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Genki Two Video Review TRANSCRIPT
GENKI 2 VIDEO REVIEW - INTRO
Hey gang. It's me Donald with thejapanguy.com, and yes it is time for another Japanese textbook review. Today, let's take a look at a continuation of a very, very popular elementary Japanese textbook. More specifically, we're going to take a look at Genki 2.
Before we kick off today's review, please make sure to hit that red Subscribe button, so you can subscribe to The Japan Guy channel. And hit that bell notification to find out when fresh, new content comes out each and every week.
Question: Do you feel pretty confident with your basic Japanese skills? Do you have a pretty good handle on hiragana and katakana? Do you know some light kanji? Are you able to make some sentences using basic Japanese grammar? Awesome. And if you're not there yet guys, don't sweat it. It's a process. Just keep working at it until you get there. But if you do feel like you're trying to take those first, bold few steps over that beginner, intermediate bridge, and you're looking for a textbook or resource to help you out with that, then you're going to want to watch this entire video.
By the end of this video, you're going to understand why Genki 2 is such a great Japanese resource, why it's not so great, and whether or not it's right for you. Affiliate disclosure. If you go into the description box, and you end up clicking one of the links, and buying Genki 2 or something else, yes I do earn a small commission from those purchases. But please keep in mind that I would not recommend anything that I haven't personally used or vetted, or anything that I didn't think would actually help you, and I actually happen to own two copies of Genki because I wore that first one out. And with that, let's get into the review.
PROS
What makes Genki 2 a great Japanese resource? My first pro for Genki 2 is that it teaches you some very practical Japanese grammar. This is where I think Genki 2 outshines Genki 1. While you do hear some of the Japanese that you study in Genki 1 when you're out and about, I think the effect is even bigger with the stuff that you learn in Genki 2, and if something is practical, and it's something that you hear often, and use often it'll probably stick.
Number two. It's the same great Genki. Even though some of the grammar is more complicated in Genki 2, I love that they just stuck to the same format, so you know that you're going to have your dialog. You know that you're going to have what's next is vocabulary, your grammar, and then your practice, and you can just rinse and repeat that even though it's probably going to take you a little more time with the harder structures.
Pro number three. Drills that make a difference. One of the great things about Genki 2 is that you have loads of practice that you can do. Between the written exercises, and the audio exercises, and the pair work that you find in the textbook, and in the workbook you get to drill your butt off. And I think this gives you a chance to get out there, and make mistakes, which is great. You can see what you're doing wrong, especially if you have a tutor to go through it with you, but it's a great way to get that practice in, so you can internalize the stuff that you're learning.
And pro number four, I really love Genki's tone. I love that it's book that doesn't take itself too seriously, and I may have mentioned this before, but I think because Genki has this light-hearted, fun tone it makes you comfortable with trying to get more creative with your Japanese.
CONS
Con number one. Genki 2 is harder than Genki 1. I'm trying to watch how I phrase this one because it can be really easy to just throw up your hands, and be like, "What? Man, I don't understand shit!" You had to keep your mind that with Genki 2, it is harder because you're leveling up. It's keeping that same simple structure, but it's adding more complicated concepts into the mix. If you have to review things a bit more often, try that. If you have to get a tutor, try that instead of just throwing up your hands and giving up because if you don't, you can get some major benefits from Genki 2.
Con number two. I think the dialog could be faster. Now, this doesn't mean that it has to be at native speed, but I think you should see a noticeable difference between dialog speed from Genki 1 to Genki 2. In my mind, speeding up the dialog speed might help your ears to better adjust to faster Japanese because when you listen to a native speed conversation, sometimes it can sound totally different than what you're hearing in Genki because it's coming at you so fast.
And con number three, finishing Genki 2 doesn't make you a true intermediate. This con actually isn't Genki 2's fault. I don't know if some Japanese self-study people were chatting about this book or something. "Yeah dawg. If you finish Genki 2, you're probably intermediate. It's my guess. Yeah? Yeah. Dap it up. Oh yeah." But I don't think that's true. I think somebody finishing Genki 1 and Genki 2, that puts them at a lower intermediate level, and you have to think about what the title of the book is.
