Hunting for Asian Movies and Dramas the Legal Way- Small Tips for Beginners [Editorial]

Allow me to begin this post with a bit of a ramble. Back in 2006, when I was still a teenager in junior high school, I saved up my pocket money and bought a brand new, 2-disc DVD edition of Batman Begins. I vividly remember that at the beginning of the movie there was a commercial with rock instrumental music saying “Piracy. It’s a crime”. I can’t say for sure, but I believe this was a clip made specifically for Warner Bros’ releases in the late 2000s. Relatively quickly, before the age of memes, a Youtube parody of the video cropped up with re-edited footage saying “Piracy. It’s 'not' a crime”. Well, I guess the relationship between a consumer and pirated visual arts is a tricky one, certainly not as straightforward as shoplifting or pickpocketing.
     It is easy for me to understand that for young people living in the 2000s, especially outside the US and the UK, torrents and thematic blogs with download links were the only sources to get movies and TV shows they wanted simply because there was no other alternative to get desired titles which were either out of print or completely unavailable in a specific region. However, the situation has changed drastically with the advent of streaming services. We live in the times of immediacy and globalisation, when it is increasingly easier to seek out films we want and watch them legally. This very much applies to the realm of Asian Cinema as well. On the basis of my own experiences, I would like to share with newbies, who are at the beginning of their adventure with Asian movies and dramas, this small-ish guide about hunting for stuff the legal way.

 

Streaming Services

 

     Since 2020, it has become apparent that Netflix orientates itself towards Asian dramas and movies. There is a growing conviction among drama fans that the idea of Netflix increasingly engaging in distribution of JDramas and KDramas is not a good thing because this will, in the long run, annihilate independent groups of fansubbers. Personally, I beg to differ. It is for the best that dramas are becoming more available to international audiences in a legal way. Still again, there is so much to choose from in terms of Asian TV shows that Netflix won’t be able release everything single-handedly, so I believe there will still be room for fansubbers and their hard work.
     The bottomline is that Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and many other sites offer to watch films the legal way, in a good quality, and in a multitude of languages. Please refer to this awesome MyDramaList chart to check out more streaming services where you can find Asian dramas. Personally, apart from Netflix, I also use local VOD sites in my country (for which I pay per-film-only by text message or wire transfer, which is safe and easy). See if there are such sites in your region as well. Even on YouTube, if you look hard enough, you can find legal channels offering free movies!

 

 

Physical Media

     Even though many experts proclaim the downfall of physical media, there are still boutique, hard-working labels out there, which strive to deliver quality content on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K. If you look for Asian titles (either popular or independent) on actual discs, then I invite you to skim through the offers of Criterion, Arrow Video, and Third Window Films. In addition, the boutique labels often manage their own VOD selections or streaming services, and even offer discounts on their titles, so pay attention to their announcements on social media.
     What is more, (another cliché incoming) rental stores still exist (in small capacity) across the globe. Such blast-from-the-past businesses are often run by people or families with passion for movies. If you have such an esteemed business in your neighbourhood, then pay them a visit. I guarantee, most rental shops will have Asian movies on offer.

 

TV

     Yes, as clichéd as it may sound, Television is still a place where you can look for Asian movies. I am not telling you to watch the usual crap on TV and scour for movie commercials. You just need to look for the films either via traditional TV guides or digital programme offers. Standard cable TV or even free antenna TV, which is broadcast digitally, make it easier for you to find stuff nowadays. I myself frequently look through the guide of three channels in my country because I know these are the go-to places for Asian flicks (the names of the channels won’t probably tell you much, but here they are anyways: TVP Kultura, Filmbox Arthouse, TV4).

 

Film Festivals

     Either online or in real life, film festivals are the best option to familiarise yourself with hard to get Asian productions. On a yearly basis, there are at least three festivals in my country which screen Asian films. International events are also a good choice because they offer screenings free of charge, or even allow you to watch stuff online. However, there is a region-lock imposed on the selection, so you would have to help yourself with VPN. The internet speed may become unsatisfactory, but this is the only solution. In my opinion, region blocking on film festivals is pointless and only discourages viewers who want to legally watch a movie. Big movie pirates will eventually get to the stuff they need, one way or another, and download the screeners. To date, it boggles my mind that people casually share on Twitter screenshots from Drive My Car screener, which was obviously recorded by illegal means (article source with photos).

 

Social Media

     Another good idea is to follow movie-oriented profiles, distributors, and even fansubbers on social media. Sometimes there will be some free screening events online, and you will get to know about them through these sources. Recently, I got to know that you can see free dramas directly on NHK site. Speaking of fansubbers, I know that not every drama is available on Netflix or Amazon, as I mentioned previously, but please do not use illegal drama streaming sites because they rob fansubbers from their hard work. If you want drama subtitles, then get them directly from the fansubber. Just getting the file from there and saying simple thank you shows that you support their hard work. Do not go for sites with “kiss” or “on” in the title because these not only steal the drama content, but also steal translations, something one person struggled to make for hours or days in front of a computer screen.

 

Conclusion

     That’s it from me. I hope you will find some of these tips useful. I realise it is sometimes hard (some connoisseurs are really into rare stuff), but there are actual means to check out motion pictures and TV shows fair and square. Additionally, if you pay to watch a film either on a disc or via VOD, you really support the studios and filmmakers who make these films. Please consider that while watching Squid Game, Parasite, Hana-bi or whichever Asian production you like. Thank you for reading.

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