In June 1990, when I still lived in Japan, the first issue of Mangajin was published. Mangajin took original Japanese manga, translated it, and explained the grammar points and vocabulary along the way. Like having a tutor at your side, Mangajin coached you through reading Japanese far more interesting than any textbook. The visual nature of manga provided the context to make sense of how a word was used, or to better understand formal and informal, male and female speech.
I managed to collect 20 of the 48 issues over the years. At the time, since I hadn't studied Japanese formally, I didn't retain much vocabulary or grammar. As a result I didn't learn much Japanese, but I did learn a lot about Japanese. The experience was rather like clearing the land before planting the seed.
Now that I've completed a year and a bit of college-level Japanese, I was extremely encouraged to open up a Mangajin read it. I still appreciate the sidebar explanation. It keeps me from going to the dictionary and it clarifies idiomatic expressions that might confuse. It's the perfect tool for the intermediate level where I now find myself. Untranslated manga, newspapers, or even graded readers are still beyond me. Mangajin provides that step between textbook and real-life reading that inspires and encourages, that sense that understanding is attainable, in view. If I keep it at it, just a little more, just a little harder, I'll get there.
Posted by M Sinclair Stevens
May 18, 2004
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My first travel to Japan was on July 1996. Our company sent me to work on some documentations for a Malaysia Project. I stayed there for nine months though I had to be back home in the Philippines every three months. I would say that that experience was really great even though some times I got hard times understanding the purpose of my stay there. And I even got culture shocked and bored while missing my family back home. But Japan, particulary Tokyo where I stayed, is just wonderful place. Expensive place as it is but you can feel its warmth even on cold winter days. Mangajin? yes I bought these two volumes of Mangajin's Basic Japanese. And really I just couldn't understand using it only now when I got to a formal Nihongo Class. Just so fortunate that our Company is giving us this opportunity. I could not remember seeing those mangajins in the bookstores. Or maybe I just missed those. If I had I surely bought it some of it. Well, thanks to this I wish I shared something. For now, I will still strive learning the language and hoping that I could get a return trip to my Tokyo.
Comment by: Raul Bernal. Posted July 21, 2005 07:34 PM.
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Reading with training wheels.