Do-It-Yourself Japanese Through Comics (Paperback)

~ Kazuhiko Nagatomo (Author), Miho Steinberg (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

I've seen language textbooks with pictures before, even a few with short comic strips, but never have I seen a language-learning tool that uses comics as its foundation as successfully as Do-It-Yourself Japanese Through Comics. This book incorporates 12 two-page stories that present "handy and natural expressions used in everyday conversation." In addition to standard textbook features such as pronunciation guides, practice drills, and vocabulary tasks, there is a small article on Japanese culture with each chapter. And although Do-It-Yourself Japanese Through Comics is aimed at beginning students of Japanese who "have completed approximately thirty hours of Japanese language study and have mastered hiragana, katakana, and various simple expressions," the book will be a joy to anyone interested in manga, reading manga, or in Japan and its culture.

Product Description

This text teaches the basics of Japanese conversation through 12 manga-illustrated episodes in a self-paced language course. An audio tape of dialogues, drills and tasks is available separately.

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha International (JPN) (May 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770019351
• ISBN-13: 978-4770019356
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,307,677 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pleasurable introduction to colloquial Japanese., May 31, 2000

By A Customer

This is a fun, useful book that will keep you interested in learning Japanese. The layout is terrific, with the only flaw on the production side being the occasional English typo. Each of the 12 units begins with a two page comic which is explained and expanded upon in the following pages. The units end with drills and tasks that range from confidence building to downright tricky--forcing you to activate what you learned from the unit. Vocabulary is defined at the bottom of every page, and the furigana is provided for a kanji in its first appearance on any page. One of this book's main strengths is that it introduces important situational phrases one would use at a funeral, on New Year's Day etc. One caveat: The book claims to be for anyone with approximately 30 hours of Japanese study, but you will be frustrated unless you wait until you're at the equivalent level of someone who has at least completed Japanese For Busy People I and learned some kanji. Overall, it provides an enjoyable and practical learning experience for higher level beginners.