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Are Kids’ Shows the Secret to Learning Japanese?

In this off-the-cuff episode, Tom explores why language learners often overlook the power of “lowbrow” media like anime, kids’ shows, and mass-produced manga—and why that’s a mistake. From the academic polish of the Read Japanese Literature podcast to the underrated artistry of Anpanman and My Hero Academia, we unpack the tension between high art and pop culture in your study routine.

Plus:

• Why you might need to grind Mickey Mouse before you can tackle Gundam
• 5 spring 2025 anime picks ranked by difficulty (including Apocalypse Hotel, Witch Watch, and Kowloon Generic Romance)
• And an interesting yet useful Japanese phrase: 「騙されたと思ってやってみて」(“Just trust me, give it a try!”)

Whether you're a new learner or a long-time fan refining your study strategy, this episode is your reminder that meaningful input doesn’t have to be impossible—or even “high art.”

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Like My Anime!
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe, share it with a fellow language nerd, or leave a review — it helps more people find the podcast (and keeps me rambling about Japanese and anime).

Get bonus content and media reviews from a learner's perspective:
🔗 Subscribe to the Like My Anime on Patreon

Watch episodes & extra content (eventually) on YouTube:
🔗 Like My Anime YouTube Channel

More from me:
🔗 Medium Articles on Language Learning & Linguistics

Music: SUMMER TRIANGLE by Sharou

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📝 Key Topics:

The Anime Study Trap

• The difference between exposure vs. acquisition
• Why “just hearing Japanese” isn’t enough
• Paul Nation & vocabulary learning 101

My Learning Pivot: From Passive to Purposeful

• How burnout forced me to rethink my study habits
• Using cognitive load theory to make anime more effective for learning
• Building curiosity over guilt when watching native content

Feature Reviews: Best Shows for Learners

1. Medalist (N3) – Emotional repetition & motivational Japanese
2. Ameku M.D. (N2-N1) – Keigo, code-switching, and business Japanese
3. Blue Box (N3) – Everyday speech & emotional narration
4. Sorairo Utility (N4) – Slice-of-life goldmine for beginners & passive listening
5. Honey Lemon Soda (N3) – High school slang, tone shifts, and emotional awareness

Lightning Round: Other Notable Picks

• Beheneko (N3) – Casual fantasy banter & ending particles
• Red Ranger in Another World (N3) – Assertive speech patterns
• I Have a Crush at Work (N3) – Polite refusals & office small talk
• I’m Marrying Someone I Hate (N3) – Sarcastic retorts & indirect confrontation
• Sakamoto Days (N3) – Reaction speed & shadowing practice
• Okitsura: Fell in Love with an Okinawan Girl (N2+) – Regional dialect immersion
• Brave Bang Bravern (N3) – Imperative forms & rallying cries

Honorable Mentions:

• Apothecary Diaries S2 – Formal speech & sneaky vocabulary
• Dragon Ball Daima – Beginner-friendly with classic shonen repetition
• 100 Girlfriends Who Really Really Love You – Speech pattern variety pack

🏆 My Personal MVPs:

• Medalist – For its emotional clarity & usable Japanese
• Sorairo Utility – For chill, low-pressure passive learning

💬 Listener Challenge:

What anime helped your Japanese this season?
Drop a comment, DM me, or share your favorites in the Like My Anime community on Patreon! I’d love to feature your picks in a future episode.

🔗 Links & Shoutouts:

• Join the community & get bonus content: patreon.com/likemyanime
• Follow & subscribe on your podcast app of choice
• Rate & review to help fellow learners find the show!

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Like My Anime!
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe, share it with a fellow language nerd, or leave a review — it helps more people find the podcast (and keeps me rambling about Japanese and anime).

Get bonus content and media reviews from a learner's perspective:
🔗 Subscribe to the Like My Anime on Patreon

Watch episodes & extra content (eventually) on YouTube:
🔗 Like My Anime YouTube Channel

More from me:
🔗 Medium Articles on Language Learning & Linguistics

Music: SUMMER TRIANGLE by Sharou

Send us a text

Today’s topic? One of the most hotly debated issues in Japanese learning communities: pitch accent.

Spoiler: Pitch accent is way overhyped.

