16 Best Streaming Services for Japanese Movies

cord-cutting › best streaming services japanese movies • April 15, 2024 • The Staff

You may already know what the best streaming services for watching anime are—it's not a long list after all. But if you're looking to go beyond animation and into movies, then this list is for you. Below, we round up the best streaming services for Japanese films.

Thanks to their massive media libraries, Netflix and Amazon Prime are still your best bet when it comes to quantity. But there are other contenders too, like Max (which is home to the Studio Ghibli catalog) and Shudder (which is where the hidden horror gems are). Even live TV streamers like Plex and Philo have a surprisingly good amount of quality films. If you're a fan of Japanese cinema, read on to see which streaming services you should keep tabs on.

Our recommended five best streaming services for japanese movies:

DirecTV Stream 80 channels included	$79.99	Watch

Hulu 30 days free trial	$7.99	Watch

Philo 86 channels included	$25	Watch

Disney+ No contract, cancel anytime	$7.99	Watch

Netflix No contract, cancel anytime	$6.99	Watch

Mubi

Mubi is a movie-streaming service featuring a curated selection of 30 movies on a daily rotation, as well as a large library of movies from previous rotations. The subscription costs $10.99 per month or $95.88 for an annual subscription. If you just want to browse the database before paying up front, you can sign up for a free account for access. Mubi has a Now Showing section, with the newest entries to the library on a given day (the library is updated daily), and a Library section featuring a back-catalog of other highlights and previously “showing” movies. You may see a section called 'Live' for live broadcasts once in a while. Aside from the options to stream via web browser, Mubi also has mobile apps for Android and iOS, media streaming devices (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku), and you can subscribe to Mubi as a Prime Video channel. While Mubi is not available on the Xbox One, you can access the service on a PlayStation 4 console.

Go to Mubi

Price: $10.99/month

Free Trial: 30 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV

Features: 5 device log-ins, annual subscription, likely to work with a VPN, on-demand content, up to two concurrent streams

Viki

If you like Korean drama or Asian content any general, this is the platform for you. There are even watch parties so you can feel like you are attending events for your favorite shows.

A lot of content is free, but most of the new releases are paid. So you will have to either get a paid subscription or wait until what you want to watch goes free.

Go to Viki

Price: $4.99/month

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Samsung TV

Features: annual subscription, free, likely to work with a VPN, offline downloads, on-demand content, parental controls, up to four concurrent streams

iQiyi

Largely known as China's Netflix, iQiyi is a popular and wide-ranging streaming platform that hosts the best of East Asian content. Among its catalog are Asian blockbusters, Chinese variety shows, Japanese anime, and of course, Korean dramas. iQiyi also has multiple deals with studios all over the world, including Netflix, so it's able to stream global content to its Chinese audiences.

Perhaps the best part about iQiyi is that it comes for free; no need to pay to see its plenty and diverse titles, although you will be subject to some ads. To avoid ads and avail of perks such as concurrent viewing and download privileges, iQiyi offers a VIP membership that costs $2 per month.

Go to IQiyi

Price: free for channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Website

Features: ad-supported option, free, likely to work with a VPN, on-demand content

Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll is a video-on-demand streaming website that specializes in anime and is available in 170 countries. It has also recently absorbed a competitor, FUNIMATION, offering an even bigger catalog. You can opt for either a free ad-supported plan or subscribe to the paid tier. The free version doesn't include simulcasts or access to all of Crunchyroll's content, but for $7.99 per month the premium tier removes those limitations. You can access Crunchyroll via web browser (www.crunchyroll.com), while the Crunchyroll app is also available on all major platforms, mobile devices including Android and iOS, and media streaming devices including Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV Chromecast, and Android TV, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Go to Crunchyroll

Price: $7.99/month

Free Trial: 14 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Roku, Xbox

Features: ad-supported option, annual subscription, likely to work with a VPN, offline downloads, on-demand content, quarterly subscription, up to 6 concurrent streams, up to four concurrent streams

Criterion Channel

Criterion Channel is a curated movie-streaming service that offers ad-free and on-demand access to films from The Criterion Collection in HD. It is currently only available in the US and Canada. The subscription costs $10.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Like Netflix, the Criterion Channel also offers a physical rental service. The number of movies you can rent each month, for a flat monthly rate, depends on how quickly you can return them. You don't need to subscribe to The Criterion Channel to buy or rent physical media on DVD and Blu-ray, but subscribers may get discounts.

Go to Criterion Channel

Price: $10.99/month

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox

Features: annual subscription, likely to work with a VPN, on-demand content, up to three concurrent streams

AsianCrush

Asiancrush is a streaming service that brings plenty of Asian content, especially Korean, Japanese, and Thai content, to Western audiences. The lineup is pretty extensive, ranging from popular movies and beloved dramas to classics and indies (our favorites include Burning, House of Hummingbird, and All About Lily Chou-chou). They also have exclusive collections composed of shows, shorts, and K-pop showcases you won't find anywhere else on this side of the Globe. Asiancrush is mostly free, and therefore ad-supported, but users can opt for a paid monthly plan that costs $4.99 for no ads and more content. Notably, the service also has a live TV section, but as of this writing, it only hosts two channels: an Asiancrush live feed and Retrocrush.

Go to AsianCrush

Price: free for channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung Smart TV, Vizio, Website

Features: ad-supported option, free, on-demand content