Anime Strike was a subscription-based

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...

service for Amazon Channels, focused on

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series and movies from various anime distributors. The service launched on January 12, 2017, and was closed on January 5, 2018, after which its catalog was incorporated into the

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...

subscription service.

History

On January 12, 2017,

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

announced the launch of its first branded on-demand subscription service for Amazon Channels, ''Anime Strike'', "offering more than 1,000 series episodes and movies ranging from classic titles to current shows broadcast on Japanese TV." Anime Strike consisted of shows that were streaming exclusively on Amazon Video worldwide, as well as selected titles licensed by

Sentai Filmworks Sentai Filmworks, LLC or just Sentai, is an American entertainment company owned by AMC Networks. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is S ...

. On January 5, 2018, Amazon discontinued the channel, and most of its exclusive content became watchable with a Prime subscription. Following Anime Strike's closure, several previously exclusive titles began streaming on HIDIVE, which also streams titles from Sentai Filmworks and

Section23 Films SXION 23 LLC, doing business as Section23 Films is an American multimedia distributor based in Houston, Texas specializing in releasing anime and Japanese films. Established in 2009, Section23 is one of five successors to ADV Films; alongside Se ...

Reception

Anime Strike's announcement has been met with a generally negative reception. Miranda Sanchez wrote an article for

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

titled "Amazon and Netflix Don't Understand Anime Fans", criticizing the service for its expensive pricing.{{Cite web, url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/01/20/opinion-amazon-and-netflix-dont-understand-anime-fans, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320222959/http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/01/20/opinion-amazon-and-netflix-dont-understand-anime-fans, url-status=dead, archive-date=March 20, 2017, title=Opinion: Amazon and Netflix Don’t Understand Anime Fans, last=Sanchez, first=Miranda, date=January 20, 2017, website=IGN, language=en-US, access-date=September 12, 2017

References

Defunct video on demand services Defunct subscription services