Five Danmu 5dm

High-quality anime site focusing on classic anime resources for otaku.

Screenshots

Let’s talk about that long-time otaku site dedicated to finding classic anime

Official website: https://www.5dm.app/, and there’s also a backup site that you can use when the main site is down occasionally — don’t mix them up.

I’ve been a long-time otaku who watches anime for almost ten years. Over the past two years, I’ve been looking for those obscure anime that haven’t been licensed in China — either niche works forgotten in the early days, or classic anime that no one has bought the copyright for in China. I’ve searched through several major platforms but found nothing. Later, a fellow otaku sent me this link. At first, I thought it was some random sketchy site, but when I entered, I realized I’d found a real gem.

When I first used it, I made two big mistakes. One was that I thought this site was like Bilibili, with all types of videos. I immediately tried to search for a certain game live stream, and when I couldn’t find it, I realized this is a site dedicated solely to anime, not a mixed bag of everything. The other was that I didn’t know there was a backup site. Once, the main site was acting up and wouldn’t open. I spent ages finding the backup URL, and I almost thought the site was gone.

What I like most about this site is that it’s really focused on otaku anime, with no random irrelevant content at all. Even the homepage recommendations are all anime. Unlike Bilibili, where you get distracted by UP creators’ vlogs or study content while browsing, you can watch anime in peace. Also, the resources are really “underground”. I was looking for a classic school-themed anime from over ten years ago that had no license in China at all. This site actually had it available for online viewing and downloading. The quality wasn’t blurry either, so it was a smooth experience.

Let’s talk about the practical features. The feature I use most often is the bullet comments (danmu). It was turned off by default, so I had to enable it manually. Once enabled, the sense of interaction immediately increased. There’s also a danmu blocking feature. I set spoiler-related keywords as sensitive words, so I won’t get spoiled while watching anime. This is really thoughtful. The categorization is also clear. The homepage is divided into new anime, classic anime, movies, and different genre sections. No need to search aimlessly. There’s also a music section with anime opening and ending themes (OP/ED). Sometimes I don’t want to watch the video, and I can just listen to the BGM for half an hour. This is surprisingly useful.

Compared to other similar platforms, this site has clear advantages. Bilibili is too mixed, anime is just part of its content. Sometimes I want to watch anime in peace, but I get distracted and can’t focus. Acfun now has fewer users and fewer resources than before, many classic anime have been removed. Tucao.net is mainly for reading others’ rants about anime, so there are too few resources if you want to watch anime yourself. So this site is the perfect balance: focused on anime, with solid resources, no extra stuff, made for people who want to watch anime without distractions.

Here are some tips to avoid pitfalls, which I learned from my own mistakes:

• Don’t click on pop-ups from external sites. Although there are no ads on this site, sometimes random stuff pops up when clicking links outside — don’t accidentally click them
• Save the backup site address. The main site acts up occasionally, so the backup can take over, saving you a long wait
• Register if you want to save your watch history. No phone number required, just fill in an email — it’s easy, and you can continue watching on other devices
• When searching for classic anime, don’t just use the full title. Add words like “classic anime” or “nostalgic” — sometimes you can’t find obscure anime with the full title, but adding these words helps
• Don’t set the danmu density too high, otherwise it will block the subtitles. If you want to see the plot clearly, set it to medium density

As for who this site is suitable for, it’s really for otaku who want to watch anime in peace without being disturbed by irrelevant content, especially those looking for obscure classic anime — you’ll really find gems here. Also, for those who love watching anime with pure danmu and can’t stand the messy recommendations from other platforms, this site is perfect. If you’re looking for UP creators’ daily vlogs, study resources, etc., Bilibili is still more suitable — this site isn’t for that.