When the licensing gods fail us…

Sometimes it's hard to be an anime/drama geek. Distribution is limited, only a fraction of the interesting projects get translated, and the stuff you'd actually pay for doesn't get licensed at all. I hate to say this, but sometimes your only option is to settle for watching stuff online.

That said, it's not always easy to know where and what to download. You can usually find the buzz-worthy stuff on YouTube, if you're willing to download episodes in 8 minute increments, but there are actually some far superior options for downloading manga and dramas. We suggest these two sites:

CrunchyRoll.com is a huge anime/movie/drama archive. You have to register (although the registration process is painless), the videos aren't particularly high-quality, and once in a while there's a pop-up window that is immediately eaten by my virus protection software, but you can't beat this site for sheer volume. They've got everything from the anime versions of Nodame Cantabile and Gakuen Alice to the live-action version of Lovely Complex. Plus, they're really good about removing projects once they've been licensed, so you don't need to worry about stealing food from your favorite writers' mouths.

MySoju.com focuses on dramas and movies. They only offer a fraction of CrunchyRoll's titles, and they're not quite as careful about licensed titles (I'm pretty sure that both Full House and My Girl are licensed, and they've got 'em both up there), but their videos are higher quality, their archive is easier to navigate, and they limit themselves to fairly big-name titles. Check this site out to stream everything from the Taiwanese version of MARS to Japan's Hana Kimi.