Comments on: Learn Japanese from anime in only 5 minutes a day! 1337!

By: Cyrilla-

Cyrilla- — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:51:00 +0000

lol I’ve learned English from TV :D

By: Theresa

Theresa — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:38:00 +0000

To an extent this is true, yes. But, there is a way you can learn Japanese from anime, and this is if you have the proper foundation built already through some more formal training. This is like the concept of learning an instrument. You can pick up an instrument and start playing it, but unless someone tells you how to hold it, you may forever be impeding yourself by starting off on the wrong foot. If you start with some real basics of Japanese in the classroom or in a “real life” setting, you can come away with enough know-how to interpret what you hear in anime appropriately. For example, you’ll be able to distinguish which level of formality a character is using, or which word is the verb or adjective, and how to conjugate appropriately. You won’t learn much writing/reading from anime but hey, any way you can pick up some words is great in my book. Just have the tools with which to really appreciate the language you’re hearing.

(PS I took Japanese in college and coming to back to anime now is SO much more fulfilling/enjoyable as a result!)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:33:00 +0000

Learn from (only) Anime? Not likely, but I do like the exercise one proponent puts forth of watching an anime with subtitles and then watching it again without. The point is clear, though, that one’s choice of anime can be critical. For me, I get a lot more out of watching the more relaxed and playful ones (Miyazaki, Kaasan and others) rather than the flash-bang Naruto sort of thing. Still, it’s fun to use those as an occasional benchmark just to see if I can get anything from the constant stream of macho chatter. When I do, it’s quite satisfying!

For me, my wife is Japanese and my kids watch anime themselves, so I might as well make the best of it!

But it should be seen as one tool among many. Pimsleur may be boring, but it slips in a lot of great lessons under the radar, and has taught everyone, even those who profess to hate it, the importance of breaking down new words into bite-size syllables. Tofugu and the other web-based resources, free and otherwise, are a treasure trove and there’s no reason not to take advantage of all of it.

My advice would be, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Yes, a lot of folks seize on the idea of ‘learning from anime’ because it appeals to a desire for a magical effortless expertise arising from an activity they already enjoy, and that’s unfortunate. But as one educational aspect of many, it can be a great tool to expand and/or measure your own learning.

By: Arie

Arie — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 04:16:00 +0000

Not entirely true…
I have been watching anime for about three weeks now and I have been seriously picking up on the language. Not enough to remotely learn the entire language but it certainly helps. . .

By: Ane

Ane — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:39:00 +0000

I don’t learn Japanese from Anime, but I learn some words and some people on youtube learn me common words/phrases that I often hear in Anime so. It does help :)

By: Callie

Callie — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:02:00 +0000

I know it can be hard to learn Japanese from watching Anime, but it was completely inapropriate for you to call us retarded for trying. I do not have a genetic defect, and my parents did not drink alot before I was born. You should not title this “Learn Japanese from Anime” if it is not stating that you can learn Japanese from anime. And you know what? Starting now, I’m going to watch only Anime, and learn Japanese from it. You don’t like it? Too bad.

By: Momomo

Momomo — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 15:20:00 +0000

hey koichi! this might sound kind of stupid to you but to me its really important. i was on the track to becoming an otaku, obsessed with anime and drama. but when i saw this video i was hit with a wave of reality. because of you i have my sanity back (: in my school being an otaku is kinda cool, you have lots of friends with you b/c you discuss the latest anime and whatnot. but everytime i feel myself turning into a greasy haired anime/drama person who only cares what happens in the dramas, and i remember that you say otakus are bad, their gross, they have no lives. because of your statement, i am successfully learning japanese on my own. with me. with my own personality. not yearning to be that pretty girl in the drama. just wanted to get that out there.

By: ryuu

ryuu — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 07:16:00 +0000

you’re kinda annoying.

By: Taro

Taro — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 03:53:00 +0000

Haha… I didn’t think anyone actually believed anime could be used as a primary when it comes to learning Japanese, but I guess it makes sense;
‘*sigh* I guess none of my two friends wanna hang out… Oh well! I guess I can watch every episode of Naruto, Bleach, and (insert other Otaku staple here) known to man and glean every word of Japanese I can!’
(twelve hours later)
‘Hey! I learned “Ganbatte”!’

By: Realmeryl16

Realmeryl16 — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 02:08:00 +0000

To all the people who think they can learn a language SOLELY from a cartoon…

I have a cousin who does not know English. He watches english cartoons everyday. He’s 10 years old now and he still cannot make a good English conversation with me. All he knows are random phrases he picked up from them.

Therefore, NO, you can’t learn a language PURELY from TV shows/cartoons/movies. You need other BETTER sources for learning. If you don’t want “boring textbooks”, look for a BETTER textbook. Get My Japanese Coach. You don’t need to get a class, you can teach yourself provided you have your own sources other than Anime. Penpals help too.

Heck, if you think one part of learning a language is boring (ie. The textbook) that will actually hinder your learning process. I’ve been self-studying for less than a year and I can already pull off simple conversations, both written and spoken.