| Personally I never learned Japanese but I still watch anime in Japanese audio and rely on English subtitles (English is not my first language either btw, I just understand it very well.) Does being an anime fan warrant learning Japanese?? Do you look down on anime fans who haven't fully learned Japanese? |
| "Does being an anime fan warrant learning Japanese??" Not really. |
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| Yes, it does. That's called passive learning... unless you're an exclusive dub-watcher which you aren't. |
EldinisMay 17, 6:41 AM
   There is only one truth in this world かわいいは正義 Also, robots are your friends ✿❀(*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ⋆˚✿˖° Check our anime affinity, Senpai! Fellow cute girl lovers FR accepted. Watch NGNL, ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ you bastard~~desu Yuri is life. Now, break a sweat. ★May the stars shine upon you.★ |
| If you watch anime subtitled for long enough you eventually pick up the language. I never sat down to learn either Japanese or English (my second language) but I'm pretty good at English from just reading subtitles for anime and I can listen to and understand Japanese Drama CDs for the most part. It's weird, though, since I'm illiterate in Japanese (can't read Kanji) so processing the language is a bit trippy. |
| Well as someone who watch some anime haven't sub learning Japanese helpful I learn some basic words and letters but I still haven't grasp the language (I already learn 4 language I cannot handle another one) hard to read light novels their writing is from up to down. Yeah hard translate light novel like Boogiepop and Kino. |
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| I don't see the point. I mean I watch all kinds of foreign movies with subtitles just like I do with anime and I have never thought about learning those languages because of that... ...Though, now that I have thought about it, I was wrong in saying that there is no reason for it- I actually learned english (beyond that, what was necessary to learn in school), so that I could consume content (movies, series, books, streams etc.) that otherwise I wouldn't be able to in my native language. So I would rather say that being an anime fan might warrant learning english. |
IshitatesoMay 17, 7:15 AM
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| If anime is your only source of learning, it's a big NO. Here's the deal, anime characters have quirky speech patterns because quirkiness is animation's core identity as an entertainment medium. Many of them have improper way to speak, which can either be obsolete on purpose, silly by exageration, too rude or way too stuffy. Watching classic Dramas and regular movies, for example, is a better in this regard, because the actors and actresses must do their best to speak in an organic way. And even then, you have to learn how to contextually speak, depending of your social status or gender. Ultimately, nothing replace conversations with a native speaker, as with any language. Learn your jouyou kanjis and jukugo combinations, functions of grammatical particles but mostly how to structure sentences in the nominative-accusative Japanese way. You will make strides in no time if you are dedicated enough. Japanese requires muscle memory, though. |
sorceryMay 17, 7:20 AM
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| I watch the anime with subtitles, I didn't learn Japanese, but I learned some words as I watched. |
| Depends on what type of fan, serious fans learn Japanese to watch anime raw. |
| If you watch enough anime you gain Balkan grandmother's that watch Turkish series powers. You kinda start to understand what they're saying often, but pretty much can't speak it. |
| No, you can always read the subs or going in raw. |
Lentus1 said: Does being an anime fan warrant learning Japanese?? No, being an Anime fan doesn't warrant needing to learn Nihongo. Though if someone has been perpetually consuming Japanese Anime for over a decade now and still always only consumes it relying on English subtitles, specifically because they prefer Japanese audio, I wonder why one wouldn't have instead put aside part of their time already to just learn the freaken Japanese language. Specifically those who rail against localization who are nothing more than just pseudo-purists. Because besides ruining the animated experiences having a bunch of annoying text constantly flooding the screen, even subtitles inherently localize media entertainment just as much as being dubbed in another language. If Users want to be a True Purists, then don't watch Japanese Anime with subtitles ever again. lol English is not my 1st language either, where technically Hangugeo is my native language though I basically grew up in Osaka Japan almost my entire early childhood so I actually understand Nihongo spoken more fluently than even the south Korean language. Though I have spent a majority of my life in North America so I understand English better than any other Langauge. I even understand Spanish fluently too and only do because of being around a bunch of Mexican Migrants for over a half a decade almost daily where a majority of them could barely speak English so I just picked it up casually from just being exposed to it. Nihongo is not the most difficult language to understand fluently. in fact, if one simply really wants to learn Nihongo to understand it simply just spoken an average person could learn it in less than a half a decade if they really tried, not even needing to be really that literate when it comes to Nihongo either. I don't really look down on others for not understanding Nihongo spoken, though I find it a bit silly to known there are "fans" who have been consuming Japanese Anime for over a decade now placing such an obvious handicap of relying on texts to flood their screens simply just to enjoy and understand what they are even consuming. lol |
ColourWheelMay 17, 9:35 AM
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| It's like saying you learned kung-fu from watching old chinese martial arts movies 😃 |
| "Warrant"? As in, "justify" or "allow" learning Japanese? If the question is whether an anime fan is required or expected to learn Japanese, then no, of course not. Being an anime fan made me want to learn Japanese, though. And motivated. (Currently Duolingo only, though; I should get into reading some news articles) I believe the most important/helpful thing in learning a language is the love for the language and culture. Anime fans probably have that part covered, which give them a big advantage. |
Reply to STURRAMAK
It's like saying you learned kung-fu from watching old chinese martial arts movies 😃
STURRAMAK said: It's like saying you learned kung-fu from watching old chinese martial arts movies 😃 lol There was a time in the early 2000s when I would watch a bunch of old Kung-fu theater movies on DVD with a bunch of friends, where the films were native in Cantonese but watched then dubbed in Spanish simply because it was hilarious watching a bunch of Chinese actors looking like they were speaking Spanish. lol |
