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.

Nov 04

EL本棚紹介(66) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Volumes 1-3, by Bryan Lee O’Malley

[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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Scott Pilgrim is a typical young Canadian. Recently graduated from college, he has no goals or ambitions. Instead, he spends his days sleeping late, practicing with his rock band, and dating. Unlike typical young Canadians, however, his life is also somehow like a video game. When he falls in love with a new girl in town, Ramona, he is challenged to fight her seven evil ex-boyfriends. When he defeats them, they leave coins and special items behind, like extra lives, and sometimes he even levels up.

This comic book is extremely popular. It has been made into a video game, card game, and a very successful movie (https://www.imdb.com/video/vi4036739097/?playlistId=tt0446029&ref_=tt_pr_ov_vi). It contains a lot of slang and popular culture, and shows how a lot of young people in Canada like to socialize. You might say, this book is more about capturing a feeling of being young than about telling a detailed story.

My two cents: These comics were written for a very young audience, so I think you can appreciate them a lot more than I did.

 

Oct 26

2022/10/31 Intercultural Halloween Party 国際交流ハロウィンパーティー

Join the English Lounge to practice English with:
– Games and riddles
– Candy
– Spooky videos
– International students
– Wear costumes
(optional)

 

Oct 26

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国際化が進む世界の中で、外国人に日本語を教える「日本語教師」という仕事があるということが、近年社会的にも認知されるようになってきました。私は日本語母語話者の日本語教師として、国内外で10年以上にわたり世界中の日本語学習者に出逢ってきました。今回は私のこれまでの経験から日本語教師の社会的意義や日本の国際化、多文化共生時代において日本語教師が果たす役割についてお話ししたいと思います。