tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26136863.post7650475636807412447..comments2024-03-14T18:51:18.852+09:00Comments on Japan Bash: NY Resolutions and ShitRamen Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05600258330653254834noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26136863.post-32896525953044292362010-01-11T20:38:38.202+09:002010-01-11T20:38:38.202+09:00Feel free to ignore my suggestion as it will total...Feel free to ignore my suggestion as it will totally topple your New Year's Resolution, but if you find yourself bored of comics, newspapers are (in my opinion) a great starting point.<br /><br />I essentially started my "serious" Japanese reading with simple manga (in the vein of Doraemon), which I became bored of quickly, and so as soon as I was able - in other words once I had enough kanji ground into my head (it's really not *that* many) I started reading newspapers. They're surprisingly easy to read early on as long as the kanji aren't too much of a barrier.<br /><br />From there, I went to reading the original versions of Murakami Haruki novels, which I had already read English translations of before - that helped a lot. Now I'm studying economics out of a Japanese textbook. This is the order of reading progression that worked for me, and you may find it suits your learning style as well!Mashuhttp://www.feedbackward.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26136863.post-84573109699357261152010-01-07T12:25:48.496+09:002010-01-07T12:25:48.496+09:00"Some other notes I didn't specify, but s..."Some other notes I didn't specify, but should have is that I can recognize about 1200 kanji, and will use my manga "studies" to spark conversations with friends and language exchange partners."<br /><br />Manga's really good for learning casual conversation. ^^<br />You'd probably want to stick to realistic/slice-of-life one's then, so you don't end up learning how to discuss alchemy, ect! XDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26136863.post-76239628482985945472010-01-07T12:24:35.553+09:002010-01-07T12:24:35.553+09:00I translate Manga to English, so there's a ton...I translate Manga to English, so there's a ton I can recommend (all with furigana, of course! :3)<br /><br />Stick to shounen if you want to start off easy- it's a lot more easier to read since the dialogue is pretty simple. Although, the story might not interest you that much, seeing as it's mainly aimed at younger boys.<br /><br />Bleach/Naruto/One Piece- Personally, I don't like any of those, but they're incredibly popular and a lot of people do.<br />Bleach is about a boy who becomes a Shinigami, Naruto is about a boy who becomes a Ninja, and One Piece is about a boy who becomes a Pirate King. (Yeah, I'm starting to see a pattern here...)<br /><br />Psyren- fairly interesting manga about a group called the W.I.S.E who basically destroy earth in the future with "psychic" powers and those who try to stop it. Pretty good.<br /><br />Bakuman- two boys attempting to become a manga-ka. Also pretty good.<br /><br />For a bit harder ones, I'd recommend;<br /><br />Gintama- incredibly random and hilarious, based on a alien-infested Edo.<br /><br />And harder still (seinen. No furigana!)<br />Mushishi- award winning manga on creatures called 'Mushi' who plagued humans and a man named Ginko who travels around to help people. Fairly intense and engaging. <br />Gantz- group of 'dead' people battle aliens in a twisted 'game'. Very violent.<br /><br />There's really all kinds- you can browse, download and read samples at this website: www.mangahelpers.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26136863.post-15254695256216829712010-01-06T15:12:58.847+09:002010-01-06T15:12:58.847+09:00Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm off to Bo...Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm off to Book-Off to do some 100 yen manga shopping.<br /><br />Some other notes I didn't specify, but should have is that I can recognize about 1200 kanji, and will use my manga "studies" to spark conversations with friends and language exchange partners.Ramen Adventureshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05600258330653254834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26136863.post-64583579528402058652010-01-06T05:46:19.269+09:002010-01-06T05:46:19.269+09:00Maison ikkoku or Kochikame is not bad. I've wa...Maison ikkoku or Kochikame is not bad. I've watched Crayon Shin-chan, and is really funny! (the kid is kind of a pervert :P)<br />My tips are: <br />+start with manga that has furigana<br />+don't start with any samurai manga because the language is old-fashioned and kind of difficult for startets (some almost imposible).<br />+one that may seem silly is, read a manga that is already translated (you may check at http://www.mangafox.com/). If you don't have any clue, you may check it there.<br />Hope it helps :D<br />MacarenaAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14423120884626783954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26136863.post-50947657678996351222010-01-05T15:35:47.736+09:002010-01-05T15:35:47.736+09:00I'm not into manga, either, but trying to make...I'm not into manga, either, but trying to make myself read some for practice. There was this one I can across that has been pretty palatable called レンジマン (Rangeman). It's weird, of course (it's Japanese, so that's given), but it seems to have a lot of Japanese you'd hear/see used in daily life and (so far) a minimal amount of crazy-ass don't need to know words.<br />I'm not terribly far in, but so far it's been about this teenager who received some kind of magic ring from a scientist who looks like Dr. Wily. The ring seems to give him the power to transform into a jacked, Power Ranger-like super-hero whenever he's, uh...turned on by a chick? Like I said, weird.<br /><br />Anyway, good luck.Blue Shoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08474339066187087545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26136863.post-74043193281552704322010-01-05T13:05:39.240+09:002010-01-05T13:05:39.240+09:00I have never really got into manga, but Kochikame ...I have never really got into manga, but Kochikame is a good one. The stories are pretty self-contained and self-explanatory so it's easier to go read the flow (e.g. understand what's meant from the context, rather than looking up some words, finding the meaning but not understanding because you haven't the faintest idea about what's going on in the narrative), and there's a bit of slapstick humour to boot. The setting is Tokyo's Shitamachi area, where the author hails from, so there's a fair bit of local detail as well.ThePenguinhttp://barwick.de/japan/index.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26136863.post-27662364707634835602010-01-03T08:56:33.320+09:002010-01-03T08:56:33.320+09:00Kochikame has furigana. http://traveljapanblog.com...Kochikame has furigana. http://traveljapanblog.com/wordpress/2009/04/kochikame/Alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03565411359244793126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26136863.post-21622728140243837582010-01-03T02:20:00.354+09:002010-01-03T02:20:00.354+09:00I enjoyed reading Maison Ikkoku at first, it doesn...I enjoyed reading Maison Ikkoku at first, it doesn't have furigana but it's not too difficult and it's full of "normal" Japanese so it's more useful than other manga. I also enjoy reading Dragon Ball and One Piece but that'll jack up your Japanese if you read it too much.Justin Callhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705297143787865685noreply@blogger.com