HBO Maxis making a major appeal to anime fans with a slew of acquisitions that include some of the greatest anime films ever made.
As reported byVariety, HBO Max is partnering with acclaimed anime distributor GKIDS to bring 20 titles to the streaming giant. The titles include works by Makoto Shinkai, such asYour NameandThe Place Promised in Our Early Days,in addition to classics like Satoshi Kon’sPerfect Blue.
Live-action offerings such asShin GodzillaandLove & Popwill also be included.
When Are GKIDS' Films Coming To HBO Max?
A handful of anime will be released on September 1st, with the rest trickling out over the remainder of 2025 and 2026.
The following anime will come to HBO Max on September 1st:Children Who Chase Lost Voices, Fireworks, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko, Ghost Cat Anzu, Lonely Castle in the Mirror, Love & Pop, The Place, Promised in Our Early Days,andYour Name.
Meanwhile, the following anime are expected to release on HBO Max throughout 2025 and 2025:Angel’s Egg, Liz and the Blue Bird, Lu Over the Wall, Millennium Actress, Mind Game, Perfect Blue, Shin Godzilla, Summer Wars, The Boy and the Beast, The Colors Within, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, andWolf Children.
Why HBO Max’s New Anime Offerings Make It a Major Competitor To Crunchyroll and Netflix
While it’s difficult to beat Netflix in terms of user base and difficult to beatCrunchyroll in terms of the sheer magnitude of anime available, HBO Max’s GKIDS partnership represents an emphasis on quality.
Notably, HBO Max will now be the streaming home for a handful of the most critically acclaimed anime directors in Japanese history.Perfect Blue’sSatoshi Kon,Summer Wars’Mamoru Hosoda,Lu Over the Wall’sMasaaki Yuasa, andYour Name’sMakoto Shinkai are four incredibly distinct directors, so their films coming to Max bring a certain level of prestige.
While works likeSaotshi Kon’s incredible thrillerPerfect Bluehave been available on smaller streaming services like Shudder, their arrival on HBO Max will be the first time many anime fans have the opportunity to see them in an official capacity.
In addition to the new acquisitions, HBO Max is also the official Western streaming home of Studio Ghibli. Their films are also distributed by GKIDS in North America, so it was only a matter of time before other GKIDS films came to HBO Max.
All in all, the GKIDS and HBO Max partnership is an exciting announcement for anime fans. It’s no exaggeration to say that, by the end of 2026, HBO Max will be home to more than a few ofthe greatest anime films ever made. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come, andHBO Maxwill be investing more in anime going forward.
