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AniCloud is a streaming platform where anime fans can watch their favorite series and movies – completely free of charge. But there is a catch.
AniCloud is not just on the edge of legality
The streaming service AniCloud offers fans of anime series and films a platform with a tempting amount of content. Nothing needs to be paid for, which makes the service, which now operates under the name AniWorld, even more appealing.
- But even if fans think they are in an anime paradise here, reality can quickly catch up with them. Because: just using the service, i.e. watching the content, is illegal.
- The reason: the content is uploaded from unlicensed sources that do not have the rights to the copyrighted series and films.
- In 2017, the European Court of Justice ruled that even the consumption of such content can no longer be considered a gray area, but rather leads to prosecution.
- So the user is solely responsible for checking whether the streaming content offered is an “obviously illegally produced or publicly accessible template” according to § 53 UrhG.
- The principle also applies here: ignorance does not protect against punishment. At the same time, the EGH ruling refers to an extreme case. Nevertheless, random checks may occur, the consequences of which you will then have to bear.
Legal alternatives to AniCloud
If you want to be on the safe side, then you’d better use streaming providers that make their content available legally. You don’t even have to pay money for it all the time.
- YouTube is always a good place to start. There are various channels here that allow you to enjoy anime series for free – unfortunately not always in your language and sometimes in less than ideal quality. But: there are also producers such as Manga Entertainment, which makes its series available for free and in high quality, including on Manga Cast.
- The ad-supported streaming service Freevee offers a variety of anime for free. The convenient thing about it is that the streaming service offers many anime such as “Ghost in the Shell” or “Last Exile” in German.
- Another option is Joyn, the Pro7/Sat1 media library. Here you can enjoy anime hits like “Detective Conan”, “Naruto” or “Boruto” for free and completely legally in the stream. There are also relatively unknown series among the 20 or so animes listed. (As of January 2025)
- You can also stream anime for free and legally via Crunchyroll – but mostly in the original Japanese language.
- Of course, the big streaming providers such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video also have numerous anime on offer. But here you have to pay.
