Job Discussion Forums

[dove]

I have been inspired by two recent threads (the one on why some people don't bother to learn Japanese and the other about going past intermediate level Japanese). I would like to use manga to study Japanese and wonder if you have any recommendations. I am interested in current manga, what's available at the average bookstore in Japan. ( I don't want to read fantasy or anything sleazy). I heard that there is a manga about cooking. Does anyone know the title? Is there manga about basically any interest? Traveling, for example?

Also, I have noticed that some Japanese movies in rental shops have English subtitles (very few). I know "Swing Girls" and "Nobody Knows" have been subtitled. I guess movies that might have a chance of being shown on the international circuit get subtitled. (Probably very few Japanese movies ever get shown outside of Japan). Do you know of any others, any that you have enjoyed? And if there are any non-subtitled films you can recommend, I'd really appreciate that, too.

Thank you!

[JL]

Movies? YES. Manga comics? NO, but...

If there is any sort of Japanese expat community where you live, you should be able to find a few video and DVD rental shops that specializes in Japanese language rentals. As I mentioned just a few days ago on a different thread, I live in Las Vegas, where there isn't even that much of a Japanese community, yet we have about three of these shops. What they often do, is have bootleg versions of Japanese t.v. dramas, documentaries, children's programs, etc., recording on blank tapes or disks, and then rent them out. I think renting and watching these is a very good way to pick up practical Japanese.

As for Japanese comics, once a long, long time ago, I tried it myself. In general though, the Japanese in manga comics is peculiar to that genre and not so useful for ordinary communication with real Japanese. However, "manga about cooking" and "manga about basically any interest" may be more practical and have more ordinary dialogue. Frankly, I wouldn't know. Maybe someone else here knows more. Also, if you already are someone who is "interested in current manga", well, by all means then, see what the original stuff is all about. But as for learning Japanese from it... I'd tread with caution.

[Apsara]

We recently got out the DVD of Miyazaki's "Howl's Moving Castle" and found that you have the choice of Japanese or English for the sound, and Japanese or English subtitles as well so you can watch it in any combination you think would be helpful- actually French too if you're interested.

I don't know if other Miyazaki movies would also have an English option but it's worth checking.

I can confirm that the Swing Girls DVD has English subtitles, but be aware that the characters use Tohoku dialect- don't go and start imitating them in Tokyo unless you want to make people laugh!

When I first came to Japan (with a number of years of Japanese study under my belt), I read the entire series of Crayon Shin-chan manga- I thought it was very useful actually, especially because the furigana are given for the kanji.

[Hoser]

For movies I would recommend Miyazaki's My Neighbour Tottoro. It is very easy to understand (even without subtitles) and should give your listening confidence a boost.

For manga I like to read the Doraemon comics I enjoy the stories and I find that usually the language is about my level (~level 3). Every new story has some words that I've never seen before though. I figure it's good practice for my kanji reading and helps to increase my vocabulary.

[wayne432]

[seklarwia]

Why don't you download fansubbed movies and series. You'd have alot more choice then. There are a lot of decent fansub groups, many of whom actually use translation notes to explain cultural specific references and actions. At the moment I'm working my way through the dramas at SARS-Fansubs. Alot of their stuff is shoujo but its still good. But you will need a torrent client to be able to download stuff from most fansub sites.

You could also check out crunchyroll if you want to stream rather than download. Their stuff is soft subbed (well everything I've watched on there was, maybe some is hardsubbed), so you can try watching without the subs, then turn them on if you get stuck.

[JL]

Seklarwia,
Just read your post and moseyed on over to Cruchyroll.com. What a neat looking site! I checked out the first few minutes of the "Detective Office" installment they're featuring on their top page. Fun stuff --a cross between noir and camp! The subtitles look to be fairly well done, though again, I've only checked out a few minutes, so far.
Great tip!!

Update:
Got around to finishing installment one of "Detective Office." Still like the show, but must observe that the subtitles don't always match what is actually being said. I know for a fact that this happens with most subtitles of English language films subtitled in Japanese, too. Of course, this can be expected for expressions and wordings that are cultural specific and which cannot be directed translated. Yet there were also plenty of instances when a direct translation would have worked just fine and not have disrupted anything. The upshot is, for those who wish to use this as a tool to study Japanese, understand in advance that the English subtitles are one narration, and the Japanese soundtrack is another. The former can be used to get the jist of the story, but cannot always be used to accurately translate a particular piece of dialogue. The two should be made use of independently.

Still think this website is great, though. I think I'm going to have a blast!

[steki47]

[elkarlo]

Haha I inspired you, thank you

Anyhow as people say too much slang is in Manga. I read Hajime No Ippo, a boxing manga, and I can't find many, many words that are in it.

I think kids books may be better. As they tend to have less slang, and use more basic grammar, so it isn't anywhere near as hard to read. It takes me 3-5 hours to read a manga. So it's no easy task.
I have no idea what the mangas are that you read, as my interests are more sports and such. So I can't help you at all

But good luck and I hope you progress. If you want we can keep each other accountable for making progress. I find that it helps to keep me honest.

[steki47]

My first year in Japan, I consumed a lot of yakuza-related pop culture. I love the mafia genre in the US, so it was a natural choice. As you can imagine, I learned some insane Japanese. Dropped it quickly. Likewise with samurai movies. Archaic, weird Japanese.
I tried to pick one or two TV shows that I generally liked and could follow each week. "Love Change" was great! Natural, basic conversations between married couples.
As far as books, I scaled down to children's books. Much easier and they can give some background cultural info. I read Chinese mythology, grade school social studies texts, history books, etc. Also found Western classics in abridged forms. I read Sherlock Holmes and The Invisible Man in Japanese. Lots of picutres and furigana!

[Apsara]

I think that's good advice from steki47- read stories you are familiar with in Japanese. Furigana are good too because they make it so much easier to look up words.