Here’s a currently hassle-free, i.e. no registration or forum posting required, anime direct download forum. “Currently” because AnimeBW normally requires you to be active on their forums before you are given the password to their direct downloads section.

But the password was removed a couple of days back. For how long, I have no idea. So, I suggest you take advantage uhmm… utilise the available resources now.

1. AnimeBW.com

• Speed: Average
• Content: 10 ongoing (e.g. Air Gear, xxxHolic, Kiba, etc.) and 40 completed (e.g. Futakoi Alternative, Tenshi no Konamaiki, Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, etc.) anime series.
• Update Frequency: Unknown
• Video Format: .avi (HQ)
• Note: Temporarily a hassle-free site, i.e. no registration or forum posting required to access downloads. Normally, free registration and active forum posting (exact details on what “active” means are not provided) is required before you are passed the password to the downloads section.

Like most anime direct download sites these days, AnimeSeat.com offers downloads through their own media server and through free file hosts.

Stuff on their media server can only be accessed by those who make 15 non-spam posts, while stuff on free file hosts are automatically accessible by anyone who registers.

It must be noted, however, that their free file host archive was built up by scraping from other sites like Da-Anime, rather than through their own uploaders. I highly disapprove of this behaviour, but at least, the admins did clearly state what they were doing, and attributed their content to the true uploaders (unlike some sites). There is still need to link back to the original site though, which they have not yet done.

1) AnimeSeat.com

• Media Server Speed: Unknown (making 15 posts… urgh…)
• Media Server Content: There’s supposed to be several completed series (e.g. Chobits, Full Metal Alchemist, Hunter x Hunter, etc.), but I can only confirm the existence of Hunter x Hunter.
• Posts Required to Access Downloads: 15 posts for media server content, none for free file host content.
• Posts Required Per Download: None
• Free File Host Content: 1 ongoing (Eureka 7) and 15 completed (e.g. Chrno Crusade, s-cry-ed, Shaman King, etc.) anime series.
• Update Frequency: Average
• Media Server Video Format: .rm (LQ to MQ)
• Free File Hosts Video Format: .avi (HQ)
• Note: Free registration required (e-mail confirmation not required). Forum posting is required to download from the site’s own media server, but not for free file host content.

Here’s Lopki.com, an anime direct download site that provides anime through three mediums. One: Their own media servers. Two: Free file hosts like Megaupload. And three: YouTube.

So, if anything, this site has gained the distinction of having one of the most criteria to review - as you’ll soon realise.

1) Lopki.com

• Free File Host Speed: Unknown (too many different ones used)
• Free File Host Content: 18+ completed anime series (e.g. Slam Dunk, Shaman King, etc.)
• YouTube Speed: Above Average to Quite Fast (based on general consensus rather than my own testing)
• YouTube Content: All episodes of Elfen Lied, latest 50 episodes of Naruto, and 1 episode of Bleach.
• Media Server Speed: Average to Above Average (they use a range of different servers)
• Media Server Content: 52 anime series, both ongoing (e.g. Naruto, Air Gear, Utawarerumono, etc.) and completed (e.g. Cowboy Bebop, Azumanga Daioh, Trigun, etc.).
• Update Frequency: Quite Frequent
• Video Format: .avi (HQ), .ogm (HQ) [not definitive, more video formats might have been used]
• Note: Free registration required (e-mail confirmation not required), but forum posting is not required to access downloads. Additional registration required to access forum (e-mail confirmation not required). The site hosts hentai as well, but since only donators can access it, the site is kid-safe.

Frontalweb is yet another an anime direct download forum which provides anime on free file hosts. But unlike most forums, there has yet to be a posting requirement.

From a quick check, their free file hosts of choice seem to be Megaupload and Oxyshare.

1) Frontalweb

• Free File Host Speed: Unknown (multiple free file hosts used)
• Content: 291 anime series (both ongoing, e.g. Soul Link, Air Gear, Bleach, etc., and completed, e.g. Orphen, Chobits, Boys Be, etc.), OVAs (e.g. Fushigi Yuugi OVAs, Green Green, etc.) and movies (e.g. GITS Innocence, Howl’s Moving Castle, etc.).
• Update Frequency: Above Average
• Video Format: .avi (HQ), .ogm (HQ) [not definitive, more video formats might have been used]
• Note: Free registration required (e-mail confirmation not required). Forum posting is not required to access downloads. The site only uses free file hosts, i.e. they do not have their own media server.

Here’s the second French anime direct download site on this blog (ever). The honour of first will always remain with Anime-Ultime.

“French” here means that the episodes are subtitled in French, so make sure you don’t download unless you understand the language!

1) Kiba France

• Speed: Above Average (most likely faster if you’re in France)
• Content: All episodes of Kiba.
• Update Frequency: Average
• Note: Hassle-free site, i.e. no forum posting or registration required. All episodes were fansubbed by Soai No Naka, and are thus subtitled in French.

For those who missed one of the best anime series this year - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - here’s a hassle-free anime direct download site, i.e. no registration or forum posting required, just for the series at your disposal.

There’s a whole host of Nagato pics too - though I’m not too sure whether they’re all work-safe.

1) random.mayulive

• Speed: Quite Fast
• Content: All episodes of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
• Update Frequency: Not Applicable
• Video Format: .avi (HQ)
• Note: Hassle-free site, i.e. registration or forum posting not required to access downloads.

These are the anime direct download sites/forums and XDCC bots featured here in the past couple of weeks (in chronological order). Yep, I forgot to do this last week.

1. AnimeDump.org - Anime Direct Downloads Site
2. Codain Anime - Anime Direct Downloads Forum
3. Os2 Anime - Anime on YouTube
4. Nanashi-Fansubs XDCC Bots - Eureka seveN Haven
5. Misha.Distrocity - Anime Direct Download Site
6. ID-TV - Anime Hosted on Megaupload
7. AnimeDownloadz - DDL Site
8. Anime-Sensei - .rm Anime Hosted on Megaupload
9. Pink Sugar - Anime on Free File Hosts

For more anime DDL sites, you can check out the previous wrap-up or jump straight the whole list of anime DDL sites we’ve reviewed.

If you haven’t been driven to boredom by the two anime sites hosting anime on free file hosts (like Megaupload) we’ve seen this week, here’s another one.

Unlike the previous two though, this one is a forum which requires a set number of posts before allowing you access to their download links. So, I’m pretty sure it is going to be of interest only to some of you.

Nevertheless, note that… it’s pink all right - at least in terms of the forum skin used.

1) Pink Sugar

• Speed: Unknown
• Posts Required to Access Downloads: 15 posts for first set of anime and 30 posts for second set.
• Posts Required Per Download: None
• Content: 13 completed (e.g. Turn A Gundam, Mai Otome, DN Angel, etc.) and 2 ongoing anime series (Air Gear, Black Lagoon), as well as 5 movies and OVAs (e.g. Tsubasa Chronicle Movie, Hellsing Ultimate OVA, etc.)
• Update Frequency: Low
• Video Format: .avi (HQ)
• Note: Free registration required. Forum posting also required to access downloads. The site only uses free file hosts, i.e. they do not have their own media server.