Leaderboard

Japanese Super Challenge 2013 Do you want to learn Japanese? Do you want to play Visual Novels/Read Love Hina/Watch Pokemon in Japanese? Do you want to learn to do so with a bunch of friends? Then join with me and take Super Challenge 2013! (Background Music for this post - Link) QUICKSTART GUIDE * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Introduction to the Challenge There's been a lot of talk about learning Japanese on the forums. I, myself, essentially found Fuwanovel through Aaeru's landmark blog post about learning Japanese ( link). For many, learning Japanese becomes a years-long (or lifelong) quest that is full of fresh starts, re-starts, and re-re-starts. Some make it all the way to the level of reading/writing/speaking (or a combination of those three), and some never do. I'd like to propose a Fuwanovel group dedicated to learning as much Japanese as possible this year. Here's what the group will look like: Sign Up. People interested in taking the challenge will sign up - The "Founding Members" (aka, anybody interested in starting ASAP) will sign up by responding to this post. If there's enough support, we'll create our own little sub-forum with a dedicated sign-up pageStrength in Community. Members will post progress updates at least once a week (more on this below) as to how they're doing. People who are struggling can request (or, if we like the idea, be given right off the bat) a "buddy" -- somebody dedicated to the program, or who is further along in the program than they are -- to regularly check in on them and give them encouragement. We'll all be encouraging each other in the forums along the way. Once we have a sub-forum, each person will have their own "topic". Four Stages. There will be four stages in the program: 1) The Kanji Stage 2) The Kana Stage 3) The Grammar Stage 4) The Advanced Stage Fuwa-Centric. All material necessary for success will be linked to/provided as we go. While we all have different learning styles, some tools are important for everybody to use. We'll link to lots of different resources to help us out on the way. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Four Stages The Kanji Stage We will start by learning ~2200 Kanji (the Jōyō kanji, or a list of kanji the Japanese government determined to be the most used and most important in regular life). This is the biggest hurdle for learning Japanese, but once it's over, the rest is MUCH easier (for two reasons: 1) you already have good study habits, and 2) Kanji are a huge psychological barrier). The easiest way to study the Kanji is by using Dr. Hesig's Remembering the Kanji (RTK) method. This involves two resources: #1) Hesig's book ( amazon) (link) and a SRS-based memory program like Anki (program link) (RTK 6 recommended deck). I will be using the 6th Edition of his book, and recommend you do the same, as it has multiple corrections as well as new kanji. Kanji Stage Breakdown: Members are encouraged to choose a study plan: Pick a number of new kanji a day, such as 10, 25, 50, etc.Ex: 25/Day - Done in three months!Ex: 50/Day - Done in less than two months!Using Anki on your computer/phone/tablet, you will study 25 NEW kanji a day per Hesig's study method (more on this below), and review old kanji based on SRS spacing technologySeems like a big hurdle, but it's not! Once you get going it's fun and quick One important point about the Kanji stage (and, really, the other stages): you will continue to SRS the Kanji through the rest of the program (and, in fact, your life). The day you finish RTK1 you'll have tons of reviews (though you'll be used to the load/pacing). Those will start spreading out further and further, though, proving mastery. The Kana Stage For those that have already studied the Kanji, whipping out these puppies is a snap. I got both alphabets down in about 3 hours. My big advantage: I've already got great study habits from learning the Kanji (plus, I've learned great strategies for memorizing Japanese symbols). For this program, however, we're going to be a little more conservative. Kana Stage Breakdown: 1 week of studyOne day devoted to Hiragana, one to KatakanaFive days of practice (waaay more than you'll need, but just in case )Mastery will come quickly, especially when we move on to grammar studies The Grammar Stage This is where Japanese becomes very real and very fun. With our now-solid foundation of Kanji/Kana, we're now ready to move forward into learning how the language is structured. We will be using the AMAZING (and free!) grammar guide by Tae Kim. You can access the guide a number of ways: On Tae Kim's websiteVia complete PDF version, compiled from the website A hardcopy version (my choice, which I'm very happy with) (Pic 1) (Pic 2) (Pic 3)On iOS devices via iTunes. This grammar guide is AWESOME. You should plan to work through it at your own pace. I'm not to this step yet, so I'm not sure what's a reliable timeframe to suggest. The Advanced Stage There's a lot to do once you've got this amazing super-foundation. I'll post resources for advanced students, but at a glance they include: Reading VNs (for both enjoyment and vocab/practice)Watching Anime with subtitlesReading MangaPracticing vocab/grammar through "Sentences" and "Cloze Deletion" decks on Anki (more on this later)Farming sentencesAnd more! At this point you're ready to really start enjoying your Japanese skills. From what I've heard by many folks, reaching this stage generally takes 6-8 months for the power-learners, but still less than a year for those who are persistent. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Roadblocks and Why We Need a Community Research has shown that any large undertaking is likely to hit a barrier at a few different points in the process: after 3 days, after 1 week, after 2 weeks, after 3 weeks, after 4 weeks, and then ~once every three months after that. Hitting a barrier can come in different forms: discouragement, feeling overwhelmed, and -- very pertinent to our project -- getting so busy with other things a person "puts the project on hold for 'one or two days', and never returns." One fantastic solution to this problem has been demonstrated by repeated clinical trials and observation: a phenomenon called "Community Recruitment". Community Recruitment means that a person tells a friend/spouse/child/or group of people about a goal, and then asks for encouragement and follow-up. They then have to regularly report their progress. By utilizing community recruitment, success rates DOUBLED in most trials. So how are we going to use this in our program? All members are asked to write up a progress report at LEAST weekly for the Kanji stageWe ask a special report be written on day 3 about how it's going, as well as first impressionsBy doing a day 3 report, as well as weekly reports during the Kanji stage, the community can encourage each other through the toughest part of the tripPost-Kanji stage, we'll recommend monthly updates * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Signing Up For now, if you're interested in signing up, please post your desire below. Also indicate when you' like to start. Tay (me) will be starting on Monday 1/28/2013. The first comment under this topic is a "Quick Guide to Starting". Refer to that for instructions on how to start, as well as a forecast through the Kanji stage. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Tools / Resources Below is a list of recommended/alternate study tools and resources. http://kanji.koohii.com/ Anki (ankisrs.net) Remembering the Kanji, by James Heisig (Also, see this note if you can't afford the books)

