HIDIVE is a far less popular anime streaming service compared to Crunchyroll. That, however, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have any good anime. In fact, it has many series you can’t find anywhere else — and many of them are great.
Here are 10 of them, some of which you probably haven’t heard about.
Rozen Maiden
Back in the 2000s, Rozen Maiden used to be one of the most popular anime out there. By now, it’s practically forgotten, due to the original story never concluding — an alternate setting remake came out in 2013, but that didn’t help.
Still, this story of a boy and a group of sentient dolls who live with him (and also have to fight against each other) influenced later anime more than you could have expected. If you want to watch it, both the original and the remake are on HIDIVE.
Gushing over Magical Girls
If you were getting into the Winter 2024 season a few months ago, you might have dismissed Gushing over Magical Girls (Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete) based on the fact that it belongs to the magical girl genre.
However, the anime is actually a very hardcore ecchi series, and if you want a lot of fanservice, definitely a must-watch. Its audience is quite niche, but they absolutely love it.
Helck used to be one of the more popular fantasy manga. It combines comedy with a solid story and good action, and the fact it got an adaptation surprised fans: after all, it ended years before the anime came out.
This was part of the reason why it wasn’t popular: the manga, not being released anymore, simply wasn’t on people’s radars. The adaptation is quite good, however, and is definitely worth watching.
Revue Starlight
If you want something weird and artsy, Revue Starlight (Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight) might be up your alley. The anime tells a story of girls involved in a stage play who all strive to become top stars — and have to take part in bizarre “auditions” which are over-the-top fights.
The anime relies heavily on symbolism and reading between the lines, and the imagery can be confusing, but that’s part of the charm. Also, the one administering the auditions is a talking giraffe. Don’t question that, just watch it.
WataMote: No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular! (Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!) is 100% distilled cringe comedy. If you like that kind of thing, it’s a must-watch.
Tomoko Kuroki, an asocial girl who bases her interactions with others on games and anime, tries to interact with others and miserably fails. But don’t worry, she does get better at it. Slowly.
Ya Boy Kongming!
Have you ever thought “Hmm, it would be nice to see an anime about the famous Chinese strategist Zhuge Liang being reincarnated into our world”? No? Well, Ya Boy Kongming! (Paripi Koumei) is exactly that premise — and in our world, Zhuge Liang just parties with others and helps an upcoming pop star achieve success.
This sounds crazy, but it just works — the unique vibe of the anime helps a lot.
And Yet the Town Moves
An adaptation of another manga by the Heavenly Delusion (Tengoku Daimakyou) mangaka, And Yet the Town Moves (Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru) has basically nothing to do with it. Most of the time, it’s just a slice-of-life series about a group of maids in a cafe.
The anime still gets somewhat weird near the end, though in a good way — and visuals by Studio Shaft definitely help.
For a modern romance anime with an extremely realistic relationship development, Insomniacs After School (Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia) is not popular enough. Many blame HIDIVE for it: it would definitely be more popular if it were on Crunchyroll.
Regardless, the anime is very much worth it — it tells a romantic story without cringey comedy or unnecessary drama.
Touka Gettan
Touka Gettan is… weird. In fact, it’s so weird that it is the only anime told in its particular way: most of it is told backwards to the actual chronology of events. Yes, you’re really supposed to watch it like that.
The anime is actually a very good story about reincarnated lovers that has many mystery elements in it. These only get supported by the peculiar way of storytelling, and the answers are revealed gradually — it’s a unique experience.
Aura Battler Dunbine
To many, a 49-episode anime series from the 1980s might be a hard thing to get into. That might be true, but Aura Battler Dunbine (Seisenshi Dunbine) is actually quite important even now.
Many credit this 1983 mecha series for being the first isekai in anime. It hardly has anything in common with modern isekai series, though it is still worth watching. After all, it’s cool to see where most of these tropes came from.
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HIDIVE is a far less popular anime streaming service compared to Crunchyroll. That, however, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have any good anime. In fact, it has many series you can’t find anywhere else — and many of them are great.
Here are 10 of them, some of which you probably haven’t heard about.
Rozen Maiden
Back in the 2000s, Rozen Maiden used to be one of the most popular anime out there. By now, it’s practically forgotten, due to the original story never concluding — an alternate setting remake came out in 2013, but that didn’t help.
Still, this story of a boy and a group of sentient dolls who live with him (and also have to fight against each other) influenced later anime more than you could have expected. If you want to watch it, both the original and the remake are on HIDIVE.
Gushing over Magical Girls
If you were getting into the Winter 2024 season a few months ago, you might have dismissed Gushing over Magical Girls (Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete) based on the fact that it belongs to the magical girl genre.
However, the anime is actually a very hardcore ecchi series, and if you want a lot of fanservice, definitely a must-watch. Its audience is quite niche, but they absolutely love it.
Helck used to be one of the more popular fantasy manga. It combines comedy with a solid story and good action, and the fact it got an adaptation surprised fans: after all, it ended years before the anime came out.
This was part of the reason why it wasn’t popular: the manga, not being released anymore, simply wasn’t on people’s radars. The adaptation is quite good, however, and is definitely worth watching.
Revue Starlight
If you want something weird and artsy, Revue Starlight (Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight) might be up your alley. The anime tells a story of girls involved in a stage play who all strive to become top stars — and have to take part in bizarre “auditions” which are over-the-top fights.
The anime relies heavily on symbolism and reading between the lines, and the imagery can be confusing, but that’s part of the charm. Also, the one administering the auditions is a talking giraffe. Don’t question that, just watch it.
WataMote: No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular! (Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!) is 100% distilled cringe comedy. If you like that kind of thing, it’s a must-watch.
Tomoko Kuroki, an asocial girl who bases her interactions with others on games and anime, tries to interact with others and miserably fails. But don’t worry, she does get better at it. Slowly.
Ya Boy Kongming!
Have you ever thought “Hmm, it would be nice to see an anime about the famous Chinese strategist Zhuge Liang being reincarnated into our world”? No? Well, Ya Boy Kongming! (Paripi Koumei) is exactly that premise — and in our world, Zhuge Liang just parties with others and helps an upcoming pop star achieve success.
This sounds crazy, but it just works — the unique vibe of the anime helps a lot.
And Yet the Town Moves
An adaptation of another manga by the Heavenly Delusion (Tengoku Daimakyou) mangaka, And Yet the Town Moves (Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru) has basically nothing to do with it. Most of the time, it’s just a slice-of-life series about a group of maids in a cafe.
The anime still gets somewhat weird near the end, though in a good way — and visuals by Studio Shaft definitely help.
For a modern romance anime with an extremely realistic relationship development, Insomniacs After School (Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia) is not popular enough. Many blame HIDIVE for it: it would definitely be more popular if it were on Crunchyroll.
Regardless, the anime is very much worth it — it tells a romantic story without cringey comedy or unnecessary drama.
Touka Gettan
Touka Gettan is… weird. In fact, it’s so weird that it is the only anime told in its particular way: most of it is told backwards to the actual chronology of events. Yes, you’re really supposed to watch it like that.
The anime is actually a very good story about reincarnated lovers that has many mystery elements in it. These only get supported by the peculiar way of storytelling, and the answers are revealed gradually — it’s a unique experience.
Aura Battler Dunbine
To many, a 49-episode anime series from the 1980s might be a hard thing to get into. That might be true, but Aura Battler Dunbine (Seisenshi Dunbine) is actually quite important even now.
Many credit this 1983 mecha series for being the first isekai in anime. It hardly has anything in common with modern isekai series, though it is still worth watching. After all, it’s cool to see where most of these tropes came from.
