Worldwide streaming

Recently, Gonzo studio announced that they will be releasing a whole of two brand new series, available from April 4th and 5th. As a new initiative from the studio's side, the series will be available for online streaming on Youtube, Crunchyroll and BOST TV on the same day as the episodes will be aired in Japan, completely free of charge (although the studio did mention a fee-based download of high-resolution episodes in their press release). And to top it all off, the episodes will be subtitled, instantly making this the first international streaming release.

This is all great and exciting news, but why are they doing something like this? Officially, they're doing it for all of their fans around the world. But their true motive is to eliminate the continuously growing threat of fansubbers. Now, I'm somewhat familiar with what the studios are thinking as I was part of a group trying to license several series, and honestly I'm surprised that they kept this waiting for that long. Up until not too long ago, several studios refused to acknowledge the existence of fansubbers - resulting in the parting of Geneon Entertainment (USA) in September 2007. Maybe this will bring about a new era for the animated world.

Moving on, what are these two new series all about? First off, airing Fridag 4th April, we have...

Tower of Druaga, the Aegis of Uruk

The Summer of "Anu": In a summer once every five years, demons in the mysterious Tower of Druaga lose their powers due to the magic spell cast by a god named "Anu". King Gilgamesh, ruler of the kingdom Uruk, uses the appearance of demons as an excuse to invade the tower and find out the construct's secrets. As 80 years passed, the Uruk army managed to fight back the demons and built a fortress city and safe haven on the very first floor of Druaga - Metz Kier. Thus begins the story of a warrior named Gil who, finding companions along the way, embarks on a quest for the fabled Blue Crystal Rod, a powerful artifact rumored to be in the highest floor of Druaga. However, other competitors, including the kingdom of Uruk itself, want the treasure, all for their own reasons.

And airing Saturday 5th April, we have...

Blassreiter -genetic-

Set in the near-future, in a town in Germany. There have been incidents of dead people coming back to life, transforming into "grotesque shadows", and attacking people. Living people show up who can transform themselves into demons whenever they want. They used to be regular humans, but when they gained this power to transform, people rejected them and called them demons. But they still use their powers, each for his own reason. However, they cannot deny their fate: to fight in a deadly battle royal with others who have turned into demons.