Anime Translation Analysis: Frieren Episode #1
In this post I decided to do an analysis of around twenty phrases from Frieren Episode 1, giving my opinions on the quality of the translation and other translation options.
Japanese literature release: “A Brute’s Love” by Edogawa Rampo (bilingual reader)
Edogawa Rampo（江戸川乱歩） is an author who took influence from Western culture and went on to make a huge impact in classic Japanese literature, especially in the genres of mystery and thriller fiction. Back in 2021 I published The Masquerade Ball (覆面の舞踏者), a story by Rampo about a mysterious party that is, considering the spectrum of… Read More »
Anime Review: Frieren Season 1 (an all-time favorite)
This is my review of the first season of the Netflix-available Frieren, which happens to be one of my favorites of the last decade.
Japanese word origins: the strange tale of three “hashi” (Bridge, chopsticks, edge)
If you’ve studied Japanese for any amount of time, you’ve probably noticed that Japanese has many homophones, which are words that sound the same but have different meanings. Generally you can tell them apart from context (and there are also differences in intonation to help differentiate depending on the region, as well as kanji representation),… Read More »
Japanese Ramen restaurant review: Kyuramen of Portland (九湯ラーメン）
A few days ago I had dinner with my family in the ramen restaurant Kyuramen in Portland, and I wanted to give a brief review about it here. Keep in mind ramen is one of my favorite Japanese foods and I’ve tried many of the ramen places around Portland, so I am somewhat picky about… Read More »
A Japanese study method for ebooks, Amazon’s blocking of file exporting, and a way around it (for our books)
I recently had an interesting exchange with a user on Facebook in the Japanese Literature group, which I wanted to mention here, along with a partial solution to the problem that was exposed. Until recently, it was apparently possible to download the source file of an ebook from Amazon KDP books (via “Devices and Content”)… Read More »
Japanese Bilingual Reader Release: “Kantan! Read Japanese Stories Like a Native (Volume 4)”
I’m proud to announce the release of a new book in my bilingual reader series, “Kantan! Read Japanese Stories Like a Native” by classic science fiction author Juza Unno.
Interesting Japanese loanword: アピール (apiiru)
English-based Japanese loanwords are a double-edged sword. While on one hand they can give English-speakers a free ticket to understanding words used in Japanese, on the other hand Japanese loanwords can sometimes be different than their original counterparts, whether it is a minor nuance or a huge gap. In this post I’d like to go… Read More »
Netflix Anime Review: “Dandadan” （ダンダダン)
As more and more anime series become available on Netflix, it seems like the average quality level continues to drop (though perhaps some of it is due to my tastes which become pickier and picker over time). Regardless, in the last year or so I would say there is one anime that I really enjoyed… Read More »
Advanced Japanese practice: listening to and understanding accents (and a character from Sakamoto Days)
For beginner students I don’t recommend listening/reading a lot of Japanese where characters speak in a regional or other accent. While it’s good to have some understanding of other styles of accents beyond the typical Tokyo-dialect (東京弁), my concern is that you might unintentionally pick up something and use it without knowing it’s not typical… Read More »