Is a Rakuten Viki Subscription Worth it?

I debated for months about getting a Rakuten Viki subscription. After all, Korean dramas and movies are now available on a host of streaming services. Netflix, Prime, Disney+/Hulu and even Paramount+ have jumped into the Kdrama, Kmovie, and even Kreality-series waters. Did I really want to pay for yet another streaming service to watch Korean content when there are hundreds and hundreds of hours available on the services I already subscribe to? I wondered – is a Rakuten Viki Subscription Worth it?

If I were the kind of person who dabbles in Korean content to see what all the fuss is about for shows like Sweet Home or The Glory – I would be happy without Rakuten Viki, also known as Viki. Many great Korean shows and movies both older and brand new are available on the four services mentioned. Top Kdramas like Crash Landing on You, and Kmovies like Train to Busan are a click away. Many of the Kdramas on my Kdrama watch list are available on these services.

However, I am more than a Kdrama dabbler. I want to watch classic Kdramas like Guardian: The Lonely and Great God or My Love from the Star, which are not available on the four services. Nor are a number of buzzy, new Kdramas. To watch those, something like Viki is the only option.

Free Viki

Rakuten Viki offers some shows for free which can be viewed after creating an account. I tried this. This would be okay if I were the type of person who is willing to watch commercials – and I mean the same commercials over and over again. I am not that person. I tried watching the movie Divine Fury for free on Viki and could not handle the five minutes of commercials that came every ten minutes. It did allow me to peruse Viki to see what content is available and if I thought a subscription would be worth it.

Standard Viki

I finally decided to go for the “Standard” level of Viki, known as Viki Pass Standard. No more commercials – hallelujah! And a whole lot of content. Did I mention that Viki also makes available dramas from places like Japan, Thailand and China? I like that shows and movies streamed with Standard Viki are in high definition and contain no ads (can’t really stress that enough). Standard Viki includes one active device watching Viki per account. I am the only person in my house who watches Viki, so this works fine for me. The majority of the best Kdramas from years past that Viki offers are available through the standard version. Standard Viki also includes exclusives such as new shows airing on Korean television and original content. But there are exceptions.

Viki Plus

Some shows and movies are only available through Viki Pass Plus with KOCOWA which includes on air-content. To watch a big name Kdrama like My Dearest, Viki Pass Plus is required. If I want to see Joseon Attorney starring one of my favorite actors, Woo Do-hwan, I will have to splurge and get Viki Pass Plus. It costs about twice as much as Standard Viki, has all the same features– but also allows for offline downloads. I can see a Viki Plus subscription in my future. It will either happen because there is a Pass Plus show that I don’t want to miss out on, or because I’ve made a good dent in my watch list and I’m ready for more. (Or maybe- to practice my Korean language skills with reality and on-air shows offered through KOCOWA.)

Pitfalls of Viki

There are a few pitfalls of Viki. Shows are subtitled by Viki users themselves and, most of the time, the subtitles are pretty good. Occasionally, they seem a little off from the intent of the scene. I spent some time looking into how Viki does subtitles (a very interesting process!) and it may come down to how “new” the content is and how much time people have been able to review it to make the subtitles come across as they would in the subtitled language.

The app also has few problems. I get frustrated that I can’t delete shows from my “Continue Watching” queue even when I have finished them. It can also have a problem keeping track of what episode I am at and will give me an episode I already watched in my “Continue Watching” queue. Fast forwarding through that episode rarely helps.