For a while now, anime fans in Australia and New Zealand have been able to subscribe to the FunimationNow video-on-demand streaming service, maintained by North American anime publisher Funimation Entertainment. In what should be fantastic news for those who were torn between paying for either this or Madman Entertainment’s AnimeLab service, it is confirmed that FunimationNow will essentially be merged with AnimeLab as of right now.

Notification sent out to FunimationNow subscribers

This announcement means that a lot of new titles are now available to stream through the AnimeLab service. In total, over 200 shows have been added and accessible immediately. These include but are by no means limited to Yu Yu Hakusho, Fruits Basket, Initial D, Zombie Land Saga, Radiant and Yuri On Ice!! Both subbed and (where available) dubbed episodes have been made available, both newer works and older series already available on DVD/Blu-ray. With over 6,500 episodes to start watching, you shouldn’t be short of anime to watch for a while. You can find a full list of newly added series HERE.

As shown above, those who were subscribed to FunimationNow will be able to keep their subscription until the end of March, with any unused balance on an annual subscription being refunded pro-rata. You can alternatively cancel your account now if you wish to move to AnimeLab only.

Source: Miss Caretaker of Sunohara-sou

AnimeLab is an online anime streaming service managed by Madman Entertainment. It’s accessible only to those residing in Australia and New Zealand and offers a basic service free with video quality, dub and availability timeframe limitations. For those looking for access to no simulcast delays, no ads, full back-catalogue access and high definition video can take advantage of a premium subscription membership for $7.95AUD/month or $79.50AUD/year.

