Should i read manga? Watch Anime?

[norefund176007]

I'm new to Japanese. I have finished "Genki 1" and now am starting japanesepod101 cause i love this system. I know about 800-900 vocabulary only (and like 50 kanji only lol). Should i be reading/watching anime as practice? or do I not know enough yet. If yes, what super easy beginner manga/anime can you recommend that has a lot of "everyday use" vocab rather than pirate slang like one piece (so I'm told anyway. not sure if that's true).

Thanks for the help guys (and girls).

[andycarmenjapanese8100]

It won't hurt.

Try watching some childrens shows and see how that goes.

Even if you don't understand them, bookmark them for later reference. It's a great morale boost to return to something after a few months to find out you've learned enough to make sense of it.

[community.japanese]

norefund176007-san, andycarmenjapanese8100-san,
kon'nichiwa!

I actually agree with andycarmenjapanese8100-san.
If you don't have problems (or even better if you enjoy) watchin children's shows, those TV programmes and
books are really helpful. They don't use difficult words, they inunciate, they might speak slowly, etc.
In fact, my best material for studying English was Sesame Street

It's difficult to tell which manga/anime would be the best for beginner learners. They usually use quite specific
words and ways of speaking (generally speaking colloquial, casual, and those expressions that we might actually
not use in daily life). This applies to both manga and anime (comic books and catoons)
It's totally okay to use those resources if you don't get confused or learn wrongly; the worst
would be you get shocked and discouraged.
I was wondering if you watch/watched manga/anime in your own language? If you find them both in your language
and Japanese, it might be the best, because you can compare them to understand.

It's not too early to start, but just know that language used in manga, anime, and any TV dramas is very different.
Hope you can use those materials very wisely; if you do, they're the best materials, right?

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

[andycarmenjapanese8100]

Great idea, Natsuko-san!

Here's some Sesame Street in Japanese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0Jhhe3pj8U

[community.japanese]

andycarmenjapanese8100-san,
oh that's brilliant!! Thank you very much for the link

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

[shyerychen8350]

I think it is fun to see anime.

[community.japanese]

shyerychen8350-san,
I agree with you!

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

[ligaeacrus6434]

I actually recommend picking up a book or two of shonen jump manga. They are primarily written for boys between the ages of 8-13. They have some kanji but next to every kanji they have the kana spelling innotated, which means they are an excellent source for learning kanji! After you feel you can get through both of your books, I'd suggest moving on to the anime of the same title and see how well your listening skills match your reading. Some Shonen Jump titles include Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Fairy Tail and Dragon Ball Z.

I think manga and anime make a great source of practice for learning japanese, so jump on that!

[community.japanese]

ligaeacrus6434-san,
that's a good idea!

I just want to remind, because I forgot to mention, that all those manga and anime
are meat for Japanese people who understand perfectly how colloquial language sounds and works.
Please make sure you won't learn any strange words without knowing the sense/nuance properly.
Japanese colloquial expressions are very tricky and not everyone are happy to hear such language
in the middle of correct and polite speech.

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com