Sometimes, a story comes as a surprise, and sometimes you're surprised that it hasn't gone down yet. Today's news of Starz Media dropping a big chunk of anime on to the Xbox Live Video Marketplace is definitely one of the latter occurrences. Beginning today (and continuing over the coming weeks) you'll be able to find titles from the Starz anime library like
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Seasons 1 & 2),
Street Fighter II V,
Noein,
Tokko,
Virus and
Astro Boy on the service.
The good news doesn't stop there. Looking over the
catalog of titles under Starz's umbrella, we can see plenty of reasons to get excited. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go pray for
Appleseed.
{ Sep 19th 2007 at 2:57PM } 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Sep 19th 2007 3:00PM
YESSSSS Please Give me Robotech Macross saga!
SuMtOnE @ Sep 19th 2007 3:03PM
does it cost anythin $$$ to download these anime on the xbox live? jus wonderin
jimy @ Sep 19th 2007 7:21PM
at least 100...points.
Ska Oreo @ Sep 19th 2007 3:04PM
Get me some DBZ in Hi-def, and maybe then I'll be interested.
Hikaru @ Sep 19th 2007 4:07PM
Why would you want to see Goku and Frieza staring at each other, charging energy and screaming for 3 episodes straight in HD?
Obie @ Sep 19th 2007 4:16PM
It's over ninethousaaaaand!
mfed3 @ Sep 19th 2007 6:01PM
haha...WHAT NINE THOUSAND?!
theyre making some huge strides to provide a wide range of entertainment, even to those interested in the japanese culture. good work.
stop holding out, just get an xbox 360 already :)
Vegnagun @ Sep 19th 2007 6:42PM
DBZ theater:
Goku: WAHHHGG!!
Frieza: Meh-heheheh
Goku: NAAHHHH!!!
Frieza: A-teeheehee
Goku: SPPPIIRRRIIITTT BOOOOMMBBB
[end of 14 episode spirit bomb charge to kill frieza]
[fails]
Frieza: Wahhhahahaha
gir @ Sep 19th 2007 6:56PM
So true...so true!
michas_pi @ Sep 19th 2007 9:09PM
Vegeta, what did the scouter say about his power level?
OnimushaSoki @ Sep 19th 2007 3:07PM
Gotta love Batou's expression in the background.
gullum @ Sep 19th 2007 3:12PM
Pretty cool.Makes me wish I had a 360. Wait, how much do they charge for this stuff?
SuMtOnE @ Sep 19th 2007 3:16PM
i dun have a xbox360 either so i tryna find out too... anywun has a xbox360 that will know?
UnnDunn @ Sep 19th 2007 3:25PM
GitS: SAC - 320 MS points ($4) per SD episode. Which is double the usual price for TV show episodes. >:
GitS isn't available yet.
Gavin @ Sep 19th 2007 3:26PM
Anime nerds and video game nerds are pretty much the same thing so yeah, this seems like a no brainer. I mean hell, if you played any of the Xenogear titles on the PS2 you were pretty much watching an anime flick that also sorta kinda had a game attached to it.
nerrrrrrd @ Sep 19th 2007 3:34PM
speak for yourself!
petecantu @ Sep 19th 2007 3:29PM
HD tv shows are 240 points ($3) and SD tv shows are 160 points ($2).
Hikaru @ Sep 19th 2007 3:34PM
Are they gonna be HD? And BTW Appleseed = not so good.
shivr @ Sep 19th 2007 6:56PM
agreed on Appleseed.. I watched it at a con and got halfway through before falling asleep, which is hard to do in a freezing room and an unconforatable hotel chair...
vinny @ Sep 19th 2007 3:34PM
anime is teh suck
Arturo @ Sep 19th 2007 3:45PM
I kinda grew out of anime a few years ago, but I wouldn't mind watching some cowboy bebop again.
Hikaru @ Sep 19th 2007 3:46PM
There are some pretty good ones now...I'm with you tough, Cowboy Bebop in HD!!
BananaBoat @ Sep 19th 2007 4:00PM
Word to the wise; Tokko is one of the WORST anime's I have ever seen. Stay away from it at all freaking costs. Street Fighter II is also junk, so stay away from that too.
Noein has great animation, Ghost in the Shell and Astro Boy are both classics in their own right, so I guess this is a good announcement.
Can we purchase these titles? Or just rent? If it's rent, I'd rather watch them on youtube XD
Hikaru @ Sep 19th 2007 4:05PM
Tokko is not THAT bad (well..maybe) Noein's story gets way better at the end..and I think that they are your to keep, like CSI episodes for example.
megaStryke @ Sep 19th 2007 4:02PM
Good GOD, Stand Alone Complex bored me to TEARS. Too much yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, yap....
