Unlocking Asian Dramas, Films, and More…With Content in 150 Subtitled Languages!

Do you speak Chinese? No? Well, over a billion people do, and among them are many talented filmmakers, actors, or actresses – who have produced many excellent TV shows, movies, documentaries, and or dramas. What’s that? –You do speak Chinese? –Which version? The 23+ million people on the island of Taiwan, which is about the size of Belgium, speak at least three variations of Chinese: Mandarin, Hoklo, and Hakka. Across the Taiwan Strait in Hong Kong, they use Cantonese, and heading north up into the giant mainland of China, there is Shanghainese, Shandong-ese, and – trust us – plenty more kinds of Chinese. Asian film and TV content are frequently underappreciated – and this can sometimes be due to language barriers. But there’s a rather simple solution – subtitles. There are people in Taiwan who speak Hakka, Hoklo, Mandarin, and English, or French, or you-name-it. There are people in Hong Kong who are fluent in half a dozen tongues, and in the vast People’s Republic of China – with some 1.4 billion souls, there’s someone who can speak pretty much any and everything.

Getting local people to subtitle their favorite local shows into a second language they speak was the genius idea of a Chinese dramas app that has special software allowing collaborative subtitling… and now offers content from across Asia – with subtitles in as many as 150 languages! We all know that Korea is a K-content king, but China, Japan, and Taiwan have stepped up their film game as well… and this one-app-to-rule-them-all idea is the perfect way to discover new and old Asian content that could end up being your new addiction. Check out Korean dramas set 500 years ago and based on true stories, get your Kung Fu fix from a wide selection of Chinese titles, enjoy coming-of-age tales from Taiwan, or enjoy modern soap operas/romances from all of the above. Anytime, anyplace… via an app that you either buy a subscription for – or watch for free with intermittent ads. Watch from your couch, on the metro, on your lunch break, or… whenever – with the knowledge that if you find an Asian film or drama gem, you can recommend it to your friend in Brazil, as there are very likely Portuguese subtitles available.

There are people who — shudder — prefer dubbed versions of shows. These people are misguided and will certainly one day see the light. Subs beat dubs, and not just for anime. Why? The way a character infects a line in Korean simply can’t be exactly recreated in English or any other language. The actor said it in Korean… which is more than a language, it’s the foundation of a culture and the backdrop of centuries of history. Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk agrees. “Please watch the subtitled one,” said Hwang about his hit Netflix show in an interview with Good Morning America. “If you don’t see the acting, the performance from the real actor, then you are not seeing anything. You are missing most of the Squid Game fun.” Indeed. –You must hear to truly see.

There are hundreds of undiscovered Asian drama gems… but in the interest of brevity, we’ll list just three from South Korea. Come and Hug Me is a Romeo and Juliet story on steroids with the ‘Romeo’s’ father killing ‘Juliet’s’ entire family… but the two lovers still find a way back into each other’s lives. Go Back Couple is about a married pair that isn’t really into each other anymore, but because they have children, they stay together despite mounting mutual resentment. Just when things look completely hopeless, they suddenly awake to find they have time-traveled back to when they were college students. Welcome to Waikiki has the ridiculously fun premise of three male friends discovering a motherless baby in a hostel they jointly run. See? Don’t those sound like fun?

There is a wealth of Asian entertainment options that not only make for great viewing but also – we’d argue – help widen minds as stereotypes are destroyed, cultures are explored and brand-new ways of looking at the world are discovered. The latest Batman movie was great but let’s be honest, we’ve seen quite a few portrayals of the rich avenger who likes to dress up like a bat. Isn’t it time to traverse the unknown? If you liked the 2001 Japanese animation film Spirited Away (the highest-grossing film in Japanese history until 2020), maybe you should go back and discover some of director Hayao Miyazaki’s other lesser-known works such as 1986’s Castle in the Sky or Princess Mononoke (1997). Are you a fan of Quentin Tarantino’s in-your-face-black-humor-brutal-yet sophisticated films? Well, Tarantino in 2004 couldn’t praise the Vengeance Trilogy by Korea’s Park Chan-wook enough – and some regard it as one of the best ‘neo-noir’ films ever made. Park is also responsible for Old Boy and The Handmaiden. The point is this: there’s a lot to be discovered outside of one’s own culture, and doing so is an excellent way to broaden your life experience and travel the world without leaving the comfort of your sofa. And, with dramas that include 150 subtitle language options, there’s a good chance your language is covered.

SHARE ON FACEBOOK SHARE ON TWITTER

About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.