In this episode, I’ll break down:

• What pitch accent is (and isn’t)
• Why it’s so hard to hear and learn
• What actually matters more for sounding natural
• How to improve your pronunciation without stressing over perfection

Plus, I’ll recommend four Japanese dramas that are great for shadowing and improving your accent naturally.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:32 – Intro: Why pitch accent stresses people out
02:30 – What is pitch accent, actually?
03:45 – Pitch vs. tone vs. stress: clearing up confusion
07:31 – Why pitch accent is hard (even for native speakers)
10:37 – “But won’t I be misunderstood?” (Short answer: nope)
12:23 – What to focus on instead: phonetics, vowel length, and shadowing
17:22 – Beginner-friendly and Intermediate+ Japanese dramas with great dialogue and pacing for shadowing
19:22 – Final thoughts: You don’t need perfect pitch—you need a voice

🎬 Media Recommendations for Shadowing Practice

Beginner-Friendly:

1. サ道 (Sa-dou)
   A relaxing slice-of-life series about Japanese sauna culture.
   👉 Casual, everyday language. Super chill pacing—great for beginners.
2. 半沢直樹 (Hanzawa Naoki)
   Intense business drama with crystal-clear enunciation.
   👉 Perfect for formal/business Japanese. Be prepared for dramatic yelling.

Intermediate and Up:

1. ブラッシュアップライフ (Rebooting)
   A dry, clever comedy with relaxed pacing and realistic conversation.
   👉 Excellent for internalizing casual speech rhythms.
2. 逃げるは恥だが役に立つ (We Married as a Job)
   A rom-com with natural enunciation and day-to-day speech.
   👉 Great for polite speech, workplace vocabulary, and soft romantic tone.

💬 Your Turn
Have you ever gotten pitch accent comically wrong?
Until next time… おつかれさま！

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Like My Anime!
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe, share it with a fellow language nerd, or leave a review — it helps more people find the podcast (and keeps me rambling about Japanese and anime).

Get bonus content and media reviews from a learner's perspective:
🔗 Subscribe to the Like My Anime on Patreon

Watch episodes & extra content (eventually) on YouTube:
🔗 Like My Anime YouTube Channel

More from me:
🔗 Medium Articles on Language Learning & Linguistics

Music: SUMMER TRIANGLE by Sharou

Send us a text

You start learning Japanese, you’re pumped up, you make a study schedule… and two months later, your textbook is collecting dust, Anki notifications are haunting your dreams, and you’re wondering why you’re still stuck at “This is a pen.”

Sound familiar? In this very first episode of Like My Anime, we’re diving into why motivation fades—and what actually keeps you moving forward when the novelty wears off. Spoiler: Motivation isn’t the problem. It’s how you build habits, deal with de-motivation, and make language learning sustainable (and fun) that matters.

I’ll also introduce myself, share how my own struggles with Japanese (and my wife’s experience learning English) shaped how I think about language learning, and give you practical tips to help you break through slumps and plateaus.

🎙️ What’s inside:

• Why motivation doesn’t last—and why that’s normal
• The hidden ways de-motivation sneaks in and stops your progress
• Real, actionable strategies to help you enjoy the learning process
• How cultural expectations, ADHD, and perfectionism mess with our learning
• What to expect from this podcast going forward

Plus, at the end of the episode, I’ll share three anime and manga picks that are great for language learners:

1. Hot Spot (ホットスポット) – A quirky workplace comedy about an alien at a small-town hotel.
2. Look Back (ルックバック) – A heartfelt one-shot manga and anime film about ambition and loss.
3. The Apothecary Diaries (薬屋のひとりごと) – A palace mystery series full of snark and subtle language learning gems.

⏰ Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 - Intro & Why You’re Struggling
• 00:01:00 - Who I Am & What This Podcast Is About
• 00:03:21 - Why Motivation Fails Us
• 00:05:39 - How De-Motivation Creeps In
• 00:10:50 - Real-World Strategies to Reignite Your Motivation
• 00:17:11 - Japanese Media Recommendations
• 00:24:24 - Wrap-Up & How to Support the Show

If you’ve ever felt frustrated, burned out, or like you’ll never reach fluency—this episode is for you.

Hit subscribe, leave a rating or review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and check out the show notes on Like My Anime for more tips, linguistics insights, and Japanese media recommendations made for learners.

 Language learning doesn’t have to suck—you just need the right mindset and the right media.

 おつかれさま！

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Like My Anime!
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe, share it with a fellow language nerd, or leave a review — it helps more people find the podcast (and keeps me rambling about Japanese and anime).

