Jan 31

EL Competition 2022 奨励賞: Enjoy and learn English with movies! by OTA Izumi

I recommend watching some movies in English. I believe we can learn many words and phrases in the movies. we also can enjoy its story. I introduce my 3 favorites in a ranking format.
No.3 is “The devil wears Prada” (2006). The main character is Andy, an unrefined girl. She starts working in a publisher of famous fashion magazine. She grows up there by her very strict boss. She is an unreasonable woman. However, Andy put up with it and turns sophisticated through her hard job. I was excited about how she grows and becomes a nice woman.
No.2 is “Aladdin”. As you know, this is a famous Disney movie. I would like to recommend you live-action version (2019). First of all, I really like the beautiful songs in this movie. If you like singing, I think it is a good way to improve your English. Especially “A whole new world” is one of the best scenes in my mind. Aladdin and Jasmine take a trip on their magic carpet and sing a song while looking at the beautiful night scenery of Agrabah. In addition, almost all of Disney songs are easy to understand, and they are not too fast. So, I really recommend you this.
Finally, No.1 is “The greatest showman” (2017). I watched it for the first time when I was a high school student and I love it. So, I have watched it many times until now. This is the biography, musical film. I love their songs, actors, actress, and the encouraging story. The main character, P.T.Barnum manages his small circus, and it grows in his town. However, he has to overcome many troubles such as discrimination, prejudice and so on. The characters build trust and become good friends each other. I should stop telling you the story, so not to spoil all the fun. Anyway, you should watch this!
I think these 3 and any other movies will help our learning English. And I hope you will like my favorites!

Jan 31

EL Competition 2022 優勝: “Joint” Adventure: A Fun and Effective Way to Build Up Your Body and Vocabulary Simultaneously, by K.A.

If your academic supervisor were to ask you to significantly improve your TOEFL score, increase the amount of muscle in your thighs, and defeat an evil dragon trying to conquer the world, all within one semester, you would probably protest that such a request is extremely unfair and irrational, even if offered all your course credits for graduation with the highest grades.

However, there is only one way to possibly complete all these tasks at once comfortably. Play a fitness video game with the language settings set to English!
I have played the fitness video game “Ring Fit Adventure” by Nintendo for both maintaining my health and learning English. You use a ring-shaped controller and go through an RPG-style fantasy adventure by running, stretching, and strength training in your room.
By playing in English, you encounter various expressions from different genres in the game instructions and characters’ dialogues, full of technical terms and slang. They include not just expressions of body parts and movements, but also those of food, clothing, and fantasy things. The biggest advantage is that while enjoying the gameplay you’ll find yourself picking up new vocabulary without even realizing it.
Also important is the fact that the typical style of language learning where you sit in front of a desk for long hours poses health risks. In this respect, the learning-while-exercising method allows you to avoid risking your health, and even promote it in a more entertaining environment.
Furthermore, you can also benefit from the in-game feature to share your progress and compete with friends and family. It is well known that working on things together with others helps you keep yourself motivated.
Incorporating the “joint” approach into your English study routine can be a fun and effective way to build up your body and English skills.

Jan 13

EL本棚紹介(74) The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, A Link to the Past, by Akira Himekawa

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

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Like Ocarina of Time, this comic was inspired by the beloved Zelda video game series. The two stories in this book are much shorter than in Ocarina of Time, but the stories also feel a little deeper and more complete. Majora’s Mask is about a dark, strange world that will be destroyed in three days by a boy with a powerful magical (evil!) mask. The story focuses on characters’ emotions and relationships, so it is not all about swinging swords and casting magic. On the other hand, A Link to the Past is more of a traditional adventure story, where the hero has to save the royal family, learn about his parents, and fight against an evil wizard.

You already know the main characters in these books, and even if you have not played the video games, I think you will find them easy to read and understand.

My two cents: I highly recommend the very short “Majora’s Mask bonus story,” which tells the tale of a mysterious ancient dragon and the warrior sent to destroy it and claim his magical armor. I think it is better than the entire rest of the book, combined.

Jan 13

EL本棚紹介(73) Dragonball, by Akira Toriyama

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

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Like Sailor Moon, Dragonball is one of the most recognizable Japanese anime/manga around the world. It was one of the first anime to be broadcast in the United States, and Dragonball Z was probably one of the first anime to become broadly popular. However, I don’t think many Americans know that the early Dragonball comics were “gag manga.” This book has a surprising number of “blue jokes” in it, so you should avoid this book if you think you will be offended by it.

That said, Dragonball is a silly book and very enjoyable to read at times. There is action, comedy, and adventure as the group of heroes search for the dragonballs and train to be great martial artists. The art style is unique, and Akira Toriyama’s style of drawing machines and fight scenes really stand out. The translation is also very skillful, with a lot of creative and non-textbook style English.

My two cents: Although I’m not a fan of the blue humor, I am glad I read this classic piece of Japanese popular culture.

Jan 13

EL本棚紹介(72) Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, by Naoko Takeuchi

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

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Few Japanese manga or anime are as famous around the world as Sailor Moon and Dragonball. You probably already know the characters and maybe even the basic story. That means that this book is a good way to “learn what you already know” (which I have written about in posts about Time for Kids Science Scoops and 365 Simple Science Experiments, etc.). If you haven’t read or watched Sailor Moon yet, you should know that it is an important representative of Japanese culture abroad—even if you think it is too old.

