can anime be used in japanese classrooms articles

The study of popular culture is now becoming an emerging research area within education. While many studies have confirmed that students’ interest in anime has driven much of enrolment in Japanese language courses, the impact of using anime as a teaching tool has not been studied thoroughly in the teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) classroom. This article attempts to propose a model that can be used to plan lessons by using anime as a teaching tool in JFL classrooms. By introducing the teaching idea of using anime in a Japanese language classroom, this article is hoped to be able to encourage more Japanese language teacher to consider the use of anime in teaching JFL.

Full Answer

What is anime in Japanese culture?

Anime, style of animation popular in Japanese films. Early anime films were intended primarily for the Japanese market and, as such, employed many cultural references unique to Japan. For example, the large eyes of anime characters are commonly perceived in Japan as multifaceted “windows to the soul.”

Is it possible to learn Japanese from Anime?

As any otaku who has seriously studied Japanese can tell you, learning the language from anime is a terrible idea. What you pick up from your average Shonen Jump show is almost unrecognizable from what you learn in a formal language study.

Why did anime become so popular in Japan in the 1980s?

As Japan's economy flourished to become the world's second largest in the 1980s, Japanese language classes became available in the West and anime and manga entered the classroom as educational tools. At the same time, "otaku" (geek) culture was becoming more mainstream in Japan, and fans with an internet connection helped to spread it worldwide.

Does watching anime make you more comfortable with the language?

Hearing Japanese from anime constantly might make you more comfortable with the language and its structure, but taken by itself, it can really throw off your language studies. Thank you for reading Answerman! We are no longer taking question submissions.

About the program

WSU offers major and minor study options in Japanese language and Japanese culture studies that prepare students for a range of career possibilities and further language study at the graduate level. The Japanese for the Professions degree is a skills‑based second major that prepares students to communicate in Japanese in professional settings.

About the instructors

Michael Arnold earned his doctoral degree through a dual‑degree program at the University of Michigan (UM) with emphases in Asian languages and cultures and screen arts and cultures.

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When did anime start?

Anime came about in the early 1900s when Japanese artists like Oten Shimokawa began experimenting through trial and error to create short animated films. But back then, animations were costly to produce and works from Japan were overshadowed by Disney's success. Fascinating photos offer a rare look at Japan's past.

What is the oldest animation studio in Japan?

Inside one of Japan's oldest animation studios. In the 1950s, Toei Animation studio (where Tezuka had worked before establishing a rival company, Mushi Productions, in 1961), set its sights on becoming the "Disney of the East" and started exporting animation films to America.

What was the name of the anime that was released in 1952?

In 1952, artist Osamu Tezuka -- who grew up watching early Disney animations -- released "Astro Boy ," a manga about a peace-loving robot boy with X-ray vision and super strengths.

What is Japan known for?

Japan is a country that possesses a rich, detail-oriented visual tradition. Famous woodblock printer Katsushika Hokusai was one of the earliest artists to use the term manga (in his collection "Hokusai Manga," first published in 1814) in reference to sketches depicting both the supernatural and the mundane.".

What is the story of Akira?

The story follows biker gang leader Shotaro Kaneda as he battles to save his friend from a secret government program that conducts tests on psychic children.

When was Akira made?

This is the opening of "Akira," a popular science-fiction manga (Japanese comic or graphic novel) created in 1982 by Japanese artist Katsuhiro Otomo, whose work soon spread to a small core of fans in the US.

Who circulated bootleg videotapes of anime to their peers back home?

In the early 1980s, it was largely American and European children from military and expat business families based in Japan who circulated boot-legged videotapes of anime to their peers back home, according to Mizuko Ito, the editor of the "Fandom Unbound: Otaku Culture in a Connected World."

When did Japanese bathing start?

Japanese bathing culture dates back to the 6th century, but many of the bathing practices seen in anime came about during the Edo period. Public bathhouses (or "sento" in Japanese) made their appearance in the Edo period and frequently allowed mixed bathing.

What are some activities that high schools do?

Some high schools even use cultural festivals to attract prospective students. Food and drinks are often sold, and students are mostly responsible for managing their classroom's specific activity. These activities can include cafés, plays, or even musical performances.

Is Japanese anime accessible in other countries?

Comment. The advent of the Internet has made it easier than ever before for societies across the globe to share content and Japanese anime is no exception. Never has anime been so easily accessible in other countries than it is now, which means that a wider variety of genres have made it to Western audiences over the years.

Is Valentine's Day in anime?

Any romance anime would be incomplete without an obligatory mention of either Valentine's Day, White Day, or Christmas. Romance aficionados are lucky if they get to experience all three in one series. These three holidays also play a part in real-life Japanese dating culture. While Americans don't put any restrictions on who receives Valentines on Valentine 's Day, in Japan, February 14th is reserved for girls to give chocolates to the boys they like.

