Learn Hardcore Japanese: syuumatu ha, nihongo no dorama toka anime toka wo zimaku nasi de mite rensyuusurukoto ni site imasu. - On weekends I’ve decided to practice by watching Japanese dramas and anime without subtitles.

If you said 週末に、日本語のドラマ…を見て…, に would simply mark time (“on the weekend”), and it often sounds more like a specific weekend or just stating when something happens, rather than setting “weekends” up as the theme of what follows.

So:

週末は、日本語のドラマとかアニメとかを…
→ As for weekends, I (habitually) watch Japanese dramas and anime…

Using は here signals: “When it comes to weekends, this is what I do.”

Where is the subject “I”? Why isn’t 私 written?

Japanese often leaves out the subject when it’s obvious from context.

In this sentence, the only person who could be:

watching dramas and anime,
practicing Japanese,
and “having decided to do so as a habit”

is the speaker, so 私 is omitted.

You could say:

（私は）週末は、日本語のドラマとかアニメとかを字幕なしで見て練習することにしています。

but 私は is only added if you need emphasis or clarity (e.g., contrasting with someone else). In natural conversation, it’s usually dropped.

What’s the nuance of 日本語のドラマ? How is it different from 日本のドラマ?

日本語のドラマ
= dramas in the Japanese language (the language is Japanese)
They might be Japanese, Korean, US, etc. productions, as long as the audio is in Japanese.
日本のドラマ
= Japanese (country’s) dramas (produced in Japan)
They could theoretically be dubbed into another language and still be 日本のドラマ.

In this sentence, the learner is practicing Japanese, so 日本語のドラマ (dramas in Japanese) is the natural choice.

(You might also see compound forms like 日本語ドラマ, but 日本語のドラマ is the standard, neutral form.)

Why is とか used twice (ドラマとかアニメとか)? How is とか different from と or や?

とか after a noun means “~and stuff like that,” “~for example,” “~and so on.”

日本語のドラマとかアニメとか
literally: “Japanese dramas, anime, and things like that.”

Using とか on both items keeps the list open and casual:

X とか Y とか (を〜)
→ X and Y and similar things (for example).

Comparison:

ドラマとアニメを…
→ dramas and anime, a more complete, exact list.
ドラマやアニメを…
→ dramas, anime, and other similar things (still somewhat open, but more neutral).
ドラマとかアニメとかを…
→ feels more casual/spoken, “dramas and anime and stuff.”

So the double とか gives a soft, “for example / that kind of thing” feel.

Why is there only one を after アニメとか? Does it apply to both ドラマ and アニメ?

Yes. In Japanese, when you list things, you usually attach the particle to the last item, and it covers the whole list:

日本語のドラマとかアニメとかを
→ “Japanese dramas and anime and so on” as the object.

Structurally:

[日本語のドラマとかアニメとか] を見る
The entire bracketed list is the object of 見る (“watch”).

You almost never repeat を after each item in a simple list.

What exactly does 字幕なしで mean, and why is で used?

字幕なしで = “without subtitles.”

Breakdown:

字幕 = subtitles
なし = “no / without / lacking” (a noun-like word)
〜で (particle) turns the phrase into an adverbial modifier, often meaning “by/with/under the condition of ~”.

So:

字幕なしで見る
= “watch (something) under the condition of no subtitles”
→ “watch without subtitles.”

Compare:

字幕をつけないで見る
= (literally) “watch not attaching/turning on subtitles.”
More directly describes the action of not turning them on.
字幕なしで見る
= describes the state/condition — “in a subtitle-less state.”

Both can mean “watch without subtitles,” but 字幕なしで is very compact and common.

Why is it 見て練習する and not something like 見ながら練習する or 見る練習をする?

The pattern Vて + V(する) often means “do V (first/while) and thereby do V(する).”

見て練習する
literally: “look/watch and practice”
but naturally: “practice (Japanese) by watching.”

Nuances:

見て練習する
→ “I watch (them) and that’s how I practice.”
It’s a very standard “do X and (thereby) do Y” structure.
見ながら練習する
→ “practice while watching.”
Grammatically fine, but sounds a bit redundant or odd here, because watching itself is the practice.
見る練習をする
→ “do practice of watching,” i.e., specifically practice the skill of watching/looking.
That sounds off if what you really mean is “I practice Japanese by watching dramas.”

So 見て練習する is the most natural way to express “practice (Japanese) by watching (shows).”

What does 練習することにしています mean as a pattern? How is it different from 練習することにしました or just 練習しています?

The pattern is:

[dictionary form verb] + ことにしている

Meaning:
You once decided to do something and have kept it as your ongoing habit/decision.

So:

練習することにしています
≈ “I make it a rule to practice / I’ve decided to practice (and keep doing so).”

Contrast:

練習することにしました。
- Past decision: “I (have) decided to practice.”
- Focuses on the act of deciding (at some point). It doesn’t itself say it’s a current habit.
練習しています。
- “I am practicing / I practice.”
- States an ongoing action or habit, but doesn’t contain the nuance of “this is something I decided and set for myself.”
練習することにしています。
- Combines both:
  - I made that decision, and
  - it’s my current rule/habit.

In the full sentence, it clearly means “I’ve made it my habit to practice (Japanese) that way on weekends.”

Why is こと needed in 練習することにしています? Could we say 練習するにしています?

You need こと here; 練習するにしています is ungrammatical.

こと nominalizes the verb phrase:

練習する (to practice)
→ 練習すること (“the act of practicing”, “practicing” as a thing)

Then the structure is:

[V辞書形 + こと] にする / している
= “to make it (that doing V) is the chosen thing / rule.”

So:

練習することにしている
literally: “I make it the thing that I practice.”
→ “I have decided to practice (and do so as a habit).”

Without こと, there is nothing for にする to attach to as a noun phrase.

Is the whole sentence talking about the present or the past? What nuance does 〜している add here?

〜している can express:

A continuous action (right now),
A resulting state,
A habitual action or ongoing arrangement.

In 練習することにしています, it’s the habitual/ongoing arrangement meaning:

“I am in the state of having made this my rule.”
“I keep to the decision to practice this way.”

So the sentence describes a current, ongoing habit (what the speaker usually does on weekends), not a one-time past action.