Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha anime wo nihongo no onsei de mite, saisyo ha zimaku mo tukete imasu. - I watch anime with Japanese audio, and at first I also turn on the subtitles.

私は: This is the main topic of the sentence: “As for me…”
最初は: This sets up a sub‑topic / contrastive topic: “At first (as for the initial stage)…”

So the structure is basically:

私は … 最初は …
As for me, (and) at first, …

Multiple は like this are common when you first introduce the overall topic (me, in general), and then narrow down to a more specific timeframe or condition (at first, in particular).

Why is アニメ marked with を and not は?

を marks the direct object of the verb.

アニメを見て
= “watch anime”

Here the verb 見る (to watch) directly affects アニメ, so アニメ gets を.

If you used アニメは, you would be making anime the topic, not just the object. For example:

アニメは日本語の音声で見ます。
“As for anime, I watch it with Japanese audio.”

Both are grammatically correct, but:

アニメを focuses on the action “watch anime”.
アニメは focuses on anime as a topic and then comments on how you watch it.

In this sentence, the speaker is primarily describing what they do (watch anime), so を is the natural choice.

What exactly does 日本語の音声で mean, and how is it different from just 日本語で?

日本語の音声で literally: “with Japanese audio”, “using the Japanese audio track.”
日本語で alone usually means “in Japanese (language)” and can refer to speaking, writing, doing something in Japanese.

The expression 日本語の音声で is more specific and emphasizes the audio track (voice, sound):

日本語でアニメを見る
→ naturally understood as “watch anime in Japanese” (likely meaning Japanese audio, but it’s slightly vague).
日本語の音声でアニメを見る
→ explicitly “watch anime with Japanese audio (as the audio track).”

So the version with 音声 makes it clear we are talking about the sound track, not, for example, Japanese subtitles or Japanese dubbing vs some other track.

What is the function of the particle で after 音声 here?

The particle で often marks:

means / method / tool
location of an action, depending on context.

Here, で is marking the means / medium:

日本語の音声で見て
→ “watch (it) by means of Japanese audio” / “with Japanese audio.”

Similar patterns:

英語の字幕で映画を見る – watch a movie with English subtitles (using English subtitles)
ラジオでニュースを聞く – listen to the news on the radio.

So で answers “How / by what means?” → “Using the Japanese audio track.”

Why is the verb 見る in the form 見て instead of 見ます or 見ています?

見て is the て‑form of 見る. One main use of the て‑form is to connect actions or clauses, like “and …” in English.

In this sentence:

アニメを日本語の音声で見て、最初は字幕もつけています。

The structure is:

アニメを日本語の音声で見て、
（そして）最初は字幕もつけています。

So 見て functions like “watch … and (then) …”. The second verb つけています is in polite form, and in Japanese the politeness usually appears on the final verb in such connected structures. Using 見ます here would break the flow:

✗ アニメを日本語の音声で見ます、最初は字幕もつけています。
(unnatural with that comma; you’d usually connect with て instead.)

So:

見て = て‑form to connect to the next action.
The sentence as a whole is still polite because the last verb (つけています) is in polite form.

If this is polite speech, why isn’t it 見ます? Is 見て still considered polite?

Yes, the whole sentence is considered polite even though 見て itself is not in ます form.

In Japanese:

When you chain verbs or clauses with the て‑form, only the last verb in the chain needs to carry the politeness.
The earlier verbs can be in て‑form without ます, and the sentence still counts as polite overall.

Pattern:

アニメを日本語の音声で見て、最初は字幕もつけています。
(polite overall)

Compare:

毎朝６時に起きて、会社に行きます。
“I get up at 6 every morning and go to work.”
→ 起きて is non‑polite て‑form, but the sentence is polite because 行きます is polite.

So 見て here is grammatically plain, but acceptable as part of a polite chain ending in つけています.

What does 最初は do in this sentence? Could you also say 最初に?

最初 means “the beginning / at first”.

最初は uses the particle は, making “at first” into a topic / contrastive topic.
It suggests: “At first (as opposed to later on) …”.

