This is one anime direct download forum implementation that feels right in my book. WelcomeOtaku.com, though requiring you to post in their forums to access most of the anime they host, still maintains a free media section which is almost hassle-free, i.e. no forum posting required to access downloads (though free registration is still required).

This way, a system to “try before you commit” yourself to posting is established, and is often a magnet for new members. After all, how many of us are willing to post and post and post without a sample of the anime downloads that await us? Not many I think.

Well, some webmasters will certainly disagree, but then, given that a number of anime forums have already embraced this concept (or something similar to it), there are certainly those who do agree as well.

1) WelcomeOtaku.com

• Media Server Speed: Average (tested on free media section only)
• Media Server Content: 54 ongoing (e.g. Innocent Venus, WitchBlade, Tsuyokiss, etc.) and 96 completed (e.g. Ai Yori Aoshi, REC, Gun X Sword, etc.) anime series, as well as 30 OVAs (e.g. One Piece, Happy Lesson, etc.) and 17 movies (e.g. Air, Cowboy Bebop, etc.).
• Posts Required to Access Downloads: None for free media section. 10 posts for ongoing series, 25 to 200 posts for completed series, 40 posts for OVAs and 50 posts for movies.
• Posts Required Per Download: None
• Update Frequency: Frequent
• Video Format: .avi (HQ), .ogm (HQ), .mp4 (HQ), .mkv (HQ)
• Note: Free registration required (e-mail confirmation required). Forum posting is required to access most of their anime. Only the free media section does not require forum posting. Hentai available, but since forum posts are required to access them (40 to 200 posts), the site remains (mostly) kid-safe.

Not to be outdone by the various Blogspot-powered anime sharing blogs around the web, similar blogs have been popping up on WordPress.com.

Latest Anime is one of them (hat tip to Gary who informed me of it via email), and a very new one at that, so don’t expect too much in terms of content just yet. As usual, the site hosts its anime on free file hosts and does not have its own server. But interestingly, the admins are primarily using Turbo Upload instead of the traditional Megaupload, Gigaone, Oxyshare offerings - though speeds still seem to be average.

1) Latest Anime

• Turbo Upload (Free File Host) Speed: Average
• Free File Host Content: 2 completed (Shakugan no Shana and Trinity Blood) and 6 ongoing anime series (e.g. Strawberry Panic, Black Blood Brothers, Bleach, etc.).
• Update Frequency: Average
• Video Format: .rmvb (LQ to MQ)
• Note: Hassle-free site, i.e. registration or forum posting not required to access downloads. The site only uses free file hosts, i.e. they do not have their own media server. Episodes are compressed as .zip files, so you’ll need software like WinZip to uncompress them.

Here’s another piece of news from my e-mail backlog. There’s a new DDL-related group on Yahoo! Groups called Anime-Sharing [A-S], and it seems to be one of the more active ones this year.

Last year, one of the more active ones I paid attention to was Anime Hosterz - which seems to somewhat be in idle mode this year.

FYI, these groups primarily focus on sharing anime uploaded to free file hosts such as Megaupload, though uploading is not a prerequisite to gain access. Nevertheless, if you have good upload speeds, it’s always nice to contribute back to the group - just like in any anime forum really.

Also note that Anime-Sharing has a wiki, through which anime links posted to the group are listed. This is unlike Anime Hosterz which primarily utilises Yahoo! Groups’ in-built link listing system.

1) Anime-Sharing [A-S]

• Megaupload (Free File Host) Speed: Unknown
• Free File Host Content: 90+ completed (e.g. Aishiteruze Baby, Chrno Crusade, Shakuga no Shana, etc.) and 15+ ongoing anime series (e.g. Air Gear, Saiunkoku Monogatari, Naruto, etc.), as well as 5+ movies (e.g. Blood, Full Metal Alchemist, etc.) and 5+ OVAs (e.g. Prince of Tennis National Championship, Hoi Hoi San, etc.). Also has some manga, drama and anime/JPop music.
• Update Frequency: Frequent
• Video Format: .avi (HQ)
• Note: You’ll need to register for a Yahoo! account to gain access to the individual anime sharing groups. Application for membership into the various groups after getting a Yahoo! account is normally approved automatically (after a CAPTCHA of course). The site only uses free file hosts, i.e. they do not have their own media server.