I just came up with the craziest idea. What if. WHAT IF... Ren and Flutterz. Got on Skype during the sex scene and RECITE EACH LINE (+ acting)!? And, when the main character expresses his thoughts, it should be read by who ever of the two is reciting the main character's lines, in their slimiest voice possible. At that point, I have 2 suggestions. You could, A: Have it pre translated and read the scene there. or B: Read dat japanese. I'm sure someone could throw together the romanji for the scene... MAYBE EVEN I COULD DO THAT. Buuuuut, yeah, it's juuuuust a suggestion. I know it would drag thousands and thousands of viewers. So. What does everyone think of my suggestion?

One of the things I want to see remade is the room costumization feature. I don't know who else liked it but I loved gaining items to furnish my secret hideout and I'd love to see some form of that in the remake, maybe even let you visit other people's rooms through wi-fi.

Voting for Hoshimemo because it's Hoshimemo and one should always read Hoshimemo

hahahaha im just kiddin.Joudan,Michael joudan i prefer grown woman too....but for chest size??? flat is the best!!!

Unfortunately true. Next person want to work in gaming industry.

False, I've no reasons to hide. The next person will go to school tomorrow.

They are. The "lovecraftian" aspect you're talking about actually relates to the distinct way Hikaru tends to monstrify the "evil", which is in fact always connected with darker side of human soul. Real monsters do not exist; it's humans who are monsters themselves, creating even more monstrosities, which in the end always tend to backfire and bring an end to everything we love and hold dear. It's also a way of asking questions and seeking answers towards everything unknown and unclear; it's both terrifying and fascinating. Although not without it's own issues, WAB series are definately on of the very best and most entertaining visual novels I've ever read. They might not be to everyone's tastes, but those who love unusual, strange fantasy/dystopian settings, as well as fans of steampunk genre should definately read them.

I wanna know what you think about Sharin no Kuni. It has rather mixed reviews compared to Hoshimemo. The latter is more universally acclaimed so you can save that for later.

Don't answer your own question, it's rude.

A longer while ago, Hikaru Sakurai mentioned she and Liar-Soft are both interested in bringing the WAB series to the west. Haven't heard any progress related news about it yet, though. There's no particular order in reading, though there's some sort of a chronological order within the series. I'd still recommend reading Inganock before Sharnoth, as it gives a lot of insight on the general world setting, techonology and certain aspects Hikaru meddles with in her stories, making everything easier to understand.

