kuh111578's Blog

Initial Goals:

Memorize the hiragana table. Learn at least 30 verbs. Learn some short phrases such as how to introduce yourself. Learn the verb ending conversion table.

Learn Japanese while watching anime:

Find a short to medium length conversation in an anime of your choice, transcribe it to hiragana. Practice reading it aloud. Learn its meaning. Go over the accuracy of its transcription. Go over the grammar concepts within.

This can be repeated many times as there is always more to learn with each section.

Bonus:

Memorize the katakana table, learn the more common verb/adjective tenses.

日本語は今でも難しい。このまま変らないでしょう。それにしても、ただの趣味に過ぎないから、悪感は無用。自由に話せ、間違ったら笑えばいい。日本語と言う言葉にある可笑しさも多いので、これぐらいの勝手は許されると考えてもらう。

2nd Activity (Listening comprehension continued):

You now have a basic understanding of particles and their governance of the parts of speech. Watch an anime conversation, transcribe it quickly. Identify particles. Examine the English sub translation and attempt to identify the corresponding nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Consequently, identify the implied parts of speech. This is a major factor in understanding the language.

3rd Activity (Delivery):

Don't let Japanese become Latin. The most fun part of learning Japanese is speaking. Try to memorize a lengthy line of dialogue/monologue and deliver it in proper tempo and intonation. Quotable phrases will have lasting usefulness as reference for their contained words' meanings. Example:

おい。

待て。*

じゃまも何も、熱湯頭からぶっかけられようとしているのに、黙って見てるやつ
があるか。

However, readable text is irreplaceable in this regard. Reading texts aloud improves delivery and reading skills.

4th Activity:

I've written a list of sentences using important vocab. Translate them into English (subbing practice :P) as appropriately as you can, also use them as speaking practice.

*undone! lazy

5th Activity:
Listen to the dub of an anime and practice subbing it into Japanese. Compare with actual dialogue.

note:

the passive and causative conjugations open up practically the entire spectrum of japanese grammar... mastering them and knowledge of implicit meaning will allow even a basic vocabulary to communicate almost anything...

We are attracted to characters in anime and fiction in general slightly differently from the way we are attracted to real people, but this difference isn't enormous.

In the age of Evangelion we idolized Ayanami Rei. It was enough that she was ridiculously lithe, and mysteriously quiet. We didn't ask for wit or emotion, similar to how we don't ask these things of real women (a different topic).

Today, we have Nagato Yuki, not exactly portraying an advancement of the silent type, and yet no one is particularly upset. I'm not about to object, either. She's hot in her own way, and I'll keep thinking that long into an age when it'll be questionably acceptable to do so.

Back when Love Hina was on, I didn't care that the depth of Keitarou's character was that he was defined by failure and unremarkable in every other way. Quickly realizing this lack of definition was the author's way of letting everyone relate, I wasn't too bothered by it.

These days, I have changed my mind. Maybe it's because I've grown up (a little bit) myself, but a generally incompetent male lead doesn't really appeal to me anymore, if it ever truly did. Every shounen action/romcom lead these days is a doughnut with one randomly chosen, but uniformly stale topping.

Yes, the doughnut means zero. The topping means some distinguishing trait that exists only to fail to distinguish him from the growing pack of inanity.

You could apply a similar criticism to female leads as well. My basic excepting factor is cleverness, and I'm also willing to imagine, stereotypically, the quiet type as intelligent.

This was a criticism of Summer Wars, as much as it didn't appear to be such. A large cast clouds the excusability of having two apparently well-developed but actually very flimsy characters (the main girl and guy). Her ignorance of his crush initially serves as a greatly entertaining and highly relateable comedy show, but as they get to know each other, and the situation unfolds, we find, surprisingly, nothing behind this setup.

Expectations frustrated and distracted by a senseless internet/matrix-like plot, and the show well stolen by her grandmother, we never truly return to what I liked about the beginning of the movie.

I know not where to turn. I sit here, waiting for a dvd release of shoushitsu, and Kyon to save me from his "peers".

The correct and proper sound to make when powering up an otaku yell.

Followed typically by KITAaaaaa! and high beams coming out of your glasses.

Two things I'll do it for theses days.

Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0 and Shoushitsu...

Not to imply I've watched anything other than episode 12, but

this series was different enough initially that upon watching 12

I can only say that it is ridiculously romantic.

Anime Relations: Cross Game

There's nothing in the anime/manga universe quite as wholesome as an Adachi Mitsuru work. They don't have tons of fan service not because they're prim, but because they don't need it. The cast is always the same but we fans overlook that, instead taking it as a positive feeling of familiarity.

They're inevitably sports stories about sports I didn't give half a damn about, but the fact that they create in me enthusiasm for boxing, baseball, swimming... just means they're that good.

And it's never solely about the sport. I always love the characters in his stories even if they're generally the same handful. xD

The dialogue is always simple. Characters actions speak volumes, always with the right touch.

Cross Game is no different. It has one major plot element perhaps uncharacteristic of the average Adachi work (correction: all too familiar plot element to Adachi readers), but that's not a detriment. It's baseball, his favored sport subject, and although I didn't know what cycle hitting or sacrifice bunts were before watching the show, I found myself cheering for the characters as they delivered shocking field plays.

The manga is in publication so I won't see the end of the tale anytime soon, but I'll be following this anime closely.

My watching order:

2
1
9
10
3
11
12
13
14
4
5
6
7
8
15
16
17
etc.

duhhhhh

durrrrrrr

bluuuuuhhh

blaehhhehhhhhh

ahwwwwhhhh

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