Update: A-S isn’t new considering that posting activity started in April 2005. My mistake here.

Only three ongoing series available on this anime DDL site, but it’s hassle-free and fast. Few things are more important than that when it comes to direct download sites (well… at least to me).

1) StarFreeze

• Media Server Speed: Quite Fast
• Media Server Content: 3 ongoing series (Utawarerumono, Soul Link and Demonbane).
• Update Frequency: Above Average
• Video Format: .avi (HQ)
• Note: Hassle-free, i.e. registration and forum posting not required to access downloads.

Here’s another Blogspot blog filled with anime hosted on free file hosts. We’ve already seen three in the past couple of months, so it should already be a familiar sight.

Note that while the admin has announced that the site has moved to a new location, all the anime links have yet to be transferred over. So, I suggest sticking with the old site for now.

1) SuzukaJC’s Anime Media

• Speed: Unknown (too many free file hosts used)
• Content: 58 completed (e.g. REC, Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, Da Capo, etc.) and 3 ongoing anime series (Bleach, One Piece, Kyou Kara Maou ).
• Update Frequency: Average
• Video Format: .rmvb (LQ to MQ), .avi (HQ)
• Note: Hassle-free site, i.e. registration or forum posting not required to access downloads. The site only uses free file hosts, i.e. they do not have their own media server. The site is also currently moving to a new location - which is still under construction.

Here’s an anime direct download forum for those of you with a deeply ingrained posting habit. They have quite a bit of content, but only a few episodes won’t require you to rack up non-spam forum posts.

While gaining access to ongoing series will only cost you 10 forum posts, getting to the completed series section will set you back by at least 100 forum posts. They do have some (only recent eps of Naruto and Bleach) hassle-free anime episodes on YouTube for your streaming pleasure though.

1) Anime Capsule

• Media Server Speed: Average
• Media Server Content: 13 ongoing (e.g. Ouran, Kiba, Utawarerumono, etc.) and 11 completed (e.g. Trigun, DN Angel, FLCL, etc.) anime series, plus 2 movies (FF7, Cowboy Bebop Movie).
• YouTube Content: Recent episodes of Naruto and Bleach.
• Forum Posts Required to Access Downloads: None for the most recent Bleach and Naruto episodes, as well as their streaming media. 10 posts for ongoing series. 100 posts for completed series. 500 posts for Trigun (anything else?). Yeah, that’s 2 zeroes.
• Forum Posts Per Download: None
• Update Frequency: Above Average
• Video Format: .rm, .rmvb (LQ to MQ) or .avi (HQ)
• Note: Free registration required (e-mail confirmation not required). Forum posting required to access most downloads (i.e. everything except the latest episodes of Bleach and Naruto).

If you dare say that there isn’t enough direct download sites for Naruto, I’d probably have to hurt you real bad. Seriously. Why? Because here’s yet another one.

Naruto Community provides all episodes of Naruto, plus a little bit more on their servers, and all you need to do is to register.

Since they have a forum (though forum posting is not mandatory), they do have some anime uploaded to free file hosts by their users, e.g. Yu Yu Hakusho, though I can’t be certain how much there is since the site doesn’t seem to want to feature what’s available.

1) Naruto Community

• Media Server Speed: Above Average (for both their FTP and HTTP mirrors)
• Media Server Content: All episodes of Naruto, and anime OSTs from 14 series.
• Update Frequency: Above Average
• Video Format: .rmvb (LQ to MQ) or .avi (HQ)
• Note: Free registration required (e-mail confirmation not required), but forum posting is not required to access downloads.

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.