Japanese Language Learning Reviews

Japanese the Manga Way: An Illustrated Guide to Grammar and Structure by Wayne Lammers

Score:
7 / 10
Pros:
price; great real-life Japanese manga examples for each topic; examples are well formatted for learners; explanations of each topic are spot on; covers a huge array of beginning and intermediate language topics

Cons:
missing any systematic treatment of writing, but expects you to read hiragana, katakana and some kanji; grammar only presented as part of language functions; no exercises; explanations can be tedious at times; more of a reference than a complete course

Japanese the Manga Way attempts to capitalize on the already huge and growing Japanese manga market in the west by using manga to teach the Japanese language.

Like the author fully admits, this is more of a Japanese grammar or reference guide than a full-fledged lesson course. Audio recordings, practice exercises, quizzes, cultural side notes – these are all missing from this book. But, wait, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth a look!

The thirty two lessons of Japanese the Manga Way introduce a dazzling array of useful Japanese by addressing language functions. Each section treats one of these functions. From telling time to negative verbs to honorific language to question words, the author accounts for nearly every piece of the linguistic structure of basic Japanese and intermediate Japanese.

Within each lesson, smaller sections deal with one topic apiece. Each topic includes a hefty, sometimes hard to swallow paragraph or two explaining the topic. Then, you’ll find a manga panel – a real, made and published in Japan manga cell, that contains a fluent Japanese example of that exact topic. Kudos to the author for searching out and arranging this huge number of relevant examples from so many different manga series!

The examples take center stage here, so let me break them down for you. The Japanese manga panels are analyzed like linguistic specimens in order to dissect the topic at hand. The text is repeated beside the comic in full native Japanese script. Beneath, you’ll see the romaji transliteration (in our Romanized characters). Then, below that line, you’ll find a word-for-word translation of the Japanese that helps you get a feel for the structure of the example. Finally, beneath that line, there’s a native English translation.

The book ends with an appendix full of further resources and a thorough index of Japanese words, phrases and language functions.

Japanese the Manga Way doesn’t systematically introduce foundational Japanese grammar. It also breezes over writing – the writer just starts throwing kana and kanji examples at you, and only once suggests ways for you to go off and study the script on your own.

This book isn’t a complete program for learning to speak Japanese, especially for beginning speakers. It focuses on language functions in usage, which heaves out students who are struggling with basic grammar. It also closes the door to learners who don’t know a thing about Japanese writing. But… and it’s a big but… the admirable selection of real manga conversations, spot-on analysis of example phrases, meaty explanations and strong coverage of language topics makes this a worthy addition to many reference shelves.

For students who could use a bit more practice with fluent, everyday Japanese in a well-organized fashion, it’s a great purchase. It’s a real challenge to learn to speak Japanese, and books that expose you to native Japanese in creative ways are typically a good buy. For manga lovers, it’s almost a must-have, as long as it’s not your first outing with the Japanese language.