It sounds like the missing piece may not be more grammar study, but seeing the grammar you already know repeatedly in real contexts.
Recognizing a grammar point in a Bunpro review and noticing it in natural Japanese are two different skills. I’d try adding a small amount of active immersion rather than replacing your current routine completely.
For example:
- Watch 15–20 minutes of something with Japanese subtitles.
- Don’t stop for every unknown word.
- Pause only when a sentence feels almost understandable.
- Identify one grammar pattern in that sentence and check why it was used there.
- Save no more than five useful sentences per session.
The next day, look at those sentences again and try to explain the grammar in your own words. This can gradually make grammar feel less like a puzzle with one expected answer and more like a pattern you naturally recognize.
Full disclosure: I’m working on a Chrome extension called Kikugo for this exact gap between studying grammar and encountering it in native content. On Netflix, you can click a Japanese subtitle line to get an explanation of its grammar, slang, and nuance, then save it for later review or Anki.
It currently only works with Netflix on desktop Chrome, so it won’t cover every source. But even without the extension, I think the important part is to collect a few real sentences containing grammar you have already studied, rather than trying to decode an entire episode.