"An integrated course in elementary Japanese." And that's what I think Genki 1 and 2 are intended to be. It's a complete elementary course because if you put the two together, it would be like a brick, so I think they broke it in half. But I think if you consider the whole thing as a unit, you won't be disappointed.
GENKI TWO FLIP THROUGH
Let's flip through Genki 2. On the front cover of the book, you'll find hiragana and katakana in some great review, and at the very back of the book there's a list of all the kanji you'll find in Genki 1 and 2, along with your MP3 CD. Yes. Some people in Japan still use CDs. A typical Genki unit is going to have a dialog, a vocabulary section, a grammar section, and sometimes you'll have a hyogen notto, which are expression notes, and loads of practice.
The last section of the book is called the yomikaki hen section, and it's where you'll get some light reading, and writing practice. And you'll also find Japanese culture notes in Genki 2.
PRICE
The Genki 2 textbook costs me 3500 yen at my local bookstore here in Japan, and the workbook cost me 1600 yen. And at the time of this recording, 3500 yen is like $31.64. About $32. And 1600 yen is about $14.46.
Keep in mind that you may pay a little bit more for Genki 2 than I did because Genki is a Japan Times textbook. And if I'm not mistaken, the Japan Times company actually prints books here in Japan. I'll get them a little bit cheaper here. But keep in mind that prices do change. There are sales, there are deals. Amazon has special days where they discount things. Just keep your eyes open, and I'm sure you'll find something that's reasonable. Keep in mind that in general, you're going to get way more value out of Genki 2 than what you're paying, and that's one of the signs of a great Japanese resource.
WHO IS IT FOR?
Genki 2 is for the person who's trying to pass the N4, but make sure that you study Genki 1 as well. Genki 2 is also for that person who's trying to get out of that beginner sandbox. Genki 2 is also for people that want to improve their Japanese, and have fun doing it.
WHO IT'S NOT FOR
Genki 2 is not for the person who's trying to pass the N3 or higher. Now, Genki 2 can help you get ready, but to pass that test with flying colors, you're probably going to need more resources or something that goes beyond the scope of Genki 2. And yes, I did pass the JLPT N3 by the skin of my teeth at the time I took it. But yes, Genki helped, but I did have to go into some other textbooks. I know it sounds harsh, but Genki 2 isn't for quitters. Because there's tougher stuff in the Genki 2 textbook, if you aren't willing to sit down, and really go through it or willing to sit down, and get somebody to help you to go through it, it can be easy to just go through parts of Genki 2, and then just quit. Just stop doing the book, and the book ends up sitting somewhere collecting dust. While you can still have fun learning Genki 2, it is going to take a little bit of work on your part.
RATING
If I were giving Genki 2 a grade, like the ones we got in school A through F, F being a failure, A being amazing, I would probably give Genki 2 a C+ as a standalone book. Here's why I say that. Because it just touches the surface of that lower intermediate level, there are books out there that really dig in deep into the intermediate stuff. As a standalone book, I give it a C+. But if you're considering it how it was intended as part of a larger elementary Japanese course, I'd probably give it a B, B- somewhere in there.
GENKI TWO IN ACTION
Really quick, I just wanted to show you an example of some of the Genki 2 grammar that you can find even in a funny, cool anime like One Punch Man. Check this out. [foreign language 00:09:54]. Stop right there. Saitama or One Punch Man right there, he says 『先生ってやめてもらえる?』 And he's saying, "Can I get you to stop calling me sensei?" In addition to using casual, reported speech, that 『って』, he's also using the てもらう, and combining てもらう with the potential form, which is もらえる. And you can find all three of these in Genki 2.
WRAP-UP
Okay guys. It's time to wrap this one up. If you enjoyed this video, please let me know by liking, commenting, sharing, and subscribing. If you wanted a more detailed review of Genki 2, you can check the description box below, and I'll leave a link to the bigger review that I've written over on thejapanguy.com, and you can feel free to check that out.
For those of you who are studying Japanese, and are really trying to improve this year, we'd love to have you over at Japanese Mavericks. Please check out the description box below for that as well. As always guys, it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much for watching, and I look forward to seeing you in the next review. Peace.
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