So:

最初は字幕もつけています。
→ “At first, I also have subtitles on (but later I may not).”

最初に with に is more like a simple time marker, “at first / first of all (in order)”, and tends to describe sequence of actions rather than a contrasted phase of a habit:

最初にアニメを見て、それから宿題をします。
“First I watch anime, and then I do my homework.”

In your sentence, you’re talking about a habit over time (initially I use subtitles), and probably contrasting that with what you do later, so 最初は fits better than 最初に.

What does 字幕をつけている literally mean? How does つける work with 字幕?

The verb つける literally means things like:

“to attach / put on / apply / turn on”.

Common uses:

電気をつける – turn on the light
テレビをつける – turn on the TV
メモをつける – attach/add a note

With 字幕 (“subtitles”), 字幕をつける literally means “attach subtitles” or “have subtitles on”. So:

字幕をつけている
→ “(I) have subtitles turned on / am using subtitles.”

In this sentence:

最初は字幕もつけています。
means: “At first, I also have subtitles on.” or “At first, I also use subtitles.”

Why is there a も after 字幕? How does it change the meaning?

も means “also / too / as well”.

字幕もつけています
→ “I also have subtitles on.”

The key point is: the sentence has already mentioned one way of experiencing the anime:

watching anime with Japanese audio (日本語の音声で)

Then 字幕も adds another element:

Not only is the audio in Japanese, I also use subtitles (in addition to that).

So the も implies a combination:

Japanese audio + subtitles (probably in the learner’s language, or sometimes Japanese subtitles).

Without も, it would be more neutral:

最初は字幕をつけています。
→ Just “At first, I have subtitles on.” (no explicit “also in addition to X”.)

What nuance does つけています have compared to つけます or plain つけている?

Forms:

つけます – polite, simple non‑past
Often used for single actions or simple habits: “I turn on / I use.”
つけている – plain progressive / continuous form
Can mean:
- currently in the state of having it on
- or a repeated, ongoing habit.
つけています – polite version of つけている.

In this context:

最初は字幕もつけています。
is talking about an ongoing, repeated habit:
- “At first, I habitually watch with subtitles on.”

You could also say:

最初は字幕もつけます。

That would still be correct, but つけています can feel a bit more like “This is my usual state/practice” rather than a bare statement of what I do. It emphasizes a continuing pattern more strongly than つけます.

Can 私 be omitted in this sentence?

Yes, very naturally.

Japanese often omits pronouns like 私 when the subject is clear from context.

So you could say simply:

アニメを日本語の音声で見て、最初は字幕もつけています。

In a conversation where it’s obvious you are talking about yourself, this is more natural than explicitly saying 私. The version with 私 is fine, especially in writing or when you need clarity, but in everyday speech it’s common to drop it.

Is the comma after 見て necessary? How would the sentence work without it?

In Japanese, punctuation like commas (、) is more about readability and rhythm than strict grammar.

アニメを日本語の音声で見て、最初は字幕もつけています。
アニメを日本語の音声で見て最初は字幕もつけています。

Both are grammatically correct.

The comma:

signals a slight pause after the first action (“watch anime in Japanese audio”),
makes it easier to separate “what you do” from “under what conditions / at what time (at first).”

Without the comma, the sentence just flows more continuously, but the meaning doesn’t really change.

Can the word order be changed, like 日本語の音声でアニメを見て instead of アニメを日本語の音声で見て?

Yes, Japanese word order is relatively flexible as long as you keep the verb at the end and maintain the particle relationships.

Your original order:

アニメを日本語の音声で見て
“(I) watch anime with Japanese audio.”

Alternative:

日本語の音声でアニメを見て
“(I) watch anime with Japanese audio.”

Both are natural. Subtle differences:

Starting with アニメを slightly emphasizes what is being watched.
Starting with 日本語の音声で slightly emphasizes how it is watched (with Japanese audio).

In everyday speech, both patterns sound fine, and context/prosody usually carries the nuance more than the slight reordering.