (they had stated at a small con panel that it was the first 100), but in a comment for that last batch they confirmed that they had only licensed the first 50 episodes. I'd love to see more of Kochikame offered by REMOW, because I really enjoyed those first 50 episodes, but they are most certainly not "keeping at it" with new batches.


They also stopped uploading the original Kimengumi, I'm assuming for the same reasons.

JustMonika wrote:
I assume Crunchyroll is still kicking themselves in the butt for not licensing Cinderella Gray.


REMOW owned the license so they had the final say on who streamed it.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 12735
PostPosted: Wed Apr 29, 2026 6:03 am Reply with quote
Saeryen wrote:
I’m surprised there’s no mention of Magical Sisters Lulutto Lily, which has official English subs on YouTube.

It was mentioned? They even embedded the first episode.
Coop wrote:
Looking back toward the more experimental, ambitious end of anime on YouTube for a moment, Studio Pierrot's using that aforementioned wriggle room to debut the grand return of their magical girls—Magical Sisters Lulutto Lilly. ... The studio's bold move to stream the Lulutto Lilly on YouTube (on a slight delay) might go back to what we've talked about when it comes serving audiences that normally wouldn't be by the larger streamers.

Lucas wrote:
By this same token, a YouTube release makes a lot of sense for Magical Sisters Lulutto Lilly!
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mdo7



Joined: 23 May 2007
Posts: 8226
Location: Katy, Texas, USA
PostPosted: Wed Apr 29, 2026 8:34 am Reply with quote
Zalis116 wrote:
Fun fact: when YouTube first started out, it got word-filtered here on the forums to "A place with a lot of stupid videos and a lot of pirated videos and not much else." That filter eventually got lifted as the "Wild West" era of YT gave way to copyright crackdowns and more legitimately-hosted anime.


Ah yes, I remembered those days when I first became part of the anime fandom in late 2000's. Good memories!!!
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Saeryen



Joined: 26 Aug 2020
Posts: 1162
PostPosted: Wed Apr 29, 2026 9:11 am Reply with quote
Gina Szanboti wrote:
Saeryen wrote:
I’m surprised there’s no mention of Magical Sisters Lulutto Lily, which has official English subs on YouTube.

It was mentioned? They even embedded the first episode.
Coop wrote:
Looking back toward the more experimental, ambitious end of anime on YouTube for a moment, Studio Pierrot's using that aforementioned wriggle room to debut the grand return of their magical girls—Magical Sisters Lulutto Lilly. ... The studio's bold move to stream the Lulutto Lilly on YouTube (on a slight delay) might go back to what we've talked about when it comes serving audiences that normally wouldn't be by the larger streamers.

Lucas wrote:
By this same token, a YouTube release makes a lot of sense for Magical Sisters Lulutto Lilly!

Oh, silly me. I didn’t see it listed in that list on top of the column of shows that were streaming on YouTube, so I skimmed the column and somehow missed that mention of it.
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Primus



Joined: 01 Mar 2006
Posts: 2908
Location: Toronto
PostPosted: Wed Apr 29, 2026 8:57 pm Reply with quote
Merch driven properties have been using YouTube as their primary platform for years. Bushiroad's done it for like 15+ years now. Undoubtedly more people watch Beyblade on YouTube than on Disney XD. Sunrise streams the Gundam catalog on there.
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48 Rices



Joined: 17 Feb 2015
Posts: 133
PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2026 7:42 pm Reply with quote
Now if only the article could mention the situation in Asian countries, where several shows are licensed to air on Youtube, including shows like Iruma-kun and Frieren. Even the first 5 parts of Jojo is available.
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