Sailor Moon is “bubbly.” That means someone with a lively or enthusiastic personality. Sailor Moon is also very “bubbly” バブリー, which means it really feels like a Heisei manga. If you read it, you will know what I mean. The girls are all obsessed with crystals, ball gowns, and the fantasy of marrying a prince. Sure, it feels out of date, but there is a lot of charm to this book as well. I think that the art has a lot more variety than the anime, which makes it interesting to read.

My two cents: This book is a new translation, and I think it is very well done. A lot of sound effects 擬音語・擬態語 are in both Japanese and English, so this is a good way to compare language.

Dec 23

EL本棚紹介(71) Asterix: Omnibus I, by Goscinny and Uderzo

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

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Asterix is one of the most famous French cartoon characters in Europe. He is as well known as Bugs Bunny in America and Doraemon in Japan. He is a Gaul (ゴール人) during the time of the expanding Roman Empire. Although the Romans have great technology and many soldiers, the Gauls use magic potions to become super powerful. Asterix and his friends always get into trouble with the Romans, but they always use their strength and smarts to escape in the end. This comic reminded me of Vicke Viking (小さなバイキング ビッケ), who used to be popular in Japan (learn about the new movie here: https://www.vic-movie.com/)

Asterix is not very easy to start reading because there is a lot of word play and some Latin and other foreign language. However, if you keep reading past the first two or three pages, I think you will get used to it and start enjoying the story. This book contains three full stories, so you don’t have to read the whole thing.

My two cents: Read a little, ask a native speaker about some of the jokes you don’t understand, and enjoy the funny art and silly story in a group instead of by yourself.

Dec 16

EL本棚紹介(70) Medicine: The Definitive Illustrated History, by Steve Parker

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

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This beautiful book teaches the history of medicine, from ancient times, through the renaissance and birth of modern medicine, all the way to contemporary issues, like stem cell research. It is “beautiful,” because it is full of large, detailed photographs showing artifacts, people, and tools from throughout the history of medicine. It not only covers history in a “deep” way (going back in time), but it also does so “broadly” (learning from different cultures around the world).

The book is designed like an American textbook. Most pages have nice photographs, famous quotes, and small text boxes covering different topics. On the one hand, the book’s size and thickness makes it scary; on the other hand, every topic or sub-topic is covered in just 1-2 pages. As I suggested in my introduction to Mammoth Science, you can learn a lot just by reading 2 pages a day. Or, you could keep this book in the English Lounge, open it up in the conversation corner, and use it to start an interesting conversation.

My two cents: The size and scope of this book makes it interesting not only for medical students, but also for anyone interested in different cultures, human history, or technology.

Dec 09

EL本棚紹介(69) Disney’s Magic English Picture Dictionary, by Nova

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

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Picture Dictionary contains a mix of pictures of Disney characters, English with Japanese translations, and some example sentences. It is actually meant for elementary school students learning English. So, why should we keep it for university students? I think there are a few ways you can find to use this book.

First, if you have read any of my book introductions that mention vocabulary, you already know how images can help you learn. Connecting a word with a picture is an effective way to remember new words. Using example sentences is also helpful. Both pictures and example sentences create “context” (文脈) for the word.

Second, because this is a children’s book, it may be interesting for you to see what kind of English children use. This may be particularly useful if you are studying children’s education.

Last, this is a large-sized book that you probably don’t want to carry around. Instead, open it up in the EL and use it with a friend. You can think of some games using the pictures, translations, and simple vocabulary. Be creative, and you can have fun while studying.

My two cents: When I first saw this book, I thought it was strange and didn’t belong in the university. However, if you think about it and use it creatively, you may learn something interesting from it.

Dec 01

EL本棚紹介(68) Black Jack Volume 1, by Tezuka Osamu

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

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You must know the name Tezuka Osamu, and you probably have heard of Black Jack. It is less famous abroad than Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atomu), but it is still an important and really interesting Tezuka manga. Although the title of the manga is Black Jack, the doctor Black Jack is not always the main character of each story. Each story in this volume focuses on the different characters with different problems, so you can easily just pick out any chapter to read by itself.

The translation is excellent. It includes a little bit of English wordplay (dajare) and a little bit of accented or colloquial speech. This is a good way prepare yourself for encountering world Englishes spoken by real people instead of “textbook English.” Because this is a “medical manga,” there are some difficult vocabulary words related to medicine and surgery. However, they are only a very small part of each chapter, and you do not need to understand any of it to enjoy the stories themselves.

My two cents: I was again surprised, like when I read Astro Boy, at just how good Tezuka Osamu is at writing stories. Some of it reminded me of SF author Hoshi Shin’ichi’s short stories, too.

Nov 25

EL本棚紹介(67) Superman: Earth One, by Shane Davis

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]

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Everyone knows the name “Superman.” Maybe you have seen a movie or read a comic about him saving Earth. What makes Superman: Earth One special is that it looks at superman as an alien. A lot of people forget that he comes from outer space. In this book, Superman comes in a spaceship and is followed by aliens who attack the earth. Instead of thinking being a story about humans, (in some ways) it is more like a story about aliens.

“Superman” is a classic American superhero comic. The Earth One series uses very modern art and rewrites the classic stories in interesting ways. This book has some difficult “science fiction language” (and real science language), but you can follow the story by looking at the pictures and reading whatever you can understand. Also, there are several “flashbacks” – scenes that go back to Superman’s childhood – and scenes with different groups of characters, so there are good places to take breaks (in other words, good 区切り).

My two cents: I think the art in this kind of comic is interesting. Compare it with Japanese manga and also with the other Superman comics in the English Lounge.