Mangajin
Encyclopedia
Mangajin http://www.mangajin.com/mangajin/samplemj/index.htm was a monthly English
-language magazine for students of Japanese language
and culture
. It was distinct from many other magazines of its type in that it unabashedly embraced Japanese popular culture
as a learning tool and a route towards rapid acclimation into Japanese society. Each issue featured selections from various popular manga
translated into English with detailed cultural and linguistic
commentary.
It was a unique language learning tool in that the manga that it excerpted showed the use of the language in various types of informal conversations. It would feature a few pages of manga with explanations of the grammar used and when that gammar/vocabulary combination might be appropriate. By contrast, most Japanese language textbooks for early students focus on formal versions of the language appropriate for business discussions.
The magazine ceased publication in December 1997 (issue 70) due to financial hardship. With increased worldwide interest in Japanese pop culture, the original manga publishers expected higher payments for their content, possibly beyond what was practical in this type of educational publication. Various books that collect many of the magazine's best features (as well as back issues of the magazine itself) are still highly prized by both self-taught and professionally tutored students of Japanese. An e-zine also continues the tradition of the publication.
The name is a combination of the Japanese words for "comic" (manga, 漫画) and "person" (jin, 人), and is a pun on the Japanese word for magazine (マガジン,magajin). The double pun is that Gaijin is a Japanese word meaning foreigner or outsider.
, entertainment, and language-learning into one. Simmons worked with clients from American and European companies and saw how successful they could be with the Japanese and learned the culture, which boosted up the motivation for Mangajin. When developing the concept, manga became an ideal solution with the medium being so large and attracting some of the best artists and writers. Manga also gives a big perspective on real Japanese society and how the language is spoken. Simmons started creating a "four-line-format" which shown many different translations: direct word-for-word showing the logic of the sentence, pronunciation, reading, etc.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-language magazine for students of Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. It was distinct from many other magazines of its type in that it unabashedly embraced Japanese popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
as a learning tool and a route towards rapid acclimation into Japanese society. Each issue featured selections from various popular manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
translated into English with detailed cultural and linguistic
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
commentary.
It was a unique language learning tool in that the manga that it excerpted showed the use of the language in various types of informal conversations. It would feature a few pages of manga with explanations of the grammar used and when that gammar/vocabulary combination might be appropriate. By contrast, most Japanese language textbooks for early students focus on formal versions of the language appropriate for business discussions.
The magazine ceased publication in December 1997 (issue 70) due to financial hardship. With increased worldwide interest in Japanese pop culture, the original manga publishers expected higher payments for their content, possibly beyond what was practical in this type of educational publication. Various books that collect many of the magazine's best features (as well as back issues of the magazine itself) are still highly prized by both self-taught and professionally tutored students of Japanese. An e-zine also continues the tradition of the publication.
The name is a combination of the Japanese words for "comic" (manga, 漫画) and "person" (jin, 人), and is a pun on the Japanese word for magazine (マガジン,magajin). The double pun is that Gaijin is a Japanese word meaning foreigner or outsider.
History
Mangajin began shaping in 1988 when businessman and translator Vaughan Simmons began making prototypes of a magazine that could combine Japanese popular cultureJapanese popular culture
Japanese popular culture not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present but also provides a link to the past. Japanese cinema, cuisine, television programs, manga, and music all developed from older artistic and literary traditions, and many of their themes and styles of presentation...
, entertainment, and language-learning into one. Simmons worked with clients from American and European companies and saw how successful they could be with the Japanese and learned the culture, which boosted up the motivation for Mangajin. When developing the concept, manga became an ideal solution with the medium being so large and attracting some of the best artists and writers. Manga also gives a big perspective on real Japanese society and how the language is spoken. Simmons started creating a "four-line-format" which shown many different translations: direct word-for-word showing the logic of the sentence, pronunciation, reading, etc.
Series
| Title | Author | First Issue | Last Issue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assari-kun | Sō Nishimura | June 1990 | August 1990 |
| Hotel | Shōtarō Ishinomori Shotaro Ishinomori was a Japanese manga artist who became an influential figure in manga, anime, and tokusatsu, creating several immensely popular long-running series such as Cyborg 009 and Himitsu Sentai Goranger, what would go on to become part of the Super Sentai series, and the Kamen Rider Series... |
June 1990 | |
| Tanaka-kun | Hiroshi Tanaka | June 1990 | |
| Theater Appare | Yoshiie Gōda | June 1990 | August 1990 |
| What's Michael? What's Michael? is a Japanese manga series created by Makoto Kobayashi. In 1984, it began its serialization in the Weekly Morning magazine. The comic shows Michael, an orange American Shorthair tabby cat, his feline friends, and other domesticated pets in a series of humorous episodes.The manga was adapted into... |
Makoto Kobayashi | June 1990 | |
| Jimi-Hen | Nakazaki Tatsuya | August 1990 | |
| Dai-Tōkyō Binbō Seikatsu Manyuaru | Tsukasa Maekawa | September 1990 | |
| Pocket Story | Masayuki Mori | September 1990 |