If you are new to Asian cinema, you are incredibly lucky. There is so much content for you to watch in just about every genre. Asian cinema has broken boundaries for decades, but it is only now breaking into the collective consciousness of non-Asian pop culture.
Parasite did a lot to bring Korean movies into the spotlight, and many people have consequently found far more Korean content than they ever imagined. But Korea is only one of the Asian countries creating excellent art. Countries as diverse as Japan and Indonesia have produced films that rival productions from any Western country.
You may be unsure how to watch Asian movies that aren’t available on Netflix or Prime Video. The good news is that there are easy ways to get access.
Streaming services
While there is some good content on the major streaming services, you will miss out on a lot if you don’t expand your horizons. For Korean content, you can use Kocowa, or OnDemandKorea. These are all excellent services with thousands of titles available.
AsianCrush has content from all over the continent. VIKI, by Rakuten, provides content from all around Asia as well. FilmDoo has a fair amount of Asian content, but is not specifically an Asian streaming site.
But what if you cannot get access to these streaming sites from your country?
Download a VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) is a piece of security software. By routing your connection through an external server, it hides your IP and location and encrypts your data. Everyone should be using a VPN at all times to keep themselves safe from hackers.
However, a VPN has indirect uses as well. Since you are connecting to websites through an external server, it appears that you are in a different location. Download a VPN with servers around the world and you can trick websites into thinking you are in different countries.
This gets you around geo-restrictions while keeping you safe. It is well worth the average price of US$10 a month. And, if you commit to a year, you get a much cheaper price.
Choosing the right VPN is not too difficult. However, it is important to note that some streaming services block access with a VPN. Many VPN providers have managed to find a way around this, but you need to be certain that they will work before you commit.
To find the VPNs that work for this purpose, view this website about the best VPNs.
Use subtitles over dubbing
Dubbing is great for people who have trouble reading on a screen or have problems with their eyesight. However, if you are able to watch with subtitles, do so. Subtitles may be a little frustrating, but at least you get to hear what the original voices sound like. You get the subtleties of the actors, rather than the attempts of English-speaking voice actors to do the same.
You get used to subtitles relatively quickly, and before long you will hardly notice the difference. This is also a great way to learn more of the language the film or series is in if you are interested.
