Netflix to boost original series, films in and from Asia

Too much Japanese content on Netflix Japan. It's going the way of Hulu and will share the same fate.

I know. Having too much Japanese content on a Japanese service. Idiots!

I don't mind Japanese content, I just wish they had English subtitles.

Ferngully.

Learn the Lingo if they add subtitles they would need to do so in many languages covering the contents. Add in that subtitling is not cheap so the price would go up.

Mike: " Having too much Japanese content on a Japanese service. Idiots!"

Except it's not really a Japanese service.

Gary Raynor: "It's going the way of Hulu and will share the same fate."

I'd say, "It's going the way of Gyao" or "It's going the way of Mixi" would be more apt in terms of how they sold out and collapsed.

In any case, what's going to kill Netflix, if anything -- and it won't be too soon -- is the hike in subscription price they are planning. Hulu is still the better option for TV shows, on the whole, aside from original programming. They have a HUGE library (plus GOT, BSG, and others Netflix doesn't have). A lot of Netflix original programming, as well as the shows they save from morons like CBS and FOX, is quite good.

Too much Japanese content on Netflix Japan. It's going the way of Hulu and will share the same fate

I dont think that its too much....Hulu Japan (which was sold to a Japanese broadcaster) is full of dubbed western dramas and movies ! Why do they disable the English language track completely ??? One reason why I gave up on skyperfect due to them having one star channel in dubbed Japanese !!

Some of the Japanese stuff has subtitles on netflix (but to be fair if I want to watch Japanese then I will just turn on the TV).

On both Hulu, etc even on local Broadcasts they have the original soundtrack, ditto for Star Channel. Check your settings.

I don't mind Japanese content, I just wish they had English subtitles.

Me too. At least in the US if you watch a foreign flick on Netflix, there are always subtitles. Another thing about Netflix Japan -whats the point of having a seach feature when most of the movies I type in aren't even available?

Mike L.

I know. Having too much Japanese content on a Japanese service. Idiots!

Please Read Below, they say it all

smithinjapanJul. 06, 2016 - 09:04AM JST

Except it's not really a Japanese service.

lonelygaijin2001

if I want to watch Japanese then I will just turn on the TV.

Ditto to the above comments. Japanese entertainment quality is asinine. Has anybody watched that Terrace House, Japanese version of Big Brother, on Netflix? It's absolutely pathetic and as entertaining as watching paint dry.

It says something when satellite/streaming TV in Vietnam, a one-party state, has more choice than Japan. Still got to keep the cultural sakoku in place and ensure that the next generation of Japanese are not tainted with foreign elements.

The thing that is really going to do Netflix in is its religious obstruction of people using VPN to plug in to other regional versions of the site.

Of course, for copyright reasons, they have to pay lip service to blocking VPNs, but at present they are zealously blocking access.

I think I'm going to drop Netflix and stick with Amazon prime. Of course the Roku box is excellent and I get to watch all the non-Japanese TV I want using a VPN.

I think Netflix is going to become yesterday's news very soon. At best it will end up as Skyperfect without the sport.

At least in the US if you watch a foreign flick on Netflix, there are always subtitles.

Same as Japan - they always have subtitles for the non-Japanese content on Netflix here.

Simulcast is the norm now. Remember watching the Munster's, etc with subtitles as a young one.

Greece never dubs anything all subs.

I saw Japanese flick "Coldfish" but I was only understanding 1/2 of the dialogue. But I had seen it years ago in the US (Netflix) and there were subtitles.

Same as Japan - they always have subtitles for the non-Japanese content on Netflix here.

You're right. In the back of my head, I keep thinking that Netflix Japan is Netflix US and that the subtitles should just automatically be there. Silly me.

I just signed up for Netflix (in Japan) a couple weeks ago and have been underwhelmed so far. Im coming at this from the perspective of someone who wants to watch English language content and doesnt really care about the Japanese stuff so much, perhaps a Japanese person would have a different opinion from mine.

There are a few decent shows and movies but a lot of it is filler. Plus I am already running into the "English language show that has been dubbed into Japanese and you can`t watch the original" problem, which just seems obnoxious.

The upsides are the price (cheap) and if you have kids the selection of shows for them isn`t too bad. Compared to what the American version offers though this is a huge letdown....

Any company will adjust their contents/products to local demand.

So expecting it to be equal to your home-country is .....

I think the setup here is fine, the competition between Netflix and Hulu is heating up but I think Hulu needs to start releasing quicker to compete with Netflix's fast releases. Hulu is only now releasing The Wire season 4, whereas Netflix is getting heaps of original programs and releasing faster than some English speaking countries

Most likely a licencing/copyright issue.

So expecting it to be equal to your home-country is .....

I see your point. But if you look what is "trending" on Netflix Japan, those movies are so outdated; The Departed, American Beauty, Castaway.

