Japan Dayのイベント !

きのう、わたしは Japan Dayのイベントに いきました。わたしは ポディウム のまえが いました。わたしはすべてをみました。イベントのへやはあかるいてひろいへやがありました。シェフ'はすしをつくりました。わたしは JETのレゼンテーションをみました。そうして、すしをたべました！そのあっと、クラスメートをみました。いいイベントがありました！

Week 8 Listening!

 

I did my Japanese listening on a new anime I started called The Ancient Magus Bride. This anime has been on my watchlist for a while and I was very happy to start it. The anime revolves around this girl named Hatori Chise who sold herself at an auction where she was bought by this bone-faced Mage named Elias Ainsworth. Elias purchased her because she is a Sleigh Beggy, a special Mage that attracts magic and magical beings to themselves. Although Chise was bullied and shunned all her life for her power, Elias bought her to free her and make her his apprentice to teach her how to use her power and eventually make her his bride. I've only watched a few episodes but I'm already hooked! I love the dark fantasy and magical aspect of the anime, surprisingly, since I'm usually not into that genre. The animal creatures in the anime are so cute and colorful, and the slow burn of Chise and Elias' relationship is very interesting to watch. I can't wait to keep watching!

かわいい！

As for the Japanese listening part, I was able to recognize phrases and words. The characters used relatively polite speech and I knew the particles they were using like です、ね、and よ. I also recognized some of the hiragana and katakana in the intro and outro when the Japanese names and subtitles were on screen. I translated some and knew what they meant and others I just translated and looked up the definition of. I'm more aware of the dictation and lows and highs in certain Japanese words than I was before, especially since some the words they use in the anime sound similar but mean different things, like magic and Mage in Japanese. I excited being able to translate words and can listen to anime without having to look at the subtitles all the time.

The Promised Neverland Definitely Promised Tears😭

Over the weekend, I finally went ahead and started watching The Promised Neverland. I already knew the concept of the show before I started watching it but that's what kept me from watching it in the first place. I have a special place for children in my heart so I knew it was gonna make me sad but I didn't know that I would be sad and scared at the same time. I only made it to episode 7 and I was already lowkey traumatized. The Promised Neverland is basically about these orphans who were all raised together on this secluded orphanage. One day, they find out that when kids are "adopted" and leave the orphanage, they're actually killed and fed to alien monsters. That's when they realize that the orphanage is really a human food farm where the children are the supply. That's when the three smartest children start planning their escape but there are a lot of problems and mysteries along the way. The concept, along with the dark close ups on characters, the betrayal, the death, the deeper meanings behind things, the mystery, etc. all played into overwhelming and exciting me at the same time. I will most likely continue watching the show, but I definitely need a break from it before I continue. The good thing was that I was able to understand a lot of the phrases since the cast is children, so it was simplified speech, and the adults use polite speech. I was able to recognized some of the adjectives we learned like きれい and おおきい and verbs like おふろうにはえります. It was a lot of verbs and phrases I understood and I recognized a lot of symbols and Japanese words in the intro/lyrics as well.

The Connection Between Samurai Champloo and The Boondocks

 

Left: Samurai Champloo | Right: The Boondocks

Recently, I started watching this anime called Samurai Champloo. It was produced by the creator that did Cowboy Bebop, Shinichiro Watanabe. The animation of this anime was amazing and definitely has a 90s anime inspired art style and has modern hair styles and colors for the characters while still keeping their wardrobe traditional to the Japanese Edo period. the story follows tea waitress Fuu, outlaw swordsman Mugen, and ronin Jin. After Fuu saves Mugen and Jin from being executed, she forces them to journey with her to find this swordsman who smells like sunflowers. Even though they keep trying to escape or fight with each other, fate always seems to bring them alive and together. From the beginning, I noticed similarities in the fighting styles, video cuts, and animation style to an African-American show that I watch called The Boondocks. The show follows two brothers, Huey and Riley, and their grandfather, Robert, as they navigate life in their predominantly white and suburban neighborhood after moving from Chicago. The protagonist, Huey, and the enemies that he encounters simulate to anime fighting styles and there are many episodes that reference Asian culture. The video below shows the connection using the Samurai Champloo intro song and the intro and episode video clips from The Boondocks and Samurai Champloo.