# If you haven't seen the anime, VIZ Media is offering it up for free online from memory - just to give you a point of reference.

Oh my! About the third page in to the Manga the 'red man' rips off the main character's friend's head. I can't believe this sort of goodness (or badness depending on your outlook) has furigana. I honestly thought I would have to do the handwritten approach to reading this thing like I'm doing with DMC. Man, strange days.

Anyway, goretastic manga with furigana, eh! I was surprised by Deathnote too, though. I mean, seriously, this one is R-18 content.

Oh, well... back to the shock pile.



Anyone else had a similar experience?

Off Topic:

What do you guys think of the whole mass reading thing in Japanese? Worth it? Waste of time?

I've always added vocabulary to Anki for memorization purposes, but that hasn't really worked out well for me. I would say just enjoying Manga, whatever, regularly would be a good way of building up understanding and vocabulary with a regular whack of Anki study (not related to 'reading for fun') on the side (you know, audio stuff and the like).

# Please note I was the guy who recommended rereading and cram decks with pre-processed vocabulary. <--- actually really effective, but it got WAY too boring (it seems without fun or a general level of interest these things can't be maintained.)

Cranks Wrote:Off Topic:

What do you guys think of the whole mass reading thing in Japanese? Worth it? Waste of time?

Well, for me reading is a big part of Japanese in the first place -- more of a goal than a method. I do pick up vocab that way but of course it's a bit hard to tell how much since it's not really a conscious process...

pm215 Wrote:

Cranks Wrote:Off Topic:

What do you guys think of the whole mass reading thing in Japanese? Worth it? Waste of time?

Well, for me reading is a big part of Japanese in the first place -- more of a goal than a method. I do pick up vocab that way but of course it's a bit hard to tell how much since it's not really a conscious process...

I have been reading Japanese for fun for over a year now. While I do pick up vocabulary, I pick up a lot more from studying from something like iKnow. (Anki doesn't do it for me... Anki is good for review, not learning.)

Reading is definitely something that gets easier as you do it. When I picked up my first light novel, it was torture to read it and I couldn't read more than 1 page at a time. By the end, I was reading several pages at a sitting and it was a lot more fun. And faster.

I don't see where it's available online. Got a link?

There are a number of incredibly violent series that ran in shonen magazines (Fist of the North Star, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and Bastard! are three notable examples). It's a long established practice.

Kids are just too easily disturbed and frightened in North America. And parents want to control everything a kid experiences.

Dont worry Japan will end up the exact same way with hardcore media restrictions.

The Japanese media doesn't really emphasize the "Will violent media make our children violent?" or "Will sex in the media make our children have sex too young?" questions.

For example, most of the articles in Japan about problems associated with video games talk about people who play them too often and don't leave the house. Or they don't talk to their family. Or they do something drastic when their parents take away the games. Those types of articles seem much more common than the American-style "OMG, there is violence in games!!!11! Our children will kill each other!!" ones.

The don't-let-children-know-about-adult-things approach is a very Christian idea, I think.

Still I'd like to see suicide portrayed less in dramas. I watched LIFE and the one girl tried to kill herself because she didn't get into the high school she wanted. Another tried to kill herself because the group of girls were just starting to pick on her. I hate the though of suicide it sucks to watch it even on tv. We do learn some things from tv and hopefully suicide isn't one of them.

Tzadeck Wrote:The Japanese media doesn't really emphasize the "Will violent media make our children violent?" or "Will sex in the media make our children have sex too young?" questions.

For example, most of the articles in Japan about problems associated with video games talk about people who play them too often and don't leave the house. Or they don't talk to their family. Or they do something drastic when their parents take away the games. Those types of articles seem much more common than the American-style "OMG, there is violence in games!!!11! Our children will kill each other!!" ones.

The don't-let-children-know-about-adult-things approach is a very Christian idea, I think.

You know that's quite interesting. It sort of outlines exactly how Japanese culture tends to work. Focus on the family as the issue rather than the content. To be totally honest, I have to agree with their approach. Violence in video games isn't as big an issue here as dad and, sometimes, mum not spending enough time reinforcing the whole social model that Japanese people tend to exist in. I think a lot of western countries could learn something from that (although, really without the cultural stuff in place as a framework, it wouldn't have a great effect).

Looking back at my first post, it is interesting how my own cultural perceptions come through in my writing.

Anyway, loldar! Loven' that gorey happiness, eeeeeewwww yeeaaahhhh.