Is it common to ask about blood type in Japan?

Asking about someone's blood type in Japan is probably as common as a Westerner asking someone what their zodiac sign is. Even though blood type theory is recognized as non-factual, an overwhelming percentage of the Japanese population put credence to the idea that your blood type indicates your personality.

Is anime dubbed in English?

While some anime has been broadcasted as children's programming on American TV since the 1990s, the source material was always dubbed in English. And on top of that, English dubbing companies often opted to cut out (or flat-out ignore) Japanese cultural references entirely. Luckily, dubbing companies have mostly stopped overwriting Japanese cultural references, but some common anime tropes might still need some extra explanation.

Why do Japanese teachers clean their teeth?

Hygiene and cleanliness. Some Japanese can be very sensitive to, and even openly critical of, both body odour and strong perfume. Some older people have also not got used to the smell of garlic, and for this and other reasons Japanese school teachers will clean their teeth and/ or gargle before lessons and after lunch.

What do Japanese girls wear?

For any age groups and even at the weekend, showing shoulders, bra straps, or even a slither of belly is considered daring and so Japanese girls usually wear another T-shirt under a strappy top or see through blouse. Not wearing make up is also considered slightly risque.

What are some offensive gestures in Japan?

Gestures that could be considered offensive by Japanese people include raising your eyebrows to say hello (it is a come on in Japanese) and thumbs down for bad (it means to “go to hell” in Japanese). People also tend to stand up and sit very straight and to avoid putting their hands in their pockets.

What is the word "burakumin" in Japanese?

I just want to mention one thing. The word “bukakumin” appears in the paragraph “12 Taboo”, but as you might already know, it’s “burakumin” in Japanese. Buraku-min refers to people who are originally from certain areas called “buraku”, as you mentioned in your essay. Keep on writing about Japan!

Do Japanese people hide their feelings?

Showing your real feelings. Although the Japanese have a reputation for hiding their true feelings, in fact hiding your true feelings in a situation when you should show them like in front of your family is as bad as being rude by showing them to someone you shouldn’t.

Is modesty a Japanese attribute?

Modesty is famously a Japanese attribute, and in the classroom it can result in some students not asking if they think they should go up a level, and not mentioning their achievements in English and study abroad during needs analysis. Modesty might also make some students unhappy about topics that could seem to result in them boasting.

What is anime dialogue?

Anime dialogue, meanwhile, is predominantly the sort of dialogue you'd hear among kids at recess. While some shows do, of course, take place in an adult setting and/or have measured, polite, realistic characters, most of anime's iconic characters and lines come from teenagers and/or warriors of some kind.

Is Japanese a formal language?

And formal Japanese is very different than looser language. Verbs are conjugated differently, extra words and fragments of words are added just for decorum, and the language takes on an indirectness ...

Do Japanese voice actors over-enunciate?

Much like their American counterparts, Japanese voice talent generally over-enunciate every word, and put a lot more tone of voice into every sentence. If you picked up most of your Japanese from anime and try to speak it in the same way, you're going to sound like a radio announcer rather than a normal person.

What do Japanese do in high school?

Many high schools also bring a little of the dojo into the classroom with a brief mokuso, (closed-eyes meditation) to allow students to center themselves before class.

What do Japanese school students wear?

The traditional uniform is a high-collared, black, military-style suit for boys and a beribboned sailor blouse and pleated skirt for girls (sorry ladies, there’s no pants option). These as-seen-in-anime styles are still the norm for middle school students, but the high school uniform is gradually being replaced by the tartan skirts and trousers with ties typical of Western parochial schools. Besides regulating clothing, shoes, and backpacks, many Japanese secondary schools impose strict bans on makeup, nail polish, hairstyles, and even eyebrow grooming that would make the average American teen wince. Perhaps the most eye-opening aspect of Japanese school dress codes, though, is that until the 1990s, these mortifying buruma (bloomers) were the standard girls’ PE uniform.

What happens when a teacher calls in sick in Japan?

Leaving 30 teenagers unsupervised in a classroom would be the stuff of nightmares in an American high school, but that’s exactly what happens when a teacher calls in sick in Japan. Japanese secondary schools rarely use substitutes; instead, students are trusted to study quietly and independently.

What happens if the Sasumata doesn't work?

If the sasumata doesn’t work, there’s always the kancho . A favorite prank among elementary and kindergarten students, all foreigners coming to Japan to teach English are duly warned about getting kancho ’d. How it works: kids clasp their cute little hands together, extend the pointer fingers, then aim them right at the unsuspecting teacher’s butthole.