Manga’s anime app hits Xbox Live

Microsoft’s Xbox Live service has been on a roll in recent years adding a plethora of new features to justify their premium “Gold” subscription. Of these features come a number of apps that do anything from stream videos & music to connecting you to your various social networks. While some of these require a separate fee to access the content provided, there are still many free ones. One of these being Manga’s recently released video app.

The Manga app lets you stream various free full length anime series & movies from the Manga Entertainment catalogue. While all this content is also free on their website, it’s really nice to watch on a big screen tv & with great quality depending on your internet speed. Of the shows featured there are a few big name stand outs such as Gurren Lagann & Ghost in the Shell. To perhaps turn a profit from a free app, advertising can be a problem. Before each video & at 5 minute intervals throughout the duration, a commercial will interrupt. While it doesn’t ruin the experience, these can interrupt viewing at inconvenient times & volume, as well as repetition, can get annoying fast.

Of course this probably won’t be a killer app that gets many more people to opt into subscriptions; it’s a nice addition that shows growth in the service. As an anime fan it’s been nice to catch up on some shows without having to buy dvd collections, which can get awfully expensive. The Manga app is currently available for download free of charge on the North American Xbox Live Marketplace, with new content being updated every Wednesday.

If you’ve been looking for some anime to watch, this is a perfect chance. & might I suggest Gurren Lagann, I really can’t recommend that series highly enough.

A commercial every 5 minutes sounds awful, like something that would ruin the experience. I'd like to finally watch Gurren Lagann but I'll just stick with my Funimation sub.

@HardcoreScene08 said:

Before each video & at 5 minute intervals throughout the duration, a commercial will interrupt. While it doesn’t ruin the experience, these can interrupt viewing at inconvenient times & volume, as well as repetition, can get annoying fast.

I respectfully disagree!

That's pretty much a deal breaker for me.

@Cloudenvy said:

@HardcoreScene08 said:

Before each video & at 5 minute intervals throughout the duration, a commercial will interrupt. While it doesn’t ruin the experience, these can interrupt viewing at inconvenient times & volume, as well as repetition, can get annoying fast.

I respectfully disagree!

That's pretty much a deal breaker for me.

If you were watching this on TV you would have to sit through at least two 4 minute commercial breaks, so about four 15 second commercials per episode isn't horrible. Plus it's free, they have to make money somewhere.

@HardcoreScene08 said:

@Cloudenvy said:

@HardcoreScene08 said:

Before each video & at 5 minute intervals throughout the duration, a commercial will interrupt. While it doesn’t ruin the experience, these can interrupt viewing at inconvenient times & volume, as well as repetition, can get annoying fast.

I respectfully disagree!

That's pretty much a deal breaker for me.

If you were watching this on TV you would have to sit through at least two 4 minute commercial breaks, so about four 15 second commercials per episode isn't horrible. Plus it's free, they have to make money somewhere.

And that's why I don't watch any kind of TV anymore, it is awful.

mumble mumble mumble for jerks mumble mumble

The selection is way too small, there are ads every so often when it does work, and so far it rarely works for four minutes before it crashes and goes back to the main menu. No problems streaming the occasional movie through netflix or music through last.fm, but this one just isn't ready. They're really going to have to work on this before I give it another shot.

http://www.giantbomb.com/xbox-live/92-1404/new-manga-entertainment-anime-app-what/35-547802/

Gurren Lagann, GITS and a lot of other anime are on Netflix already without commercials so I don't see much of a point in getting this if you already have a Netflix subscription.

@Cloudenvy said:

@HardcoreScene08 said:

@Cloudenvy said:

@HardcoreScene08 said:

Before each video & at 5 minute intervals throughout the duration, a commercial will interrupt. While it doesn’t ruin the experience, these can interrupt viewing at inconvenient times & volume, as well as repetition, can get annoying fast.

I respectfully disagree!

That's pretty much a deal breaker for me.

If you were watching this on TV you would have to sit through at least two 4 minute commercial breaks, so about four 15 second commercials per episode isn't horrible. Plus it's free, they have to make money somewhere.

And that's why I don't watch any kind of TV anymore, it is awful.

Yep. I was wondering about this little app but an ad every five minutes break the pacing. It's not a deal of "well, on TV you have two breaks", it's a deal of "interruptions every five minutes.

It's the same thing as playing Skyrim for five minutes, then going to use the bathroom, then coming back for five minutes, and then going to do something else, rinse, repeat.

I might be slighty bothered by a single minute of ads, if I was paying for said content, but for free crap it's a non-problem.

@mscupcakes said:

Gurren Lagann, GITS and a lot of other anime are on Netflix already without commercials so I don't see much of a point in getting this if you already have a Netflix subscription.

Old news dude. It's been out for awhile...

Live in Europe? Fuck you you still only get YouTube, Twitter and Facebook and not a single other thing.

The choice is much too little, there are promotions now and then when it does work, thus far it once in a while labors for four minutes previously it crashes and returns to the principal menu. No issues spilling smut manga intermittent film through Netflix or music through last.FM, yet this one simply isn't prepared. They're extremely must work on this before I give it another shot.