well i'm gonna assume your using windows(unfortuantly)
go to control pane
click date, time, language, and regional options
click add other languages
check the 2 boxes and the hit 'ok'
It'll probably ask to insert the XP cd so do so
and there u go

I am having the same problem. でも、他のプログラムを使ったら日本語が全然見えるから、そのせいじゃないと思います。(In English, I can see Japanese just fine when I use any other program, so I don't think the suggestion above is applicable (at least not for me). I am using VLC v.0.8.6c on WinXP with ample specs for the HQ episodes (AMD 64 X2 Dual Core processor 4200+, 2 GB RAM, and a VisionTek Radeon X1550). At least, I think those specs are ample. Correct me if I'm wrong!

In addition to not being able to see Lu's Japanese during the opening sequence, I also suffer from text super-imposition a lot, e.g. when two characters are talking at once and Lu has put up both of their dialogue, the dialogue of one character's is over the dialogue of the other character's, making both nearly impossible to read.

Suggestions that allow me to continue to use VLC would be appreciated as, for personal reasons, I do not wish to install the CCCP codec pack and use another video program in conjunction with it (I had a bad experience with that once).

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/talon87/myproblem.png

Here is a screencap (edited for size) that shows my problem as seen with Episode 11.  The English translation, romaji, Japanese, [b]and[/b] Momoko's name are all super-imposed (!!!), and the Japanese is clearly all boxes instead of being proper characters.  I'm guessing that it's a conflict between VLC's settings and the way Lu has written the subs, but seeing as I didn't have this problem with other softsubs (e.g. Papa to Musume no Nanokakan, Nodame Cantabile), I'm pretty sure the problem isn't related to codecs and can hopefully be fixed with your guys' advice.

ya this isn't a problem with your fonts or codecs its how Lu insists on encoding the videos they do not format subs right while using vlc(or at all sometimes).

The way to remedy this is to unfortuantly install another video player
Lu seems to like mplayer though its not quite up to snuff on windows as it is on *nix
what i've found that i like is zoomplayer not as simplistic as vlc and a bit mor memory intensive but it gets the job done. Zoom player is included in cccp(that u will need unfortuantly) but should not interfere with VLC as its codecs are built in.

It seems this way of encoding is becoming quite popular with mkvs as some of my other subs(Suzumiya Haruhi, Gurren Lagann,....) have this problem too and it will probably continue as the videolan team has not updated in.....well......ever

Oh, that's too bad to hear (about my possible alternatives).  Oh well, I'll probably just miss out on all the text whenever 2+ people are speaking at the same time.  I won't ask Lu to change his ways, but I also don't want to be asked to change mine, i.e. if the only way to get this to work is to download CCCP, then I guess I won't be getting it to work. ^_^;  We both have our reasons, and so I guess this is the end of the road for me and LP subs.  Oh well, it's been a blast rooting for a fellow college student and learner of Japanese to get this project out, so I'm really really happy to see that he did get the job done in the end (and appears to be the only one, too!). As a former translator myself (of doujinshi), I can understand what a challenge it can be to stick to it -- I really respect Lu for not giving up as I did!

Thanks for your remarkably speedy and polite reply.