Those are good movies. But they're old. The other movies are jokes. The documentaries are so-so.

Compared to what the American version offers though this is a huge letdown....

I know several Japanese subscribers who'd agree with this statement too.

Granted I am not a native English English speaker, grew up with language.

So why the demand for English as most if the world's population don't speak/ understand it and I am talking about the average Joe/Jane.

These services shud be attempting to allow the original, dubbed & subtitled versions, INCLUDING Japanese shows(don't they want people OUTSIDE Japan to watch!!!!)

For now I don't care as I try to avoid TV generally & most shows on TV are copies of many others previously made that just change the setting to cop show, doctor show, lawyer show, sports show etc BUT The underlying stories are all heavily re-cycled, I didn't watch much but have had it with the un-originality of most of the crap out there.

GW.

Selfish are we.

Maybe they also should cater for all major languages around the globe?

Plus I am already running into the "English language show that has been dubbed into Japanese and you can`t watch the original" problem, which just seems obnoxious.

I wonder why they like doing this. Even when they show American shows and movies on Japanese TV it has to be dubbed in Japanese. You'd think it would be cheaper to have one translator put subtitles on the show than to have numerous voice actors dub the English lines into Japanese.

I watch the daily afternoon movies, etc just push a button in my remote to switch, ditto for movies shown Friday/Sunday evenings and at night.

Ditto for overseas Tv-Series.

Granted if a movie is originally in French, German, Italian, etc you get that language but it is indicated in the program guide and on the program guide I can switch to on my movie and even program content I want to watch.

One thing that annoys me is programs that use multiple languages are all translated to Japanese.

I got a VPN and watch Netfix from UK. The difference is astonishing.

Again they provide a service for Japanese speakers and not the odd foreigner which is minority among their subscribers.

Got it now?

The sad reality is, Netflix will not succeed in Japan for one very simply reason - the jimusho system. This archaic & tightly-controlled industry ensures that Japan will never enter the 21st century. Music, TV, movies - you name it. Any talent that Netflix et al. are hoping to lure in for their original productions will be nigh impossible, as the amount of red tape & middle men agents they'd have to pay off wouldn't make it financially viable, regardless of how much they throw at it. Japan and gaiatsu don't mix.

Look at the streaming music market - basically non-existent here. No Spotify - even after all these years. Why? Because of our beloved jimusho system, of course! Everyone has to get their cut, right? Record companies here will never succumb to the streaming business model because 75% of all music sales in Japan are CDs! Are we in 2016 or 1996? TIJ!

What's wrong It's me, woke up on the wrong side of the bed?

Every post seems to be a belligerent attempt to appease your non-native English speaker chip on the shoulder.

All people are pointing out is that people choose satellite/streaming TV not to see the same guff one can watch on terrestrial TV, no matter what the language.

Netflix Japan is failing on this point, just like SkyPerfect has, while all the European Netflix regions are not. Sure Netflix Germany has one genre of local films, but it doesn't take up 30% of the total catalogue content with German TV shows or movies; the same for Netflix Denmark or Netflix Switzerland. If they did the local customers would complain because they don't but Netflix to see something they could see on terrestrial TV or in the local cinema down the road.

Got it now?

Selfish are we. Maybe they also should cater for all major languages around the globe?

its me,

Hardly, by any chance did you read the part where Netflix is in 190countries???? Not just Japan!!

All this is a little bigger than good ol Japan, the service is clearly very subpar, likely for a lot of reasons beyond netflicks control, its a rather common problem for a LOT of things that Japan could & SHOULD do better but still "thinks" about 50yrs behind the rest of the modern world...... & for no real reasons I can see, but hey overall its just Japan & Japanese who end up doing without & also the few of us who call Japan home. Would be nice to see Japan doing things to make lives better rather than sticking to the old ways that just aren't even close to being up to the tasks at hand

GW. yes, they provide my !anguage in my home country but not in Japan which is Japanese speaking.

No complaints there as both English and Japanese knowledge is sufficient but not my mother tongue.

Counter question why do English speakers expect everyone needs to cater for them?

Gary Raynor: "I think Netflix is going to become yesterday's news very soon. At best it will end up as Skyperfect without the sport."

No, Netflix will not be yesterday's news -- at least not globally (maybe in Japan) -- again because of their original content and the fact that they rescue shows that are very popular but that other networks drop. Take Orange is the New Black; one of the most popular and best dramas on television these days, and a Netflix original. House of Cards, Hemlock Grove, Bojack Horseman, Kimmy Schmidt, Daredevil, Bloodline, Between, Sense8, Terrace House (which has been mentioned on this thread), Master of None, and films such as The Square (nominated for an Academy Award). Also picked up by Netflix after being dropped by others, and therefore becoming original conent with the new seasons, is Arrested Development, The Killing, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Trailer Park Boys, Longmire, etc. These are to name but a few, and they are producing original Japanese content now like Hibana.

