The Streaming Wars are over, and we all lost. Streaming platforms, which were once lauded for breaking the mold and producing original titles at a time when networks were restricted by old practices and traditions, are now mostly feeding us slop and expecting us to be grateful. At the same time, streamers are also consolidating, cutting back, and otherwise playing things safe.
Still, there is one area where the Streaming Wars are still very much an ongoing conflict — anime. It goes without saying
that anime has never been as popular as it is today, and it looks to only continue becoming more and more popular around the world. Anime is also more accessible than it's ever been, as virtually every streaming platform has built its own healthy-sized library. There are anime-centric platforms like Crunchyroll, which is the Netflix of anime and the platform with the absolute biggest library (especially after the Crunchyroll and Funimation merger), as well as RetroCrush and HIDIVE, which focus on older or more niche and mature anime titles.
Out of the mainstream streamers, Netflix itself has assembled a pretty healthy-sized library of anime and is now Crunchyroll's biggest competitor, with a collection that includes both exclusive classic titles and simulcasts of new high-profile shows (like "Sakamoto Days," "Dan Da Dan," "Delicious in Dungeon," and even "One Piece"). But when it comes to Prime Video or Hulu/Disney+, they are rather lacking, even if they do occasionally license some acclaimed titles.
Then there's HBO Max. When the service first launched, it did so with many different franchises and "hubs," which allowed it to compete with Disney's extensive IP library. Along with DC's entire library of live-action and animated titles, it had everything Cartoon Network related, "Sesame Street," the massive HBO library, and, of course, everything Warner Bros. On top of all that, it also had the exclusive U.S. streaming rights to Studio Ghibli's extensive body of work. Now, thanks to GKIDS, the platform is expanding to become an even worthier addition to anime fans' streaming habits.
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HBO Max Is Partnering With GKIDS
HBO Max and GKIDS have announced an extension of their partnership (which is the reason we have the Ghibli catalog, since GKIDS distributes its films), with several GKIDS-backed movies joining HBO Max on September 1, 2025. The titles include three Makoto Shinkai films ("Children Who Chase Lost Voices," "The Place Promised in our Early Days," and the 4K version of "Your Name"), Akiyuki Shinbo and Noboyuki Takeuchi's "Fireworks," Ayumu Watanabe's "Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko," Yôko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita's "Ghost Cat Anzu," Keiichi Hara's "Lonely Castle in the Mirror," and even Hideaki Anno's experimental "Love & Pop."
Later in 2025 and throughout 2026, HBO Max will also add acclaimed hits from filmmakers like Masaaki Yuasa, Satoshi Kon, Mamoru Oshii, and Naoko Yamada. These include the 4K version of Oshii's "Angel's Egg," Yamada's "The Colors Within" and "Liz and the Blue Bird," Masaaki Yuasa's "Lu Over the Wall" and "Mind Game," Mamoru Hosoda's "Wolf Children," "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time," "The Boy and the Beast," and "Summer Wars," Hideaki Anno's "Shin Godzilla," and Satoshi Kon's "Perfect Blue" and "Millennium Actress."
Currently, HBO Max doesn't have a big library of anime titles. When the service first launched, it had a bunch of popular anime shows courtesy of a partnership with Crunchyroll, but that was before Sony acquired the latter, and those titles were slowly removed. The addition of the GKIDS library, however, makes HBO Max a more curated experience than what's available on other services, providing a library of specifically acclaimed and prestige titles that showcase the medium at its best. Indeed, "Millennium Actress," one of the five essential anime movies everyone should watch at least once, being part of the deal is already exciting enough before you get to the other titles dropping in the near future.
Overall, this is huge news for both anime fans and newcomers eager to experience the variety of the medium. It's also further proof of just how important anime has become to streaming in general.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