Get bonus content and media reviews from a learner's perspective:
🔗 Subscribe to the Like My Anime on Patreon

Watch episodes & extra content (eventually) on YouTube:
🔗 Like My Anime YouTube Channel

More from me:
🔗 Medium Articles on Language Learning & Linguistics

Music: SUMMER TRIANGLE by Sharou

Send us a text

You probably spent years in school memorizing vocabulary, conjugating verbs, and passing grammar tests. So why can't you actually speak the language?

In this episode, I break down why traditional language education fails so many of us—and what to do instead. From memory science to language acquisition theories, I’ll walk you through what actually works (and what doesn’t), with actionable advice for every kind of learner.

⏱️ Timestamps & Topics Covered

00:00:00 - Intro & Language Learning Frustrations

00:02:18 - Why we forget everything after tests: The Forgetting Curve

00:03:03 - How human memory works vs. how language is learned

00:04:01 - Why school fails at teaching languages

00:05:23 - What actually works

00:07:22 - Noam Chomsky and Universal Grammar (UG)

00:11:57 - The four big theories of language learning (Input, Output, Interaction, Noticing)

00:21:04 - Why there’s no one-size-fits-all method

00:23:12 - Listener Q&A: “Can I learn just by watching Netflix?”

00:25:57 - Manga recs that make language learning fun and practical

📚 Featured Manga Picks (on Learn Natively):

1. Ruri Dragon (ルリドラゴン) → 🐉 Wholesome slice-of-life about a girl who suddenly sprouts dragon horns. Perfect for beginners to intermediates (N4-N3) wanting to study casual teen speech.
2. Dinosaur Sanctuary (ディノサン) → 🦖 A world where dinosaurs are real and kept in struggling zoos. Great for intermediate learners (N3), especially those interested in animal care and workplace lingo.
3. A Galaxy Next Door (おとなりに銀河) → 👑 A manga artist accidentally gets engaged to a polite alien princess. Sweet, cozy rom-com with accessible dialogue and some keigo practice. (N3-N2)

💬 Your Turn!
What part of language learning did school totally mess up for you?
Send me a message or comment on the show notes—I’d love to hear your story.

Until next time… おつかれさま！

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Like My Anime!
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe, share it with a fellow language nerd, or leave a review — it helps more people find the podcast (and keeps me rambling about Japanese and anime).

Get bonus content and media reviews from a learner's perspective:
🔗 Subscribe to the Like My Anime on Patreon

Watch episodes & extra content (eventually) on YouTube:
🔗 Like My Anime YouTube Channel

More from me:
🔗 Medium Articles on Language Learning & Linguistics

Music: SUMMER TRIANGLE by Sharou

Send us a text

Welcome to Like My Anime — the podcast for Japanese learners, anime fans, and anyone who’s ever wondered if binge-watching can actually teach you a language.

Whether you’re a total beginner, stuck at intermediate, or just tired of language learning advice that sounds like it was written by a robot, this show is for you.

Hosted by an English teacher living in Japan (that's me 👋), Like My Anime blends language learning strategies, media analysis, and linguistics insights — all through the lens of Japanese pop culture. We’ll break down anime, manga, dramas, and games to help you learn Japanese in a way that's practical, fun, and, frankly, a little chaotic.

New episodes every other Wednesday. First 3 episodes drop April 9th!

What you'll get every other Wednesday:

✨ Japanese media reviews with language learner-friendly tips

✨ Study strategies that actually work (and won’t burn you out)

✨ Linguistics nuggets because language is weird and wonderful

✨ Productivity hacks to help you stay consistent

✨ Honest conversations about the highs and lows of learning Japanese

Language learning doesn’t have to be boring.

It doesn’t have to be gatekeep-y.

And it definitely doesn’t have to involve memorizing 2,000 kanji before you can even say your name.

Subscribe now and join the community!

Music: SUMMER TRIANGLE by Sharou

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Like My Anime!
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe, share it with a fellow language nerd, or leave a review — it helps more people find the podcast (and keeps me rambling about Japanese and anime).

Get bonus content and media reviews from a learner's perspective:
🔗 Subscribe to the Like My Anime on Patreon

Watch episodes & extra content (eventually) on YouTube:
🔗 Like My Anime YouTube Channel

More from me:
🔗 Medium Articles on Language Learning & Linguistics

Music: SUMMER TRIANGLE by Sharou