Paper short abstract:

In recent years there is a great increase in attempts to incorporate anime into Japanese language education. From selecting the anime to conducting the class, this presentation will introduce specific methods for using anime to teach grammar items whose usage is difficult for learners to understand.

Paper long abstract:

In recent years, Japanese anime has greatly influenced Japanese language learning, and thus attempts to incorporate anime into Japanese language education have increased (Kumano et al. 2011). However, most of them focus on role language, which is characteristic of anime, and there are few attempts to utilize them for teaching grammatical items (Kamigaso et al. 2017).

Many of the grammar items that are difficult for learners to learn are those whose appropriateness is determined at the discourse level rather than at the word/sentence level, such as the passive and transitive/ intransitive verbs and verb tense. We attempted to teach these language items by using anime, which is relatively simple and easy to understand because of its visual images and simple storylines. The following is an overview of this attempt.

1. Grammar items covered: transitive and intransitive verbs and the passive voice (advanced level), verb tenses (intermediate level)

2. Anime used: "Detective Conan," a complete episode with few grammatical deviations.

3. Class procedures: The following is an example from an advanced-level class.

1) Homework: vocabulary preparation for transitive and intransitive verbs.

2) 1st class session: Test 1 (to check to understand grammar items), Activity 1 (a task to improve understanding of grammar items while watching an animation).

3) Homework: summarize a story using target grammar items

4) Second class session: Activity 2 (tasks to deepen understanding, such as role-playing based on homework), Test 2, followed by a reflection on the class.

In the test at the beginning of the class, there were some errors, and many students were not confident even when answering correctly, but several positive statements such as, "Thanks to Conan, I could clearly understand the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs" were found in the participant reflections, confirming the effectiveness of the classes.

There are many unfamiliar vocabulary items in anime, which can cause difficulty in using anime depending on the learner's level. This attempt showed that anime can be used to teach grammar items at a variety of levels. This presentation will introduce specific methods for using anime, from selecting the anime to conducting the class.