- ISBN13: 9780834804531
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
Basic Japanese Through Comics is not intended as a textbook, but rather as an entertaining supplement to a more structured study of Japanese. The 24 “lessons” in this book are a compilation of the Basic Japanese column from Mangajin magazine; they do not build on each other, so they can be read or studied in any order. Some of the other benefits of Basic Japanese Through Comics are: Uses lifelike situations from authentic Japanese manga, the famous “comics” r… More >>
Mangajin’s Basic Japanese Through Comics
Tags: Basic, Comics, compilation, Japanese, japanese manga, mangajin, Mangajin's, remainder mark, textbook, Through
If you’re reading this then you’ve probably read reviews for other related books so if you’re wondering how Mangajin’s BASIC JAPANESE will help you in grasping Japanese language well I have good and bad news.
1) It’s not that BASIC, at least not if you don’t already have minimum knowledge of the grammar.
The author’s 2- or 3-tiers type of translation (phonetic reading, word-for-word literal translation then final translation) takes the beginner from start to finish but it won’t teach one how to read the alphabet and ideograms.
2)It can be frustrating to follow the tidbits of stories as the authors pick them based on the grammatical value of the strip. Although one manga is often used many times over for different topics, some learners might regret the absence of graphic and storyline cohesion.
3) As one reviewer mentioned, it’s out of print now and I was sad when Mangajin’s unique venture sank in 1997 due to financial hardships [...]. I have quite a bunch of their magazines and you can still easily find single issues on some auction sites if you’re avid of more examples and articles on Japanese culture. At the time you could even order audio tapes of the material covered in the magazine… pity they didn’t make a CD for this book.
Now the good news!
1) In Japan, there are mangas dealing with almost everything under the sun (Politics, wine-making, romance, adventure…) and the diversity of the material used by Mangajin makes it entertaining, realistic and encourages curiosity. Some of the manga strips and stories used as example have been released in full in English and you can also find the original books for cheap if you know how to use your noodle and google.
2) The tone and method used to explain the intricacies of the Japanese grammar range from accessible to advanced learning so you can glance through it and skip the parts you don’t understand and come back later to discover more profound usages.
3) It’ll teach you colloquial Japanese like few text books will ever do for you. If you are looking for something more natural than “Mr.-Yamato-and-his-wife-eat-sushi-with-their-friends” then give this book a try.
Also the main translator recently published a similar book containing much of the past material studied Vol.1 and 2 [[ASIN:1880656906 Japanese the Manga Way: An Illustrated Guide to Grammar and Structure] and it also worth a read!
Rating: 5 / 5
I said pretty much all that I had to say about these books in my review of Volume I. This one is just more of the same, so I would recommend that you buy both of them together, though I suppose I would say the topics covered here are a little more advanced than many of the basic ones covered in the first book. Here is a listing of the topics that are covered in this volume:
25. Body Language and Gestures (part 1)
26. Body Language and Gestures (part 2)
27. Yappari/Yahari
28. Abunai
29. Stylized Kanji
30. Maitta
31. Sasuga
32. Titles
33. Iya
34. Daijobu
35. Mono (part 1)
36. Mono (part 2)
37. Slang and colloquialisms (part 1)
38. Slang and colloquialisms (part 2)
39. The many faces of “face” (part 1)
40. The many faces of “face” (part 2)
41. Kondo
42. Wake
43. Tokoro
44. Shimau
45. Bakari
46. Commands (part 1)
47. Commands (part 2)
48. Saying what you want
Rating: 4 / 5
This is the Part Two of Mangajin’s Basic Japanese Through Comics. It provides another 24 lessons of some common japanese phrases (e.g. yappari, abunai, maitta, daijoubu, iya, mono, dekite, etc.) As the name of the book suggested, the author used different manga pictures to depict the common japanese phrases in different meanings with different contexts. The author also indicated the politeness level (i.e. Lv 1,2,3,4) for each usage to help the readers use the phrases properly in various siturations. If you’re currently studying Japanese and in between beginner and intermediate levels, this book is a treasure for you to benefit your proficiency in Japanese.
(Reviewed by Otto Yuen, 03-July-2007)
Rating: 4 / 5
Learning Japanese through comics (manga) is not just kids’ stuff. It is important to realize that in Japan, even adults read manga (check out the subway– those business men are not plowing through the WSJ!).
Manga reveal aspects of Japanese culture that cannot be understood from textbooks– for instance, body language gestures and colloquial phrases. This book carefully explains what the characters are saying, the context of what’s going on, and why they choose the phraseology they do.
To a greater degree than in Western culture, the nuances of social interaction are crucial in Japan. Although you will be afforded leeway as a gaijin (foreigner), it helps immensely to learn some of these nuances. Understanding manga is a good place to start.
Besides, then you’ll fit in on the subway!
Rating: 5 / 5
…and the manga fanatic who wants to know what the characters are doing and saying in their favorite comic, this is THE book. This volume of ‘Basic Japanese…’ deals with body language and gestures, informal (and occasionally rude) expressions, cop/street slang, and the all-important discussion of ‘face’ in Japanese society. It also pulls its sources from a variety of manga genres—office girl, shonen and teen, salary-man, and ‘ladies.’ (If you thought manga was all about big-eyed schoolgirls with magical powers, robots, and apocalyptic events, you’ll be in for an eye-opener.) It’s not a substitute for regular Japanese classes and textbooks (sorry, kids), but it opens the door to a culture that really isn’t THAT polite or subtle. And did I mention it was funny, too?
Rating: 5 / 5