Welcome among us, enjoy your stay in the forums!

Welcome to fuwanovel~ Here, we are all family and age doesn't make a difference. I'm sure we have a lot in common with each other. That said, have a Hakase! Honestly, Monmon. Where are you getting all this?

I don't consider VNs to be the same as dating sims.

Did this long time ago .

Welcome to Fuwa Fuwa.

Here's the link for the patch: http://www.mediafire.com/download/8d2foyp932uj6ep/TDA_01.rar

Holy damn that's a lot of animes. Welcome to fuwa. Play Muv-Luv! And take this cute Wafu:

Welcome to the forums, enjoy your stay and have fun!!

Osu!Osu!welcome n hve fun enjoy a pun What's the definition of a will? (Come on, it's a dead giveaway!) love ur intro~~~~

Welcome to Fuwa! Well you had a short introduction, if you are here for the VNs as well I recommend you read Clannad. And have a shoe:

Live!

If i dont remember it badly, the order is Never 7, Ever 17. Remember 11 but thats the release order you can play in the order you want to play, Ever 17 is better than the other 2 in my opinion, but all of them are great VN i love all of them. Kotaro Uchikoshi work is nice stuff.

Gentlemen...(possibly ladies...) Tonight, 7:00pm CST This is a friendly reminder from yours truly, OriginalRen. Tonight at 7:00pm CST, we are streaming. I know you've all missed MIA, the Imouto, and Aaaaa-chan, so let's make it a special night...for science. See you all there!

Hey there, welcome to Fuwanovel. I disappear for one weekend and I get back to find so many in need of welcoming. =D

This is the stream, pretty much everyday: https://soundcloud.com/musicuser25/recap

English Lesson 101 from Sensei Ren: As Flutterz states, "aegis" in its current modern form is pronounced as his video shows, with an IPA of /idʒɪs/ for both British and American English. The issue that arises here is that this sound has changed as a vowel in the past and has through many different forms. Let's take a look: First, the vowel itself is that of /æ/, which in its original form was pronounced as the words cat and bat (/kæt/ and /bæt/ respectively in the IPA). It is an open, front vowel. As shown in the English IPA chart, /æ/ is indeed listed and is pronounced as such. This is also why there are 2 forms of the word can in English, both a weak and strong form. For example: "Can he swim?" - In this example, the weak form is used. /kən/ "Yes he can." - In this example, the strong form (the one you are familiar with) is used. /kæn/ This being said, those 2 words in each of those sentences are pronounced differently, something even native speakers have trouble doing. The same is true for the weak and strong forms of the word was. In this case, weak form is /wəz/ as is similar to can, where the strong form is /wʌz/. "Was the film good?" "Yes it was." With all this said, the "official" pronunciation would be of that in cat or bat for the word aegis, however modern pronunciation has changed that. In the original roman alphabet the combination of /æ/ exists, where in Latin this is represented by the dipthong /aɪ/. As such, aegis in Latin would be pronounced as the word eyeball. The Greeks wrote out this same dipthong from Latin as /αι/. As such, the Romans simply "borrowed" words from the Greek with that letter pair but changed them into a letter pair that existed similarly in their own language. This being said, the English did the exact same. This is why the /æ/ still exists in English words such as encyclopaedia in order to indicate the word is of Greek origin originally, but came into the English language via Latin. In American English however, we no longer use this combination of letters and as such our word, encyclopedia exist. As in the American English version of encyclopedia, the word aegis is pronounced as Flutterz shows in the word bee or key. This is also why aegis can be spelt as "egis" in order to show that English is dropping the /æ/ combination. Therefore, it is correct to both pronounce the word aegis in its original form as in the word cat, or its modern form as in the word bee. That is all. And that my friends, is another English Lesson 101 by Sensei Ren. Don't worry, I don't teach my students this lesson, however understanding there are many ways to pronounce it is helpful. Also:

Welcome to the forums : )

Welcome to the forums, enjoy your stay and have fun!!