Vegnagun @ Sep 19th 2007 6:43PM
Ghost in the shell is the worst thing to happen to me since I watched DBZ
BPM (Logic Defense Force) @ Sep 19th 2007 10:40PM
THANK YOU, MegaStryke! Glad I'm not the only one who felt that way.
GitS: SAC cures insomnia.
BananaBoat @ Sep 19th 2007 4:03PM
Oh and I forgot... Word on the Street... Robotech:Macross Saga? Really? Not just SDF Macross in it's original form?
/insert long rant about how SDF Macross kicks Robotech's everloving A**/
/insert flamewar that burns hotter than the fiery pits of hell/
Oh well...even if you prefer Robotech to Macross...I can sleep soundly knowing that Gundam original pwns them both. =D
Ian @ Sep 19th 2007 4:38PM
Great News....But , why doesn't Microsoft get some new movies on here....I mean 300 and shooter are great but there have been many other dvd releases that should be available....
Will the anime be like any other movie.....or will you get to keep em forever like tv downloads???
aaron @ Sep 19th 2007 5:10PM
We Are Marshall HD
Superman: Doomsday HD
Disturbia HD
Troy: Director's Cut HD
Decadent Evil 2 HD
Lucky You HD
Borderline Cult
Acts of Death
this is this weeks movie list (just posted at majornelson.com)
finally they are starting to do movies again... hopefully wild hogs will be around soon as thats the only one they are really missing.
waynski1457 @ Sep 19th 2007 4:49PM
just so everyone knows, the anime are classified under tv so you keep them, not rent.
and yes GitS and Astro Boy are freaking amazing additions! now, since its ADV, lets get some Evangelion!
Raikage (NDF - PK THUNDER RING) @ Sep 19th 2007 5:14PM
I just finnished Eva about a month ago, all I have to say is that it's the best "media" I have ever witnessed. I've read lots of books, seen lots of movies, and played lots of games, but nothing can ever have the same effect Eva had on me.
That's all I have to say...
shivr @ Sep 19th 2007 6:54PM
heh, I have the completly opposite opinion of Eva. It was basically a representation of everything I dislike about anime.
Raikage (NDF - PK THUNDER RING) @ Sep 20th 2007 1:33AM
You have to be kidding?! But to each his own, it still is one of the greatest Anime ever. But not always for the reason it should be.
Was it the ending?
syco @ Sep 19th 2007 5:06PM
Wait, is this GiTS in HD?
Because Anime is virtually the only compelling arguement for HD. I downloaded Ergo Proxy in HD and learned that one. It's a much bigger jump than live action SD to HD.
Why oh why must Microsoft gouge people for hard drive space?
Leobebes @ Sep 19th 2007 5:15PM
I agree about the movie downloads of late on Xbox live. All of them have ben straight to dvd type releases. Also quit the horror movie fest microsoft! Every time I see a new movie uploaded its like a Hills Have Eyes Saw Texas Chain Saw The Ring wannabe!!!!!!!!
Release some indi flicks every once in a while please. I guess the Lookout wasn't half bad.
creid @ Sep 19th 2007 6:11PM
New Astro Boy, or old Astro Boy? I'm guessing new.
Pirate GrrL @ Sep 19th 2007 8:09PM
What a waste of money. Why buy it on Xbox live, when you can download it online for free. (Google can help you with that)
I downloaded most of those animes that are listed for free. (all in dvd quality and subbed titled/ Dubbed anime is garbage)
But I already know what people are going to say.
"Downloading anime off the internet for free is wrong"
Blah blah blah blah,whatever. If wanna get ripped off be my guess.
blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Sep 19th 2007 8:38PM
is appleseed about johnny?
oh and there are lots of places to download anime online...
RogueJedi86 @ Sep 19th 2007 9:18PM
Since it's STARZ, I'm guessing it's the Manga Entertainment catalogue, which Sci-Fi Channel also uses(it's currently airing Neoin, Tokko, and Street Fighter II).
Here's a list of titles Manga Ent has, that could conceivably be on XBox Live:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=10
BPM (Logic Defense Force) @ Sep 19th 2007 10:41PM
KUSANAGI: All I want is pants! A decent pair of pants!
NekoMode @ Sep 19th 2007 10:56PM
I am liking the idea of HD digital DLs 'cause frankly $79.99 for the Blu-ray of Jun-Roh and $38.96 for Paprika is simply unacceptable.
jopojelly @ Sep 19th 2007 11:50PM
Why not any good anime?
And by the way, they have to make the series in HD to have it avaliable for HD....
jopojelly @ Sep 19th 2007 11:51PM
And who cares if their anime is HD of the frame rate is like, 12.5 FPS??
mietha CAG @ Sep 20th 2007 3:44AM
I was really excited for this, until I saw it was $4 an episode. That makes the downloads actually ABOVE the MSRP of the DVDs. At that price, they can blow it out their ass. I seriously hope no one buys a single episode at that price. If they do, that is a very unwelcome precident being set.