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KO's got a lot of business related words.. I think Core 2000's word's are probably more common. Also more interesting.
If you want to learn quicker just do more sentences. If you push yourself you can easily do 200+ new sentences in a day.
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If you're living in Japan, maybe you can show lists of sentences to your friends and ask them which list is more accurately representing the kind of Japanese they use when they talk to you? I don't know what the two textbooks are like, but if there is a difference in vocab and such, it seems to me that the most logical and efficient way is to learn what you hear everyday first.
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Do both. (Oh noes, a third option!)
KO's words are a -lot- easier to learn. They are (obviously) grouped by Kanji, so you aren't learning everything all at once for each of them. You get to learn in little pieces instead.
But as noted, Core2000's words are more common, simply because that is how the list was compiled.
I started on Core and once I got past the first couple sections, it got crazy hard. I struggled through the third and was going to give up on the fourth. I switched to KO and did that for a while, then back to Core and Core was a -lot- easier then.
So do both.
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I second the do both option. I have started core2k some time back - on smart.fm they were listed as みんなの日本語 lists, but were sentences basically derived from core2k to match the grammar. I have recently started KO2001. I think KO is pretty hard compared to the core2k lists, but mainly because some KO sentences have 2-3 new vocabulary items. I interchange them and basically am adding sentences from both to spice up reviews.
Edited: 2009-10-28, 11:56 am
The KO lists are a much more efficient way of learning than the random way the Core lists arrange the vocabulary. I haven't really done iknow applications much over the last few months though except when I create a public list myself just to make sure I didn't make any mistakes. I go straight to the sentence page of lists that have audio and listen while reading the Japanese translation. It feels like a much more natural way to study and I can repeat maybe 200 sentences in an hour compared to the 30 or so I usually accomplish in iknow.
Creating lists while typing sentences in myself helps with my typing skills. Dictation always felt awkward to me especially since there were so many transliteration errors.
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I would say it depends on the level of vocab you have before you start either KO or Core which determines how easy or difficult its going to be. There's some pretty hard #### in KO too at times but one thing I liked about it is the use of Kanji priming. Kanji that are going to be used in upcoming sentences start to get shown a bit before it's time to learn it so when you come to it you are kinda familiar with it already. That's helped me a little to internalize some kanji by having little aha moments when you go oh right its the X from word X right of course!
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One could always use the KO2k1 Lists on iKnow and import those into Anki. Sort of the best of both worlds.
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I was thinking about importing the KO2k1 iknow lists into Anki, but the iknow importer is sometimes wonky on highlighting the proper keywords, and I don't feel like examining 1000s of cards to make sure all the readings/highlighted words are correct. Plus, I believe some vocab doesn't have example sentences--so I just stick with the lazy way and do it in iknow--seems to be working okay for me.
As for an opinion, yeah, just do both. I plan on doing so myself. I, like you, stopped at Lesson 3, but after I get through some KO2k1, I'll probably go back (maybe sarting at 10 like the other poster suggested.)
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Why the dislike for Genki? I've seen it taught in a few classes, and it seemed effective and useful in the classroom setting. Maybe there are better options for self-study, but I don't see how you can go wrong with the textbook.
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Yeah, Genki wasn't bad at all. I used it for self study, going through both books using the sentence method. Really improved my reading skills and comprehension. After Genki, I was able to read yotsubato! and some other manga really easily. Vocab was the only thing that really got in the way. This was before I started Heisig also.
Edited: 2009-10-29, 12:56 am
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Genki sucks because it teaches you how to get married before it teaches you how to order a taxi, ask where a razor blade is at the drug store, or effectively communicate you are sick and what you need to have done. Everything is "Kekkon shitai!" and "watashi no machi daisuki!" The voice acting is painful to listen to (I don't know anyone in Tokyo that talks like these people--its completely unnatural, at least for this area, maybe others are different?)
The Kanji are taught with no rhyme or reason--and even if you complete both books, you're still illiterate, because they don't teach enough. The vocab lists have nothing to do with the story, often don't have example sentences, are never seen again throughout the book, and are generally useless to a beginner (why do I know the word for "Elephant" before the word for "Theif", or "Help me"?)
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I had the same problem as you and after gathering a lot of information it all came down to personal preference, so my advice is try one and if it doesn't work shift to the other.
I tried core, didn't like it and went KO. But its not perfect either, for example:
Sentence like this:
日本の道は狭いから、大型の車より小型の車の方が運転しやすい。
is actually introducing a new reading for kanji 小, but authors in all their infinite wisdom decided that focusing your attention on just this new reading is not enough. So they added 6 new kanji, 8 new words and I think one grammar point, on top of that 小.
How retarded is that? Very.
