FUNimation has had a YouTube presence since 2006, but now they have begun in a serious way to upload anime series there, that fans can view for free directly on the video site, for a limited period. They announced early in July that they had arranged a "branded channel" there, which implied something different from what they had already been doing. So perhaps these free streamings of a few series at a time was what they meant.

This falls in line with what other anime distributors have begun to do in recent months. Gonzo/GDH have their own YouTube channel, Gonzo DogaWW, with similar arrangements, while Bandai Entertainment is now operating the former Bandai Visual USA site, Dot-Anime.US, which also streams selected episodes for free, for certain time periods.

As of the end of July, FUNimation now has four shows in progress on YouTube, each with four episodes uploaded, and four more episodes to come next week: Blue Gender, Kiddy Grade, Peach Girl, and Slayers. None of these series is recent; Blue Gender began its original broadcast in Japan in 1999, while Slayers first appeared there in 1995, while the other two series began in the early 2000's. But this will be a new viewing for many younger anime fans, and FUNimation obviously hopes to rekindle the enjoyment in older fans who have seen the shows before, and might think of buying them now.

In addition to those series which fans can just watch on YouTube without needing to purchase, FUNimation of course has listed a host of trailers for various DVD and box set releases. The list is extensive and goes back a long way. You'll need to scroll through eleven (so far) pages, but you'll undoubtedly unearth some goodies if you do.

And by the way, while you're on YouTube, you might also want to nip over to the Gonzo channel, for the trailer of a series whose acquisition FUNimation recently announced: Afro Samurai: Resurrection.