Mangajin
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I am the proud possessor of the complete run of Mangajin (pun for "magazine") from #1-#70 (1988-1997).
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Mangajin was the brainchild of Vaughan P. Simmons, whom I had conversations with at several meetings of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) and corresponded with for a dozen years. I have utmost respect for him as someone who had the vision and fortitude to make a truly effective pedagogical tool for learning Japanese a reality.
I dare say that I learned more Japanese language from Mangajin than from any other single source — just as I learned more Mandarin from Guóyǔ rìbào 國語日報 (Mandarin Daily), the Republic of China newspaper that had furigana-like bopomofo rubi phonetic annotations for all hanzi, than from any other single source.
Mangajin was a monthly English-language magazine for students of Japanese language and culture by Mangajin, Inc. It was distinct from many other magazines of its type in that it unabashedly embraced Japanese popular culture, as a learning tool and a route towards rapid acclimation into Japanese society. Each issue featured selections from various popular manga translated into English with detailed cultural and linguistic commentary.
It was a unique language learning tool in that the manga that it excerpted showed the use of the language in various types of informal conversations. It would feature a few pages of manga with explanations of the grammar used and when that grammar/vocabulary combination might be appropriate. By contrast, most Japanese language textbooks for early students focus on formal versions of the language appropriate for business discussions.
The magazine ceased publication in December 1997 (issue 70) due to financial hardship. The name is a combination of the Japanese words for "comic" (漫画, manga) and "person" (人, jin).
My Mangajin are like a treasure worth their weight in gold.
Selected readings
- "Dialectology of Japanese reflexive exclamations" (1/8/17) — esp. this comment
- "How to learn to read and write Chinese" (8/13/19) — with useful bibliography
- "How to learn Mandarin" (7/17/18)
- "Topolect literature" (4/25/25) — esp. the comments
- "Striving to revive the flagging sinographic cosmopolis" (4/26/25)
J.M.G.N. said,
April 27, 2025 @ 11:07 am
Digitize and share them.
Thnx.
Peter said,
April 27, 2025 @ 8:40 pm
They are indeed worth their weight in gold. They were brilliant/ Good on you for keeping them all!
I used to have a couple of the Mangajin t-shirts too, including the one that said 北斎婦人の洗濯 with Mrs Hokusai looking on surprised as the Great Wave of Kanagawa comes out at her from her top loading washing machine. This t-shirt is of course long gone and I cannot find any images of the t-shirt on the web either.
Chas Belov said,
April 27, 2025 @ 10:50 pm
While I've never actually studied Japanese, I did have the pleasure to have purchased a few issues of Manajin and enjoyed perusing its coverage.
Hiroshi Kumamoto said,
April 28, 2025 @ 12:16 am
See here:
https://archive.org/search?query=mangajin
Victor Mair said,
April 28, 2025 @ 6:03 am
A thousand thanks, Hiroshi!
Now I don't have to digitize them myself!
Kansha shimasu 感謝します! We are greatly indebted to whomever did such a magnificent job of posting these issues of Mangajin.
John Rohsenow said,
April 28, 2025 @ 4:52 pm
Back issues for sale on Amazon.
Frank Clements said,
April 28, 2025 @ 8:26 pm
I've never owned a physical issue of Mangajin, but scans have been online since the 2000s. Because earlier issues predated the anime and manga boom in the West, the variety of manga genres it introduced and translated was really unique and interesting. There were a lot more manga aimed at adults and depicting a wider cross section of Japanese society. The vintage ads for products like space age Japanese word processing software are also a great time capsule of the era.
One comic strip that was translated frequently was the Obatarian four-panel gag strip about pushy, rude middle-aged women. Then, much later, the Yakuza/Like a Dragon video game series introduced a reoccurring character in its Osaka setting that was based on the old Obatarian stereotypes, which I was able to contextualize based on old Mangajin issues I'd read.
Victor Mair said,
April 29, 2025 @ 5:44 am
If you want to know why I consider Obatarian one of my favorite literary creations, watch this video about her. In my estimation, it is a work of absolute genius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QNmQPHZGCM
Chris Button said,
April 29, 2025 @ 7:48 am
The Japan Shop's Makoto magazine seems to have picked up the mantle.
Vulcan with a Mullet said,
May 1, 2025 @ 10:09 am
I loved this magazine! I have a couple of back issues and I covet your collection.
Jon W said,
May 5, 2025 @ 12:49 pm
@Peter — I still have my T-shirt, but it's just the image that Victor placed at the top of the page. Yours sounds way cooler.
Jason Stokes said,
May 7, 2025 @ 1:17 am
These days, the kids are learning Japanese from Hololive. I think that might be worth a post or two by someone who knows.