Basic Japanese Through Comics (Part 2) [Paperback]

Mangajin (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Weatherhill (February 1996)
• Language: Japanese
• ISBN-10: 0963433547
• ISBN-13: 978-0963433541
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,361,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the student of Japanese who could use a little break ..., December 5, 1999

By 

gozen (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basic Japanese Through Comics (Part 2) (Paperback)

...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?

5.0 out of 5 stars A good intro if you're wondering what Japanese is like, October 7, 2009

By 

Tech Ninja (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Basic Japanese Through Comics (Part 2) (Paperback)

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!