Fans of Asian cinema can have a tough time finding films they want to view on U.S. media Web sites. Those willing to virtually travel across the globe though will find a cornucopia of Asian fare. This article takes a quick look at the five best sites for Far East cinema, the bottom four of which are in Chinese only, so one must use a translator utility like Babel Fish to read it in another language.

5. Tudou.com hosts movies, anime, Asian television shows, trailers, and life casting. It combines social networking with media sharing. The keyword search at top of page performs well and accepts searches in English. A search for Jet Li turned up his movie "War," available in four parts. Movies open in a small screen with a movie theater style background, and many movies on the site are in their language of origin with sub-titles in the same. The stream quality is often iffy. It's best to let the video buffer fully before attempting to play it, otherwise be prepared for tons of lag and interruptions.

  4. Youku.com also combines social networking, life casting, and media sharing. It features an accurate keyword search at the top of page that accepts searches in English. A search for "Ringu" turned up multiple copies, including one available in four parts. Youku's stream quality varies, but tends toward laggy. Here too, it's best to let the video buffer fully before attempting to play it. Movies open in a small screen but can be enlarged. Many movies are in their language of origin with sub-titles in the same.

3. 6.cn continues the theme of social networking, life casting, and media sharing. The site's search can't handle Boolean queries well, so finding anything in particular is hit or miss. Browsing unearthed a cool commercial for Godzilla Unleashed and the animated series D.N. Angel. Movies open in a small screen but can be full screened. The site's main focus is Asian films, but it also hosts films from throughout the world. Stream quality is consistently high, but at busy times of day it's still necessary to buffer the video.

2. 56.com is also a combination site, but with a stronger focus on film and music video. It focuses on Asian film, but has selections from throughout the world. Browsing unearthed the funny video for Nara Jang's "Oh! Happy Day." Movies open in a small screen but can be full screened or wide screened. The site provides consistently high stream quality with only occasionally need to buffer.

1. Crunchyroll.com brings Asian cinema to the English speaking masses by putting its text in English. It's light on social networking, heavy on film content. Browsing is the easiest way to find something to watch, for example, A Love to Kill, Episode 1, with sub-titles available in English or Arabic. Movies open in a small screen but can be re-sized. Crunchyroll boasts high stream quality on a consistent basis.

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This post guest-blogged by Carlie Lawson...