Learning Japanese with Urusei Yatsura : an honors project [thesis] (HONRS 499)

Learning Japanese, like any foreign language, can be frustrating and daunting at times, especially for a beginner. Unlike other foreign languages, Japanese not only has two alphabets, but also a few thousand Chinese pictographs for the learner to contend with, something that has caused many interested students to give up before they even begin. How can one who has not been raised to use all those characters possibly master them? Who has the time or money to write out that many flash cards? These are all legitimate concerns, but it is possible for a person to learn Japanese as a second language, and for those who stick with it, it ultimately becomes a rewarding and even fun experience.Since repetition and application are the keys to learning to read, write, speak, and think in a foreign language, using newly acquired skills as early in the learning process as possible greatly facilitates the assimilation of a second language. When these beginning steps to reading and writing are entertaining rather than dry, there is virtually no limitation to what the student can learn. That is where supplementing learning with manga (comics) comes into play.One of the wonderful things about manga is its accessibility; there are genres of comics that cater to about anyone's tastes. Manga also often presents Japanese text in an easily readable format, with the usage of furigana to assist the reader in deciphering kanji characters. Moreover, manga provides intimate portrayals of Japanese culture, much as The Simpsons has done with American culture.One of the most popular manga artists worldwide is Rumiko Takahashi; her works have enraptured both Japanese and American readers for nearly three decades. Besides her humorous storytelling skills, lovable characters, and subtle feminist overtures, Takahashi's popularity abroad is also due to the fascination the West has with Japanese culture. Her earliest work, Urusei Yatsura, has 15 volumes at 400 pages each, and only the very first few volumes have ever been printed in English; yet they offer a glimpse into Japanese culture that foreigners rarely get to see. It is my pleasure to present her work to students of Japanese, and anyone else who is curious about Japanese culture and comics.