Mangajin's Basic Japanese Through Comics [Paperback]

Ashizawa Kazuko (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1998

What is "Basic Japanese"?

This book presents some very basic words and phrases along with some that are not usually considered "basic" at all. In fact, some of the material in this book is not typically presented until the student is well into his or her study of the Japanese language—and even then, it can be confusing without a skilled explanation. The Mangajin method, however, makes even this advanced material "basic" and accessible to students at all levels. Frames from Japanese manga ("comics") are used to illustrate every point, and English translations and notes allow even the basic beginner to understand material that might otherwise stump advanced students.

Basic Japanese through Comics is not intended as a textbook, but rather as an entertaining supplement to a more formal study of Japanese. The 24 "lessons" in this book do not build on each other—they can be read or studied in any order.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The use of comics is a wonderful way to teach colloquial Japanese, and it also give readers a window on one of the liveliest most enjoyable parts of Japanese pop culture. Anyone who is serious about Japanese or modern Japan will want this book."—James Fallows, Washington Book Editor of the The Atlantic Monthly and author of Looking at the Sun

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Weatherhill (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0834804522
• ISBN-13: 978-0834804524
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.4 x 10.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #631,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but not basic, November 9, 2001

By 

Zack Davisson "japanreviewed" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mangajin's Basic Japanese Through Comics (Paperback)

This is a great supplement for those studying Japanese language and culture. Don't expect to pick this up as a first Japanese book, however! In the introduction, the author admits that "Basic Japanese Through Comics" may be a little misleading. It is basic Japanese, but the book assumes that you have studied a year or more in a classroom environment.

With that aside, this is the best resource I have seen for transforming "classroom" Japanese into "natural" Japanese. The book uses popular Japanese manga to smooth out some common errors for Japanese learners. For example, there are two chapters discussing the many uses of "Hai" and one chapter on how to naturally say "anno..."

The manga used is very fun and gives a good cultural insight into daily Japan. No giant robots or magical girls, it is mainly office humor in the same line as "Dilbert." The office humor demonstrates varying levels of polite language, and Mangajin is kind enough to offer a "politeness scale" to show how polite anyone is being in a given setting. This is very useful, as politeness levels is where many English speakers find themselves in trouble in Japan!

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brillient expose on Japanese Language & Culture., May 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mangajin's Basic Japanese Through Comics (Paperback)

Two barriers separate the English world from the Japanese world. The first is language. Yet differences of culture really present the greater barrier.

This book uses authentic Japanese comics for adults to explain the cultural significance of the many words which are routinely mistranslated in all beginning Japanese text books.

Mangajin's guide to Japanese does not replace, but rather supplements the traditional Japanese spoken course in an invaluable way. This book is a must for all students of Japanese.

A truely fun book with lasting importance.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A magnifying glass..., June 25, 2005

By 

Mauricio Bussab (Sao Paulo, SP Brazil) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mangajin's Basic Japanese Through Comics (Paperback)

This is a great book to get if you have already learned 6 months of Japanese or so (at least). It is a series of chapters illustrating a few interesting words or topics of Japanese language, all illustrated with bits of real, commercially available manga. But be warned, they use a "magnifying glass" approach which I loved: they focus on ONE word for several pages. For example, the chapter on "hon", one of the counters, goes on and on for four pages of comic book panels. I will never forget what that word means and how to use it and I was fascinated with the examples from the comics. But then again, it is just ONE word.

It is a book for people that are not in a hurry and are having fun with Japanese, as opposed to people that need to learn Japanese quickly for a particular objective.