Crunchyroll may be the 500lb gorilla when it comes to anime streaming, but there are plenty of services available—and now Darkroom has entered the game with a more specialized focus than some of its competitors.
Darkroom, a video streaming platform specializing in independent, foreign, arthouse, and cult classic genre benders, invites fans to explore an exciting roster of newly added anime titles.
The notable recent additions include the acclaimed action film, Crusher Joe, and its sequels, Crusher Joe: A Trap of the Frozen Jail and Crusher Joe: The Final Weapon ASH, as well as the surreal comedies Haré + Guu DELUXE and Haré + Guu FINAL, and the sci-fi series, Simoun. Additional anime content will be added often, and fans are encouraged to check the platform for new titles set to debut over the summer and fall. Here’s some information on these initial offerings
Crusher Joe
Amid a supposedly simple escort mission, Joe and crew wake up to find their passengers missing. The United Space Force accuses them of committing space piracy and Crusher HQ suspends their licenses for six months. To clear their names, they have to solve the crime and save the passengers.
©Takachiho & Studio Nue・SunriseAll Rights Reserved
Crusher Joe: A Trap of the Frozen Jail
Joe and crew are contracted to correct the orbit of a satellite about to crash into an ice planet with a prison population. They conceive a plan to correct the trajectory but are soon double-crossed. Joe and his team race against the clock to save everyone’s lives before the prison is destroyed.
©Takachiho & Studio Nue・SunriseAll Rights Reserved
Crusher Joe: The Final Weapon ASH
Crusher Joe and his team are hired to retrieve the ultimate weapon from when it risks falling into the wrong hands. Joe and his team must overcome out-of-control defense systems and corruption from within the military to save the day.
©Takachiho & Studio Nue・SunriseAll Rights Reserved
Haré + Guu DELUXE
Haré and Guu return to the jungle to find the familiar old gang, and a few new faces including a psychotic new schoolteacher and a couple of goth roaches. Marie dreams up new ways to entice Hare’s affections. Dama goes on a destructive rampage in her deadly quest for a new love. And the surprising announcement that Weda is expecting results in Haré getting a father he never expected.
© Renjuro Kindaichi / SQUARE ENIX･HareGuu DELUXE projectAll Rights Reserved.
Haré + Guu FINAL
Haré’s family receives a video letter from Weda’s home in the city. Witnessing how sad and lonely Weda’s mother and Bel are without her, Weda decides to take Haré and Guu back to the city for a while.After Haré complains about being bored and lonely without his friends in the jungle (as part of his plot to persuade his mother to take him back), Weda decides to send him to a private school in the city, where he instantly falls in love with a pretty girl named Rita. But, of course, Guu wants part of the action too.
© Renjuro Kindaichi / SQUARE ENIX･HareGuu FINAL projectAll Rights Reserved.
SIMOUN
On Planet Daikuuriku, everyone is born female. In this world, the peace flourishes and is guarded by magical flying machines called Simoun. When the industrialized nation of Argentum decides that it needs to invade Simulacrum to acquire the secret of the Simoun, war ensues.
© SOTSU, STUDIO DEEN / Simoun CommitteeAll Rights Reserved
Other anime on the platform include Gainax’s classic comedy Otaku no Video, the creepy short film Kakurenbo, and the cult classic IRIA: Zeiram the Animation. Additionally some of their live action offerings include a young Michelle Yeoh in In the Line of Duty 2, Sammo Hung’s The Prodigal Son, and Jackie Chan’s The Young Master. A lot of exciting material to peruse for fans of Asian culture.
The platform is available as an app from all major platforms including Google and Apple stores and via the web at www.darkroom.film. Monthly memberships start at $2.99.
