Speaking practice – Good shows to shadow?

4 comments

1. [jpdb](https://jpdb.io/prebuilt_decks?min_length=&max_length=&min_characters=&max_characters=&min_kanji=&max_kanji=&min_unique_words=&max_unique_words=&min_subdecks=10&max_subdecks=&min_avg_user_rating=7&max_avg_user_rating=&min_user_rating_count=&max_user_rating_count=&min_difficulty=&max_difficulty=3&show_only=anime) has difficulty ratings on a bunch of shows, so one that’s 2/10 or 3/10 might be good to start with.

   Something like Flying Witch, Nichijou, K-On, Yuru Camp, etc.

2. Shadowing is good and all but it won’t help you if you can’t understand what they’re saying.

3. Exposure is key. Which means repetition. Rewatching shows is a big help. Even If you just leave them on to listen to. The first time is a watch through the rest are you trying to train your ears while identifying things that flat out make no sense to you and working on them.

   Midnight diner for example. I left it on in the background after watching it once and every time an episode replayed I understood it so much more without actually watching the screen. Same with “Sunshine sento-sake”

   Shows with younger more wholesome protagonists and plot lines. Not sci-fi or fantasy stuff. Less romance priority or panty shot high energy comedy focused shows and more daily life or coming of age stories.

   Erased live action and anime are good background shows. As is switched. Anything without a super repetitive and wordy theme is going to be fine really. Like you don’t want to watch the psychic or big word heavy Sherlock Holmes murder mystery comedies so much or the gambling high-school kids.

   Here are some cartoons/anime. Most were light novels or manga first. You’re at the level where you could absolutely read most of these with a solid vocab list.

   Tonari no seki-kun/teasing takagi-san/my clueless first friend all have pretty easy language. Takagi maybe less easy the first watch through.

   Any of the movies that have a light novel will help you a lot. You can read and watch them. I’m talking “your name”, “the girl who leapt through time”, “suzume”, and “Weathering with you” sorts of stories.

   They’re a bit harder to read right now but doing so is a huuuuuge boost to your abilities. This is even easier and beneficial if done alongside a vocabulary sheet and audiobook. You’re kind of covering all of your bases at once here.

   Also, there are a ton of short episode anime on crunchy roll. Many are 3 to 10mins in length per episode. They usually have very simple themes and lots of common language. Usually they’re webcomics that got a mid episode segment or something similar.

   I also find that Japanese television shows that tour Japan and detail the areas are excellent for listening. Like on the temples or family run ryokan.

   Then there’s youtubers who speak exclusively in lower N level dialogue. Not grammar lessons. But dialogue.

   They do japanese subtitles and you can turn on English subtitles if you need to identify a word or check your translation. Then turn them off again.

   Channels like Japanese with shun.

   Shun

   https://youtu.be/RBlQCeMl5J8

   Akane

   https://youtu.be/T0JbQ8VeyoU

   They do those videos where they walk around talking about the area without going beyond a certain N level in grammar.

   Watch them to identify things you need to work on. Then just let them replay until it starts to make sense every time. Your brain naturally starts to connect the vocabulary and grammar the more your hear it.

   And of course podcasts. There’s a ton of posts on here with links.

   Anyway it’s a bit of a tangent but you got this.

4. I really like the シャドーイング日本語話そう series! I’ve only ever used the advanced book but they have a beginner one that I’m sure is also good. You can learn a lot of formal and polite Japanese expressions that might not be in a textbook that way, and it comes with English explanations for different cultural bits included in the dialogue

   edit for clarity: sorry, not a series, it’s a book with CDs that you listen to