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Finally My Japanese Coach DS is here! Since I became a Reiki Master in 1998 I also became a Japan-ophile. Or an Otaku. I am crazy for all things Japanese. I began to attempt to learn the language. It was a daunting task trying to do it all alone. I’ve tried audio language lessons on CD’s, online lessons, made my own flash cards, and I have several books that promised that I would “read Japanese in a matter of hours” yeah right. I think what was missing in all those cases was cohesion between the written and spoken language. Another problem is that when you memorize Kanji symbols, you’ll learn a meaning for the character, but then you need to know how to pronounce it and spell it out phonetically with Kana in order to really get the whole picture. Though I can kind of understand my animes without the subtitles, I often wonder if I am only remembering it from reading the manga or if I am actually absorbing it.
This wonderful learning tool on the DS My Japanese Coach, puts it all together in one neat compact place. And I’ll tell you right now Gamefly is not getting this one back from me. This is the first Japanese learning tool that has made a difference for me. With it on the DS you get that companionable feeling as if a little friend is casually teaching you the language.
It begins with a placement test when you set up your profile and there is room for data for three people to learn on one cartridge. Or you can use it to retest yourself from time to time. I won’t lie. I scored “Baby” on my first time through. I knew almost as much as a kindergardener in Japan from my previous false starts. What is different about this from those dreaded language lessons in high school is that this seems easy. It is mixed with games and lessons which is what Nintendo does best. You are given separate lessons modes for reading speaking and writing the language as you go along.
There are 1,000 interactive lessons, almost 10,000 words, and 1,500 phrases. Along with each lesson that additional layers show you how to pronounce the words by speaking into the DS mic and it compares your voice pattern to a voice record of the trainer. Amazing that all this fits on one cartridge. There is also a reference section to give you a dictionary of the words and phrases that you are learning.
The mini-games make you retain the information effectively by repeating the same things so that it becomes second nature. For those who have trouble with pronunciation you can hear where you are going wrong.
Though this isn’t a game per se it does have word search, whack a mole, and multiple choice. That doesn’t sound fun, but the little sound effects and the pretty teacher in the kimono does make you feel like you are accomplishing something. I don’t know how far this little Japanese Coach will take me with the language, but it is making me feel less ignorant about all the things I have been missing by trying to teach myself. It also helps guide you to further studies that you can add to it outside of the DS.
This is a wonderfully useful tool that isn’t a game, but has more re-playability than a game would because it is so useful. I am hoping that they come out with a My Japanese Coach DS 2 so that I can keep going. I can’t tell you enough good things about this
one, and I could not find anything wrong with it either. Who knew that the only perfect score that I’ve ever given to a DS game would be educational. I give My Japanese Coach DS Ten pieces of spicy shrimp maki out of ten!
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