Day 7 Recap - Enter C@F: Ver. Navigator You know the drill: another stream, another recap. Here is what we learned from day 7. No new characters, but a couple more facts regarding the application Cocoro Function as well as some pertinent information regarding Bell. Additional information about Cocoro@Function: 1. As we all know, Taiyou's C@F application pertains to his thoughts being read by those around him via a mode called Open Window. Sei is another holder of Cocoro@Function, though instead of having her thoughts read, she has the ability to find solutions to almost any problem. Enter Navigator. In Sei's case, this application simply does as the name states: it "navigates" a path to any solution that the user seeks. In the VN, this often times leads to problem as the program itself doesn't know how to distinguish between what activity is illegal or not. In one instance, in order to get rid of the application, it goes as far as to destroy all of Haru's data in the school. Rough. Additional information about Orcas: 1. In addition to many of Bell's unique features, she also houses what is known as Manner Mode. In this mode, Bell can stealth herself around others while still functioning as the new 3D model update she is. Basically, it functions as a sort of silent mode for phones. That's about it for day 7. Nothing too special, but a lot of character development happened in this stream, so feel free to check out the videos regarding it in the channel. Day 8 Recap - It Belongs in a Museum A double recap post! Again, no new characters, but a whole lot of action in this stream. KizunaS secret meetings, Haru being deleted, panty shots, what more could you want? What could possibly be more important than seeing girl's panties anyway? On a serious note, a lot of stuff happened regarding the background of MIA's hacking skills. She has built a lot of applications that are pretty sketch, but for the most part work in her favor. Later in the VN, it will interesting to see if she has more tricks up her sleeve. Additional information about Orcas: 1. MIA Application #1 - Aegis Aegis, as is similar to the greek name, acts as a shield that protects the owner from being hacked into or spied on by other Orca users. Think of it as an anti-virus software. In MIA's case, she uses this application when Sei is spying on her conversation in KizunaS. While it can't pinpoint who exactly is doing the hacking, it can find the general location of the person (in this case the school), as well as how long they have been doing the activity in question. 2. MIA Application #2 - Trident Trident is an all-in trump card. Basically, it deletes all known forms of data regarding the user in KizunaS. In MIA's case, she uses this to completely destroy all data regarding her avatar or time in the program over her entire lifetime. A little over the top, but still useful if you want to hide everything about yourself. Still, it is not stated as to whether this application is able to be used outside of KizunaS, so we don't know if it has any other uses aside from this. 3. MIA Application #3 - Thor's Hammer Thor's Hammer is a unique application. I am not really sure what this one does, but apparently when MIA activates it, it has the ability to break into any system (in this case the protective shield surrounding Haru). It seems to be more powerful than Asagao's Application Z though, so this shows that MIA has superior application creation skills when it comes to breaking into secure areas. Interesting. 4. In addition to the secret stash of MIA applications, another one of Asagao's applications was revealed in the Day 8 stream. While there isn't really a name for it, it's main purpose is to stop the deletion of data on Haru when the incident is occurring. Apparently, you "shake" your Orca at the computer and it stops the deletion process. Seriously, that's all. Additional information about the world: 1. Haru, like most high end data storage devices, contains a security system that acts a lot like a booby trap from Indiana Jones. Apparently, compromising the mother computer makes her delete all her data as a final "take you down with me" ploy. Nothing really special about this point, but that may play a role later in the VN. And that's it for day 8. Hope you guy's enjoy the recaps, as well as the videos being posted for each stream. See you next time! ...Oh, and also, a little special treat:

Welcome to fuwanovel I share your love for VNs, I've read them now for years and will continue. Enjoy your stay here, discuss VN-experiences and such with us for fun.

Day 7 and 8 videos are posted. I will double update in the next few days with my days off thanks to my destroyed ribs. Yay.

I'm here, stream is up.

My favorite is Dream Club Zero. If you start to get some success with Japanese, maybe I can help you read it.

Sei! Why u no stop stalking Taiyou? Seriously, I don't know...I honesty wish I went for the twins, the whole kohai thing is pretty legit. It's okay though, I still love her. MIA can die in a fire for all I care. Sorry.

Hey all, thanks for stopping by day 7 of the stream. We've been going a week strong and I am happy with that fact. With that said, I will post the stream's videos later tonight as well as post a recap. The next stream is also set for the weekend! Join us this Saturday, May 3rd at 6:00pm CST for another fun night of streaming. Please note the 1 hour start time difference. We are hoping to start a little bit earlier in order to push the stream a little further as well as get some time to take a break. Anyways, see you guys tomorrow! PS - I hate work. Save me.

Monitor is 1900x1080+, that's why. Anywho, we are live! Listen to my dumb music you trolls.

Close enough. Glad you linked that, first time hearing Riryka. I'll have to keep an eye out for her.

Topic locked. If the translation team wish to open a thread to post their updates, they are welcome to do it.