Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Small Thing Number Ten: Watch Anime!

I know this probably sounds odd but hear me out.

First of all, let me be more specific: watch subtitled anime. This means you are hearing all the dialogue in the original Japanese. Hearing the original Japanese, even if you don't understand it, will give you a better idea of how to pronounce things in addition to giving you hints about how to say things and can also teach you some words from context. I would personally recommend slice of life anime because with that the characters are in regular situations you may find yourself in so what is said and how it is said is actually helpful (unless you are going to be battling dragons or something in which case watch that kind of anime).

In addition to helping with pronunciation, it will also help you understand the culture a bit. How the characters interact with each other, how they behave in general, and what phrases are commonly used can be seen frequently in slice of life anime and are important things to get a grasp for if you want to understand the culture better. My Japanese teacher had us watch the movie "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" because it showed a good range of who the main character interacted with and how she behaved and spoke around each of them. My teacher also said that how school life is depicted in that was fairly accurate to how it was for her. It's also just a good move.

Anyway, go watch some subtitled anime! Slice of life anime happens to be my favorite so if you want a couple recommendations I can give you some :D

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