You’d think it would be straightforward and easy, but I’m finding it very hit or miss. I’m subscribed to so many streaming services I might as well be paying for cable, but I have been having trouble finding series I want to watch available with Japanese subtitles.
On Hulu, I tried Apothecary Diaries, Yuru Camp, and Hyouka and only Apothecary Diaries had subtitles.
On Netflix, Frieren, Apothecary Diaries and Spy Family all had subtitles. Netflix seems to be pretty consistent.
On Disney+ I tried Blue Orchestra, Spy Family, and One Punch Man and only Spy Family had subtitles.
I thought I’d have better luck on U-NEXT since it is a platform made in Japan for Japanese people only, but they don’t seem to have a way to turn of subtitles at all. Or at the very least I couldn’t find one.
On Amazon Prime, I tried Ascendence of a Bookworm, That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, and City The Animation, and the Ascendence of a Bookworm didn’t have subtitles.
It might sound like I’m being picky, because subtitles are available for some popular series, but the ones I was most keen to watch (Hyouka, Ascendence of a Bookworm) didn’t happen to have subtitles.
Are the consistent reliable subtitles hiding over on WOWOWオンライン or FODプレミアム? How many more streaming services do I need to sign up for?
98% of stuff on Netflix JP I’ve tried has had japanese subtitles. I think it might only have been 名探偵コナン so far which didn’t have them actually
If you’re not so picky about specific things you really want to watch, Netflix is fine, has a pretty big selection overall, and pretty consistently has subtitles
Unfortunately it’s pretty hit or miss. Netflix was the best most consistent one when it came to putting subtitles, however Netflix is just expensive and release of episodes can be frustrating as some are weekly, behind, or just won’t release until the season in finished (rare in Japan but Jojo). It’s a war you’ll never win and while I’m happy you feel so motivated to learn this way, ultimately it is just reading practice, so if a show you want to watch doesn’t have subs (and you know the story already as a bonus) just practice listening. It’s also a great opportunity to consume the manga or novels these shows are based on. I often read the manga first and just veggie out when the anime is on and it’s a good comprehension check for listening.
I only pay for Prime because having multiple services to go unused is stupid, pick one and just stick with whats available on there as 99% of shows don’t have exclusivity on any platform in Japan. Anyways, good luck.
Another +1 for this. If you have a Japanese netflix account or are able to access one, they will more than likely have CC in Japanese for almost all titles. You might need a VPN or something though