Anorak Review
Last Updated: Mar 02, 2026
| Rating |  |
| Price | Free |
| Features | Anime Usenet Automation Tool |
| Python 2 | |
| Last Updated September 2022 | |
| Basic Listings and Metadata Management |
Update: Anorak has been discontinued. The GitHub repository has not received updates since September 2022 and appears to be inactive.
Anorak is a lightweight Usenet automation tool built specifically for anime fans. Developed in Python 2 by GrandfatherTetrapod, it earned a solid reputation for doing one thing well: automating the download of anime series from Usenet with minimal fuss. It won’t hold your hand through the Usenet ecosystem, but experienced users who know what they’re doing will find it gets out of the way and just works.
What It Does
Despite its minimalist approach, Anorak covers the essential bases well. You specify the series you want to track and the release group you prefer, and Anorak handles the rest — finding new episodes, grabbing the NZB, and sending it to SABnzbd with proper categorization.
Download quality is configurable, so you can dial it back to save bandwidth or go full quality if storage isn’t a concern.
Highlighted Features
- Automatically retrieves new episode NZB files.
- Sends NZBs directly to SABnzbd, ensuring proper categorization.
- Cross-platform compatibility with a simple HTTP interface.
- Notifies Plex when new episodes are downloaded.
- Supports post-processing scripts to move episodes to designated folders.
- Allows users to specify download quality preferences.
- Lets users choose their preferred release group for subtitles.
- Provides an easy override for search terms if the release name differs from the official AniDB title.
Anorak screenshot of a basic listing for a series by GrandpaTetrapod.
Running the App
Anorak runs entirely from the terminal — there’s no GUI. It pulls episode metadata from AniDB and can notify Plex when new episodes land, making it a reasonably complete automation loop for anime fans already comfortable on the command line.
One practical caveat: anime titles in Korean or Chinese characters may trip up the search functionality, so some manual overrides may be needed. The tool includes a built-in option for this.
Given its discontinued status, Anorak is best suited for users who can self-support. It’s a narrow, focused tool — if you’re into anime and comfortable with Python and the terminal, it still does its job. If you’re looking for something actively maintained, Seanime is the most capable modern replacement: it’s a self-hosted media server with a full web UI, AniList integration, torrent and debrid support, and an auto-downloader for new episodes. For a lighter-weight option closer to Anorak’s spirit, Senpwai is a cross-platform Python desktop app that tracks series and batch-downloads episodes automatically. For sourcing anime torrents, Nyaa.si is the community standard.
Related Links
- AniDB — anime database Anorak uses for metadata
- AniList — popular modern alternative to AniDB for tracking and discovery
- Nyaa.si — the go-to anime torrent tracker
- Seanime — actively maintained self-hosted anime media server with auto-downloader
- Senpwai — cross-platform desktop app for auto-downloading new anime episodes
- Sonarr — general TV automation tool that works well for anime via Usenet
- Anorak Project
