The vast majority of anime fans have picked up some of the Japanese language. Many of the more hardcore fans take fandom to the next level (as they often do) and take formal Japanese language lessons. The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) recently had an article on their site talking about middle school kids learning Japanese to better enjoy their Anime and Mange. It seems the Otaku are getting younger by the day.

I think it’s a good sign that more and more kids are getting involved in learning new languages. At the evening with Shinichiro Watanabe, MIT Japanese Professor Ian Condry said “when I ask my students why they’re taking the course, ninety percent of them say it’s because it’s of Anime. Japanese teachers around the nation are screaming ‘Thank you Anime!’”

Of course, that applies to college age students, you rarely hear about this kind of thing from American middle schoolers. Yet, this CBC articles focuses primarily on how Anime on CBC has influenced the younger kids in Canada. I don’t know if the same is true for today’s American youth though, outside of the fanatic Naruto fans often referred to as “Narutards” :icon_cool:. It seems like our culture still perpetuates the belief that all you need to know is English and a little high-school Spanish or French. I do hope that Anime begins to change all that though.

Read the CBC’s article on kids, Anime, and the Japanese language>

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