Legal anime streaming site Crunchyroll recently launched their iPhone/iPod Touch app. Having had a few days to try it out, I’ve decided to post some of my thoughts. While it is a well-made app, I do have some issues with it that I’ll address here.

First, the good stuff. The interface is sleek and easy to use. It doesn’t take much effort to find the show you’re looking for and begin watching within less than a minute. From what I have used of the app, I haven’t noticed any significant speed or buffering issues. The video quality looks great, and I especially like how the subtitles appear in a shaded box in the lower portion of the screen, making them easy to read. However, translation notes appear at the bottom of the screen instead of at the top, which can make things a little confusing when trying to follow the dialogue of the show.

Huh? Oh, that’s just a translation note.

The app is free, and does not require a paid subscription to Crunchyroll. If you have a paid subscription, you will not see any ads when using the app. Unfortunately, that’s the only advantage a paid subscription offers for the iPhone app. For paid members, the Crunchyroll website offers immediate access to simulcasts, whereas non-paying members normally have to wait a week before they can access. However, the Crunchyroll iPhone app does not offer this benefit to paying members. This may be a feature they plan to add in the future, but as of now, its absence is a big disappointment.

The biggest problem I have with the app, which effectively renders it useless for me, is the fact that it requires a Wi-Fi connection. This means that videos will not run over 3G. Kind of defeats the purpose of a mobile app, doesn’t it?


Well that sucks.

This restriction pretty much makes the app useful only when I’m at home, where I could just simply access the Crunchyroll website from my computer if I wanted to. If I wanted to watch an episode of Durarara!! while on the train, I wouldn’t be able to. Granted, Wi-Fi does exist in many places nowadays, but most Wi-Fi hotspots require some kind of fee/subscription or a password. In contrast, The Anime Network also recently launched an iPhone app which does allow streaming over 3G, proving that this is possible.

Overall, the Crunchyroll app does have some good points, but is overall disappointing. Hopefully the issues I have with it will be rectified in the future. Until then, I don’t see myself using the app all that much. Of course, it is a free app, so there’s no reason for you to not get it. Check it out and see if you find it useful.

UPDATE (01/21/2010): Crunchyroll has posted information about the app on their site, stating that the app is still in Alpha. They also state “For now, it is WiFi only” which seems to imply that they plan on making videos accessible via 3G. This would indeed be good news, as it would address my biggest complaint about the app.