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| with the era of garbage localised westernized subtitles it is getting a requirement to understand and learn japanese. i've already started it. though that's not the sole reason. i do wish to travel to japan in future so knowing japanese will definitely help. not to mention it isn't too hard to pick it up now as i've listened to it for over 100*24 hours. but there's a huge difference between understanding spoken japanese and writing/speaking and that is difficult. |
 The end of an era. Thank you Wit, Mappa and Isayama. Feeling half happy, half sad. Kawaii waifus and precious best girls <3333 |
| I've tried learning Japanese, never went too far in learning, but i still tried. It was too hard and i kinda gave up. |
| My waifu is the most wonderful waifu. Mai Valentine. We're freaking out that we're running out of time, but to do what? Should i stop and think of that? Is there something i could do to slow it down? Live in a day for once, instead of watch it sprinting by |
| It doesnt warrant that but it does make you more interested in learning it. |
If you enjoyed the time you wasted, then its not a waste of time.  |
| Japanese is useful to know to experience a ton of games even more than anime. It is an option but time consuming. Knowing some Japanese also let's you noticed subtitle errors. |
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| I mean, it's certainly an option if you want to consume Japanese media without relying on translations or subtitles that may differ from the original dialogue. You also get to enjoy listening to Japanese podcasts and play Japanese games that picks up where the anime left off (e.g. Idoly Pride). By the way, you don't even need to be good in the language to understand a great deal of what the characters are saying for some easier shows, particularly SOL anime. |
| You can buy lossless digital music from your favorite Japanese artists on https://ototoy.jp/. The songs are all DRM-free and you can re-download your purchased albums as you wish. Show your support to your favorite artist if you can! ps. if you are looking for Japanese albums, you have to search it in Japanese (not romaji). Just copy and paste the name. For those who want to learn Japanese through anime Resources for learning the language |
| There is no point learning Japanese, given that all anime is already translated into English. |
| If it's your primary hobby and you've put in a certain amount of time following it, then yes, I do think there comes a point where learning the language just makes sense. If nothing else, it's one of the actual useful benefits of the pastime. Let's be honest, most other results of being an anime fan are not conducive to leading the best life. |
Reply to BirdyTheMighty
Hai, OP-san. Minna o chin-chin ga daisuki desu~
| @BirdyTheMighty well that's pretty gay. 😕 |
| Warrant? What are you even talking about? |
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| Most of the anime I watch are English dubbed anime BTW. I hardly even watch English subbed anime, let alone bother learning Japanese. |
| Im majoring Japanese in university. You could say anime influenced me learning Japanese, but I DIDN'T learn Japanese just for the sake for watching anime with ease. Its a variety of reasons including Jpop, interests towards this country and fascination towards this language |
Reply to BirdyTheMighty
@Lentus1 welcome to MAL m8t. If you on here you are automatically gay (even if you're not - no exceptions), so jokes on you
| @BirdyTheMighty I prefer the term "male lesbian." |
Reply to Merve2Love
Warrant?
What are you even talking about?
What are you even talking about?
| @Merve2Love are you really this bad at english? Warrant here means: "to make a particular activity necessary." |
Reply to Lentus1
@Merve2Love are you really this bad at english? Warrant here means: "to make a particular activity necessary."
| @Lentus1 It's just a very stupid question. And that's alright, of course. But if you ask stupid questions some people might pick you up on it, you know^^ That's life. |
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| Not really, although there are some hidden gems that never got translated. If you are a fan of classic J-RPG though, I would highly recommend, there are still a lot of games that never got translated. |
| It doesn't "warrant" it". I think only a fraction of the western fanbase is actually fully fluent. It would make things a lot easier though. No more waiting for subs (official or fan), No more debates on accuracy, just watch the raw and go. Personally I'm still a long ways from being able to understand enough to watch Raw... But one day (maybe). |
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| I mean, watching anime surely got me into wanting to learn Japanese. But even then I am not a good speaker. But I don't think that being an anime fan warrants learning Japanese. Just like how being a K pop fan doesn't warrant learning Korean. |
| If I had to choose between One Piece and a girlfriend...I think I'll go with One Piece |
Reply to BirdyTheMighty
@Lentus1 clever workaround the technicalities, but that works too - I will allow it
| @BirdyTheMighty never mind I just gooned to some shota on gelbooru. |
| NO 😅 Being an Anime Fan ≠ Needing to Learn Japanese ✅ You can enjoy anime 100% without speaking a single word of Japanese: Subs are everywhere — fast, accurate, and even styled nicely. Dubs are better than ever — not perfect, but way more watchable now. Streaming sites like Crunchyroll, Netflix, HIDIVE, etc. make it easy to watch legally. You don’t need to know 「大丈夫」 to know the MC’s about to do something wild 😤 BUT… if you want to learn Japanese, it can enhance the experience: You catch small jokes, wordplay, or cultural references that get lost in translation. You can read manga/raws before they're even out in English. Singing anime openings correctly hits different 😎 Still, most fans never touch the language — and they’re doing just fine. |
| From my experience taking actual Japanese classes, most people who try and learn Japanese solely to watch anime without subtitles don't end up sticking with it. |
This post is brought to you by your local transfem gamer goblin. Will not tolerate bigotry and will fight against "anti-woke" sentiment to make the anime community a safer place.  |
| Learning Japanese can enhance your experience while watching anime and other related works (VNs, mangas, etc.) but the fact that you are an anime fan doesn't really warrant learning the language. That is kind of like saying that if you are a K-POP fan that warrants learning korean. As I said before, it will probably make your experience better, but you don't really need that to consume the medium. |
| "Those words are meant for those that dare defy god's final warning... An epigraph of their stubbornness" - Maho Hiyajo (Steins;Gate 0)  |
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