So, while it may die out slightly in Japan or in Asia even, world-wide Netflix is only going to lose if they continue to jack up their prices. Hulu, while not that great, continues to store a much larger library of older material and has a somewhat loyal user base. Like you, I also like Amazon Prime, and one HUGE factor they have going for it is that it is 'free' to all Prime members. I think it will grow in the future, but for now it has very little content, comparitavely speaking.

I'm not a huge fan of Netflix, but I can assure you that globally it is in no immediate danger of becoming yesterday's news so long as their original content exists, and if they lower the membership costs instead of increasing them.

GW, you would be surprised for how many non-english speakers I needed to translate, not in my job description as I am an IT engineer.

Netflix Japan is fine for your average Japanese who watches an average amount of TV a week.

Not much good for your average American though.

And that is their target market in Japan.

I wonder why they like doing this. Even when they show American shows and movies on Japanese TV it has to be dubbed in Japanese.

Most of the time you can switch to original audio via your remote.

You'd think it would be cheaper to have one translator put subtitles on the show than to have numerous voice actors dub the English lines into Japanese.

A lot of people just prefer not to have to read. I'll don't mind watching an occasional movie with subtitles, but I can understand it getting tiring if you're watching to relax.

Another thing, kanji literacy is getting worse in Japan, resulting in more hiragana. There's only so much room on the screen for subtitles, so apparently this is resulting in a lot getting cut out of the translation. So in addition to having to read, you also lose story and nuance with subtitles. That's what I heard from my Japanese cinephile coworker anyway...

I mostly watch American/Netflix shows/movies on Netflix and I never run out of things to watch... Right now I'm alternating between Fargo, Gilmore Girls, Marcella, Luther and the occasional guilty pleasure of Gossip Girl. Not to mention catching up on the 100 and the new Marco Polo. For me, their content is pretty good and getting better every month.

Most of my posts have been removed......Thank you Japantoday

To paraphrase Jake Gittes from Chinatown,

Forget it, Netflix. It's Japan.

Im coming at this from the perspective of someone who wants to watch English language content and doesnt really care about the Japanese stuff so much

Why would you expect a service catering to a largely Japanese speaking audience to show primarily English language content?

Why would you expect a service catering to a largely Japanese speaking audience to show primarily English language content?

To be fair to him, Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services are American companies that specifically provide access to American shows and movies that are popular worldwide, including Japan. Without commenting on quality, America simply produces more content than any other country, so it's not crazy to assume that an American content provider would include a lot of English language content even in Japan.

I haven't really encountered it on Netflix Japan, but I would also be annoyed if a show or movie didn't include it's original (English) audio, as I assume some Japanese would be too.

Sorry , even overseas Companies need do adjust do local demands.

A top selling product might be a Flop in other countries.

It"S ME,

Yeah, I agree with you. I'm just saying it's not unreasonable to expect English language content from these particular services.

To be fair to him, Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services are American companies

Actually no, Hulu was sold off to nippon TV http://venturebeat.com/2014/02/27/hulu-sells-its-hulu-japan-service-to-nippon-tv/

"Nippon license the Hulu brand" so its not an American company

A top selling product might be a Flop in other countries

Then the product probably wasn't meant to be, in that other country.

Why would you expect a service catering to a largely Japanese speaking audience to show primarily English language content?

Prob because the US makes the most powerful and popular movies in the world. Imagine if you got a $50 iTunes card, but you could ONLY upload J-pop to ur device. . . that would ruin my day big time.

Japanese service ?? Really ??

lonelygaijin2001,

Actually no, Hulu was sold off to nippon TV http://venturebeat.com/2014/02/27/hulu-sells-its-hulu-japan-service-to-nippon-tv/

"Nippon license the Hulu brand" so its not an American company

They sold their Japan-based service to them. Hulu itself is still US owned, and built it's name streaming American TV shows. KFC Japan is also Japanese owned, but no one expects them to stop serving fried chicken anytime soon.

I agree with a lot of the other posters. Many of the Japanese movies available on Netflix are viewable with English subtitles on American Netflix, on international flights, etc, but in Japan, most of the Japanese content is only viewable in Japanese. If I wanted to watch a Japanese movie with Japanese subtitles, I could just go down the street to Tsutaya and rent something. If Netflix wants to distinguish itself, it should add English subs to more of its Japanese offerings (like it has done with original series like Terrace House and Hibana Spark).

MrBum They sold their Japan-based service to them. Hulu itself is still US owned

Arent we talking about the Japan based Hulu ???? If you read the article, its in name only !

That is the problem. English subtitles should be on all Japanese Netflix content, as well as European films.