The answer is yes! But keep reading, because still in this article we will explain why.
Some people claim that it is not possible to learn Japanese by anime, but this is an untruth. Of course, if you are alone in the anime, you will not reach fluency. However, the anime has the ability to become used to language sufficiently so that you migrate to other types of content and keep understanding.
One of the first goals when we started learning a second language is to understand, right? So it's! Anime or more specifically Japanese entertainment content will guarantee you at a speed far higher than other types of materials for a single reason.
Engagement. Yes! Engagement is one of the biggest weapons for learning a second language, after all, you will spend hours and hours of your entertained day watching or reading something done from natives to natives.
The truth is that to learn a second language it is not necessary to have some kind of special gift, it is the sum of two things, a good method and time that takes place with that language where you are learning.
Below we have a video where we comment on the topic of this article, see:
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Learn and acquire
But let's separate two things here. Learning and acquisition. They are easily confused, after all they seem to be the same things, but let's define the meaning of each of them. Learning is the act of mastering, learning something consciously.
For example, you are in the school and start learning which pedals step to exercise a command in the vehicle, which is the exchange, etc. This is learning, you rationalize the movement, the actions, the commands, you need to analyze and think each movement before you do.
The acquisition is when you learn to do without realizing it, you go through conscious learning and go to the unconscious phase of learning, you keep learning, but you don't realize it anymore, after all you have automated actions.
The same is true of learning a second language, the phase of learning vocabulary, phrases, grammar and the phase of acquiring that information through native to native content. In other words, watch or read without stopping to research, or seek meaning. This is the acquisition.
And how to fit the anime in this discussion? The anime can be used in both ways, you can well research the meaning of words, and just seeing or watching to understand what is being said using only what you already know in advance of the language.
Japanese subtitle
The caption is something that can help you if done the right way and get in the way if done the wrong way. What is the right way? Ideally, the caption is in the language you are learning and not the language you already know. That is, he watched something in Japanese, put the subtitle in Japanese.
There are no Japanese subtitles. If there aren't, challenge yourself, watch without them! Eventually, you will find some series that you will enjoy and discover that there are no subtitles for it, but after having watched more than 30 anime with Japanese subtitles you will have the ability to do this. Animes, just like in reality, use the same structures, memorize this word. That is, the sentences used in anime, for example, slice-of-life, (which is a genre of everyday anime) tend to appear in reality too. In the video above we have examples of this. Japanese Club - The Best Online Japanese Course
And that's where you will actually develop the ability to understand without subtitles.
Animelon - Learn Japanese with Anime
What changes from anime to reality
The anime as well as in reality use the same structures, record that word. That is, the phrases used in anime, for example, slice-of-life, (which is a genre of everyday anime) usually appear in reality as well. In the video above we have examples of this.
But what changes? The anime tends in some contexts to use some extremely informal language, jargon, slang, some very specific vocabularies, talk about ultra -niced subjects, and so on. The more fanciful, the more it will weigh.
If I just learn by anime, will I talk in a very childish or unreal way? It depends. Do you only have anime as a source of immersion? Do you only learn for fanciful works? If these are the case, then, yes, there is a chance. But don't worry, even if this happens to you the antidoto is simple. Assist other content styles. Japanese Youtube, Japan newspapers, radio, etc.
The fact is that when you really understand the language, you change what you watch to readjust your level and easily identifies where it sounds or not natural. And why not start with the Japanese newspaper at once?
The reason is simple. You need to choose something that keeps you entertained and is at your level. Sometimes the newspaper uses a slightly advanced language. Another important observation you should do is that if you are alone in one thing forever there will be no opportunity to evolve, ie, regardless of whether it is anime, newspaper or anything else, if you challenge, try to get out of the comfort zone. As you move forward.
The article is still halfway through, but we recommend also reading:
Journey of those who start with anime
Just like me and several other people who started anime, after a few months or a maximum of 1 or 2 years, they were already dealing with the most diverse content like Japanese Youtube, Japanese television, radios, etc., and for being already Custom to language, it is not so difficult to get used to these other formats.
As quoted before, the anime is just fuel for you later to migrate to other issues.
Fun in learning
It may not be surprised to you, but the most powerful weapon during learning is "fun." When you do not feel stimulated by the activity you do in the language you are learning, you end up rolling or not doing.
How to learn Japanese with manga and anime?
What is the most powerful combination for those who are starting?
Those starting with you need to literate, it's the first step, you need to know the basics of the language: Hiragana, Katakana, particles, some Kanji, the most common structures and grammatical points. However, this literacy is not the hardest point, you can master it in a few months striving.
Japanese Club - The Best Online Japanese Course
I still don't understand seeing subtitles in Japanese
There are 2 possible reasons for this. First, you really don't know vocabulary, structures, grammatical points, and the basics to understand. And if this is the case, keep studying, learning in your course, and learn phrases, with at least 3,000 sentences, you can already deal without pain with an anime episode.
Second, you know enough, you have dominated several grammatical points, you know a lot of vocabulary, but when you start watching you understand almost nothing. In this case, you are suffering from something that is known out as "Ambiguity" it means, ambiguity.
How does it affect us? Ambiguity happens when we have a feeling of: revulsion, disgust, sadness, or anger at not understanding something spoken in a second language.
How to overcome? The first thing is your mindset, you need to keep in mind that it is normal not to understand and that eventually if you keep studying and watching one hour you will understand. The second is the attitudes you should take while watching something, the first of them is: focus on understanding the context of the story, what it is, what the matter, you don't have to understand everything, but what they are talking about. At first your deduction and intuition will be weak, because of the lack of the habit of understanding things, but over time you will understand what they are talking about.
The third attitude is not to get bored with how much you do not know or understand, celebrate by understanding a stretch, and wait anxiously for others. Little by little that you will develop the ability to understand more and more.
Another powerful attitude is to watch something you've seen before in Portuguese, you will already know the story, the context and the subject, focusing only on calling what they are talking about.
Beyond the anime
You can apply all this to other things you use as Japanese learning, such as doramas, manga, youtube from Japan and others.
The greater your resistance to ambiguity, the more you will advance, because you will try to study for things that challenge you. Renowned linguist Stephen Krashen states that to get a second language you need to be in touch with what has a step further new information for you, it implies that if you can at any point anime or any other type of content you are Using to learn to be too easy, look for new challenges.
The more you challenge yourself, the more you advance, but always with your caution not to fall into perfectionism that is something that does not exist.
We have another article talking about the subject, if you want even more information on the subject go:
Is it possible to learn Japanese by watching anime and dramas?
