My Japanese Coach (DS)

Japan, being the second largest superpower nation on Earth, is becoming ever more influential and beginning to really spread its culture around the world the way America has. It's noticeable in many aspects of life: anime shows are starting to crop up on various American networks, many video game and console developers are based in Japan, and demand for Japanese translators is very high in the business world. Now, using only your Nintendo DS, you can become a part of the quickly growing minority of foreign Japanese speakers.

My Japanese Coach is a resource that many people, myself included, have been awaiting for quite some time. It may seem ridiculous, trying to stash a whole language onto a Nintendo DS cart, but they've done it for other languages, and though it's presented in a more simple, fundamental, albeit efficient fashion, using just this game it's totally possible to gain a solid, basic grasp of the language. It's a long game, so I haven't fully explored the potential, but I can say that it starts you out with the fundamentals, and you work your way up from there.

There are a few different techniques that My Japanese Coach uses to, well, coach you. When introducing you to new words and/or phrases, you have three options: write, listen, and speak. They're pretty self-explanatory, but for the purpose of unnecessary length and detail I'll explain them. When in write mode, each syllable of the word or phrase is displayed in Kana or Kanji, and you trace the symbol as if you were writing it. Listen mode plays an audio clip of the word or phrase you click on. Speak mode allows you to record yourself speaking, which you can listen to for correction purposes, or compare to the pre-recorded audio clip.

My Japanese Coach also teaches based on minigames, like word searches, multiple choice, and whack-a-mole-esque games, with more added the further you go. Upon completing the games, you gain "mastery points" for each word, until you have mastered the words and can move on to the next level. This is a great way to reinforce the words, rather than just seeing it and learning the definition once or twice.

The interface is simple and enjoyable, including a woman instructor, who emotes her way through the game for you. The game also includes a reference guide, in which you can find commonly spoken and helpful words and phrases. Don't expect to play this game for a few hours, then be prepared to airdrop into Japan, conversing fluently with everybody in sight. Like learning any language, it will take time and practice, and I'm gonna go ahead and say that you'll need a resource a bit more in-depth if you really want to learn Japanese, not a simplified version. My Japanese Coach, however, presents the perfect jumping off point, just enough to get you hooked and to make you want to learn more.

6/7