Just thought I'd post a link to an interesting page on why it's impossible to learn Japanese as a foreign language...

[link]

It's pretty old now and you might have seen it before, but if you haven't, it's a fun article to read.


I haven't done much on dA lately because I'm spending most of my free time learning Japanese. I'm also doing a fanfic beta and writing some software for spaced repetition learning to help me learn kanji.

Speaking of kanji, I have a few more ideas for artwork so I'll try to take a break from studying to do that.

If you are learning Japanese and you haven't heard of spaced repetition, then send me a note and I'll explain it to you.

At lunchtime today, a Japanese lady at work kindly offered to spend an hour with me practicing Japanese conversation. I get to practice reading and writing, but I rarely get the opportunity to speak.

Let me tell you I found it so hard, stopping and stammering several times a sentence. I have no idea what she thought of me. And she had to repeat herself slowly several times for me to understand her.

We get Japanese visitors at work and we have to speak English to them slowly and carefully. Now that the boot was on the other foot, I can understand what they must be going through.

The two languages really are very different. Japanese has a few English borrowings but that's about it. The word order, sentence structure, and verb tenses are all different to European languages. Adjectives are really verbs, adverbs are really nouns, numbers are more often adverbs than adjectives, there are no articles.

Hopefully we'll have another round next week...



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OK, Shonen Jump, April 2008 has a "sneak preview" of a new manga to be released, Gun Blaze West.

An American Western, produced by the Japanese. Yeah right. I mean even the British tried doing a Western episode of Doctor Who once (many decades ago, with the first Doctor, the late William Hartnell) and although I have never seen it, I've heard that I wouldn't want to see it. Apparently the main gunslinger was an Oxford graduate--how's that for a British twist!

But back to Gun Blaze West. As soon as I saw it, I had my doubts, but I thought I'd give the preview chapter the benefit of the doubt.


The Good

Great artwork. Plot's entertaining. Characters are interersting and do have some depth. Good mixture of fun and drama. All the things you've come to expect from Shonen Jump.


The Bad

The main character's name is "Viu Bannes".

Come again?

No, it's not "Butch Banner" or "Grant Gunner" or something with even the remotest connotation about the character (unless I'm missing something).

He has a name that I'm not even sure I know how to pronounce.

OK, "a rose by any other name" and stuff like that... So what's he like? The first thing you encounter about him is a short blurb:

Our young hero, who is determined to become stronger.

What the?

Hold on, is this about Ash Ketchum? Or even Uchiha Sasuke? No, it's definitely right under the name "Viu Bannes".

OK, maybe neither the author nor the editor could think of something better to say. Let's get into the story.


The Ugly

Viu, who apparently helped capture some crooks, is in school. Class is interrupted by some loser called Marcus Homer (at least he has a plausible name) who takes Viu out of the classroom and heads out of town for some training.

Viu's all excited, ready for some gunslinging fun, but instead is disappointed when his mentor tells him, "Listen friend, the basics of strength are stamina and inner strength."

Now I've heard everything. Come on, I could imagine Iruka or Kakashi saing this, possibly even one of the Elite Four, but guys, this is a Western.


Conclusion

Maybe it should be called an Eastern...



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I saw Miyazaki's anime, Whisper of the Heart. Lovely movie, slow moving but a captivating romance encompassing feelings, aspirations and the realities of growing up.

I saw it in English and in Japanese with English subtitles. Usually I understand about half the Japanese but this time I could understand little apart from common words. Oh well.

Two huge differences I noticed between the Japanese and English versions.

(1) Most people would not regard this as huge, but many of you will agree that a passing reference to Naruto should preserved in the translation. In the original Japanese, one boy asks his classmates if they watched Sasuke on TV last night. I have no recollection of that from the English version. Of course it might be a different Sasuke, but given that it's schoolboys talking about TV, it's very llikely to be a reference to Naruto.

(2) There was a significant difference in the ending. I can't explain without giving away any spoilers.



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This site has soooo much art in it, one could browse for days and never stop finding something good.

That's one thing about the internet, especially "Web 2.0" as they call it. It's brought so many people together, people from all over the world who would otherwise never have known or apreciated each other, and I think that's a good thing.

Before I started reading Pokemon fan fiction, I had no idea the extent of people's creativity. And that's a fraction of fan fiction/fan art that's out there. Having had a look at all this stuff that even kids have been able to produce, some of it even more enjoyable than professionally produced material, I now have a much greater respect for people all over the world, and a deeper appreciation of what people can achieve.

Even from when I was still at school, I thought, why do we need to bother with art at school. They should teach only subjects with practical applications such as language, maths, science, etc. When I met me wife, she told me off and said that it's art that makes life worthwhile. Then I started noticing how nothing around us is plain. There is art everywhere, whether the pattern on the floor of your living room or the logo of your school/employer. Art is what makes the difference between a mundane life and an enjoyable one.

Which is why sites like this are so significant to many people.

Oh dear, I've rambled on. I actually typed this to let people know (perchance they don't already) that *MiyaToriaka has put together an awesome collection of AAML art: [link]


Have a nice day. (I'm sick at home with this post-viral problem. Gosh I miss karate.)


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