I recently started using the Neon Alley app for the Playstation 3. Neon Alley has been around for a few months now since October 2012, and I wish I started using it sooner. It was really easy to access, just a quick login and it takes you right to whatever happens to be playing at the moment. Neon Alley is WAY different from what you would expect – it’s an actual channel with a regular schedule. It’s a fantastic way to discover new anime.
When I logged on for the first time, one of my favorite animes, Deathnote, was playing. It was a good first impression to me. Upon taking a look at the schedule for the night, I did see some titles I hadn’t heard of, which I will be checking out now that they’re conveniently there for me. Also I noticed that Neon Alley plays classic martial arts films as well, which is also something most anime fans I know are a fan of. Viz Media, which owns Neon Alley will be using it’s own anime, plus anime from other distributors. All Neon Alley shows are English dubbed, and some of the shows are exclusive premieres. Some of the animes featured on Neon Alley include Naruto, Tiger & Bunny, NaNa (which is apparently a recent addition) and also Inu Yasha, Deathnote and Bleach. It would appear that the channel is attempting to appeal to a male demographic, but I am a female and I think it’s awesome. All anime on Neon Alley is uncut and uncensored, and there is a mature audience warning when you start up the app.
There isn’t really any kind of layout to Neon Alley. It’s exactly like turning to a regular cable channel. It’s not like Netflix where you select something to watch, instead there is always a regularly scheduled show on. From what I can tell, there isn’t a way to search for a certain anime, but the website (www.neonalley.com) has a weekly schedule up and available for anyone to view. You can view the schedule on the bottom of the app as well, similar to browsing for a show on digital cable. As a member, I also started recieving weekly newsletter emails from the site that features contests and new anime information. You don’t have to pay for the newsletter or be a member to recieve the newsletter, you can sign up for it on the homepage of the Neon Alley website. Neon Alley is reasonably priced at $6.99, and for that you get the channel for the whole month. A one-week free trial is available, and I highly suggest it. To create an account you simply go to the website and sign up, it’s a really easy process. You need to enter billing information when signing up for the free trial, and of course, you must be 18 or older.
The only downfalls to Neon Alley I noticed were the commercials, and the fact that when I started using it, it was in the middle of the series and not on episode one. It’s exactly like a television channel though so that’s entirely reasonable, and the commercials really aren’t bad at all considering they are extremely short and usually relevant to my interests. Also, i’m pretty sure the service is only available in the United States, which sucks for anyone who doesn’t live around here. I personally really enjoy this 24/7 Anime channel.