Microsoft has been poking around with the idea of downloadable videos on Live -- no, not game trailers or those stupid music videos from people you've never heard of that no one watches. Real video content, like TV shows and movies. It seems Microsoft may be using Japan as a testing ground for such a thing (or they're getting more desperate and willing to throw anything at the country to see if it sticks), as the first episode of an anime series known as Karas appeared on Xbox Live in Japan shortly after the media briefing in Tokyo ended. The episode is available in both regular definition and 720p. This could be evidence that America will soon get downloadable TV shows as well, but will people use them? The Karas episode is free (though future shows will have a fee), so there's no insight into how much they would charge for such content.

If you really must have this for yourself, Gamers Reports notes that you can create a second passport account, check Japan as your country of origin, and then create a new 360 profile based on that account to gain access to Japan-only downloads.

Update: While Microsoft did promise that there would be downloadable "entertainment content" in the future, according to this Gamespot article, the Karas download is an eight-minute trailer, not an episode. A full episode of a TV show for free did seem like a bit much.

Source: Game Brink