A recurring theme of this site is my continued wonder at why I’m bothering to learn Japanese at all. I mean, it is an interesting language, it’s difficult, it’s a challenge. All these things are true. But at the end of the day, as a gaikokujin, I find that my reasons for learning the language are really, at the end of the day, somewhat puzzling.
What I mean is this: after learning Japanese, I’ll have the following abilities: I’ll be able to read manga in its native language (yay!). I’ll be able to consume Youtube videos and other media in their native language (yay!). I’ll be able to…
Umm, hmm. What will I be able to do, other than that?
This became clear when I read that AKB48 is not going to have their annual elections this year, and I thought, oh hey, maybe I can post about that! And then I thought… why would I want to do that? What possible reason would I have to post about something so incredibly shallow as a bunch of (admittedly quite pretty and cute) Japanese girls getting up on stage and crying because they won a popularity contest?
And the answer came: Because, as a gaikokujin, I’ve got nothing else interesting to post about!
So I’ll be able to read manga. So I’ll be able to watch AKBingo videos, or “Gaki No Tsukai Ya Arrahende”. Or maybe I can watch “Swing Girls” or “Gou Gou Datte Neko De Aru”. Or some random anime that butchers the language but is interesting nonetheless. And maybe I won’t need subtitles or translations.
And that’s all there is.
Is it worth the time and money I’ve been spending on it?
It’s an open question.
As of right now, I have no idea what I would even use it for.