It’s perfect for fans of Asian series

Home entertainment has stood out during the pandemic, with major platforms making huge investments to monetize increased TV time and the larger budget available to pay for more options, even if they were not subsequently compressed. to the maximum.

But that moment has passed and since then platforms have reduced their costs, increasing the price of tariffs, placing advertisements in their most economical options and, ultimately, marking a change in direction. This isn’t something that happened in just one country, it’s something we saw in Europe and many other markets.

But even now there are proposals much less known than the main ones which not only allow you to have alternatives with content from less popular countries, but also to be able to watch current series without paying anything. RAKUTEN Viki is an online streaming service that offers a free option which includes, for example, the Chinese adaptation of the popular play The Three Body Problem, of which Netflix also made a version.

What is RAKUTEN Viki

RAKUTEN Viki is a free subscription streaming service that specializes in Asian TV shows and movies, China, South Korea, Japan and other countries. It is accessible via its website or via available applications. Among the available content, here are the highlights:

• Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese dramas.
• Asian films.
• Kpop and Kdrama News and Events.
• Original content from RAKUTEN Viki.

The content is available in the language of the country in which it was filmed, although It has subtitles in many languages, including Spanish. And no, it is not dubbed into other languages, which is one of the main obstacles for many users, although more and more people are getting used to using subtitles.

Free and without web registration

One of the things that stands out the most is that although there is a payment rate that provides access to all content, There are many programs, series and films that can be watched for free. Additionally, registration on the website is not required and it works the same way as YouTube, just clicking on what you want to see. Mobile apps require registrationalthough it is very quick and simple.

Of course, free use of the platform implies having to see two commercials at the start of each broadcast and a few during it, also similar to what the Google platform does. This is something that may be uncomfortable for many, but you must remember that you are not paying anything in this case. Many platforms like Prime Video or Disney also charge and serve ads at their lowest rates.

If you want watch without advertising, you can pay for the so-called Viki Pass, which costs 5.49 dollars per month or 54.90 dollars per year, which represents a saving of two months. You can contract both on the web and in applications.

How RAKUTEN Viki works

This platform uses an interface very similar to that of the rest of the streaming services, with an application in which the different proposals or series that we watch appear in several carousels. Additionally, at the top there is a button to subscribe to the paid version.

But even free offers compatibility with Google Chromecast, it is therefore possible to share what you are watching with the television or a speaker with a smart screen. However, if we have Android TV or Google TV, it is even better to install the application for this system.

A click on one of the titles opens a floating window with basic information, such as the synopsis, title, score and a button to display it. But if you press again, it opens the complete sheetwhere we also have the option to add to a watchlist, share the title or leave a review.

Special mention to this section, which reminds Filmin allow users to write reviews of the series and give them ratings. Also, if anyone wants to comment on something you do rob of the plot, it is possible to put a warning before, so as not to know anything just by reading the reviews. It also has a chat section, although this is more of a way to ask users questions.

The reproduction

Once you press the play button, the interface opens in landscape mode and the movie or series begins. At the top we have the Chromecast icons, subtitles and options. The first two have a fairly obvious use, but the third also has important functions.

For example, we can change the playback quality, which is standard by default and can be increased to High, which would waste around 1.2 GB per viewing hour. We can also change how chapters play automatically or report a problem. There are also timed comments, which are text-based contributions that appear at a certain point in the series.

In the central part of the interface we have the pause button and the forward and back buttons, which change the time by 10 seconds in both cases. In the At the bottom is the button to go to other episodes or to see the cast. We see similarities to Prime Video here, showing us the names and photos of the actors, as well as other titles they’ve appeared in. At the bottom right is the button to skip the chapter or to put the reading vertically, showing the timed comments. In the web interface, the options are the same, but not all buttons are in the same places.

This platform It is not an alternative to the most popular services like Netflix or Max, but it is a complement., especially for those who usually watch Korean series, Japanese movies, or just want to have more options when watching something. The only downside is that they are not dubbed into Spanish, only subtitled.