When JTBC aired the first episode of My Youth with Song Joong-ki in September 2025, fans around the world could watch it almost in step with the Korean premiere in just one place: Rakuten Viki. That near-simulcast speed, paired with community subtitles in 150-plus languages, is exactly why Viki became the home address for Asian drama lovers. Watching Rakuten Viki abroad still runs into regional licensing, though, so the catalogue shifts country by country and some titles vanish once you cross a border.
The library is open in 185 countries today, yet the moment you travel for work or holiday, your home lineup changes. The fix is NordVPN: connect to a server back in your own country, let the app read a home IP, and your half-finished dramas plus the free ad-supported tier load right back in. Picture quality stays up to 1080p and the subtitles still arrive in your language.
Tested weekly by our team. Green: works, amber: partial, red: blocked.
| VPN Service | Price | Rakuten Viki | Tested | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 NordVPNBEST | From $2.99/mo | ✓ Works | October 5 | Try it |
 Surfshark | From $1.78/mo | ✓ Works | October 4 | Open |
 ExpressVPN | From $2.79/mo | ✓ Works | October 4 | Open |
 Private Internet Access | From $1.79/mo | ✓ Works | October 1 | Open |
 CyberGhost | From $1.75/mo | ~ Partial | September 30 | Open |
 IPVanish | From $2.19/mo | ~ Partial | October 2 | Open |
 ProtonVPN | From $3.59/mo | ~ Partial | October 4 | Open |
✓ Works✓ Works✓ Works✓ Works~ Partial~ Partial~ PartialTakes about 2 minutes. Works on your phone, tablet, TV, PC, or laptop.
Rakuten Viki is available in 185 countries, including in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Canada and in New Zealand. It is blocked in only 5 countries.
Rakuten Viki works without a VPN in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Canada, in New Zealand, in Ireland and in Germany, plus in 178 more countries.
Rakuten Viki also works in Afghanistan, in China, in Russia and in Ukraine, but with limited content compared to fully available countries. NordVPN unlocks full access.
Rakuten Viki is blocked in the British Virgin Islands, in Cuba, in Iran, in North Korea and in Syria. To access it, use a premium VPN like NordVPN.
Rakuten Viki is the streaming service operated by Japanese group Rakuten, dedicated to Asian drama and pop-culture content. The catalogue leans heavily on Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Thai and Japanese drama, often streaming new episodes on their original broadcast day. Viki’s distinctive feature is the community-driven subtitle system that covers more than 150 languages, built by volunteer translators and particularly strong for less-common language pairs. A free ad-supported tier is available worldwide, with Viki Pass Standard at 7.99 $ removing advertising.
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#12TV5 tips from our Rakuten Viki testing team · Updated July 15, 2026
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