Direct talk より
今回は日本でマンガを学んで、
アメリカでマンガの描き方などを教える教授になった方のお話を聞きました。
Manga Education Goes to College
Kofi Bazzell-Smith / College Instructor, Manga Artist
(Available until February 28, 2028 )
Narrator
Manga is surging in popularity in the United States, with the first comprehensive manga course recently introduced at a college in Rochester, New York. The class is taught by Kofi Bazzell-Smith, recognized as the first professor of manga practice in the US. He teaches manga theory and practice as a full-fledged academic discipline, to students eager to master manga drawing. Although he has loved manga since childhood, Bazzell-Smith struggled to find a way to study manga in his home country. Undaunted, he traveled to Japan to learn manga, and is now bringing his knowledge back to the US, to inspire and support young artists. We ask Kofi Bazzell-Smith about his efforts to expand opportunities for people in the US to deepen their understanding of manga.
surging (人気などが)急上昇する
comprehensive 総合的な、包括的な
full-fledged本格的な
discipline 学科、分野 ← こんな意味があったとは！
undaunted ひるまない、ものともしない
Kofi
I think the popularity has been growing, but it’s now shifted rather than just people who are reading because everybody’s reading manga is now, there’s a lot of creators in the United States. I’m a part of several Facebook groups for international manga artists, for non-Japanese manga artists. I’m actually a part of several black groups that are specifically black manga artists. There’s one, for example, called Black Manga Artist that has about 13,000 members. It’s pretty incredible the connection between black and Japanese culture through, I think, popular forms like manga, anime and hip hop. So what’s interesting is any school you go to because I travel abroad, I go to a lot of different schools around the United States and students have to submit a portfolio to get into art school. They’re all drawing manga, they are all drawing Japanese style art and putting it in their portfolios. And in terms of portfolio review, there aren’t always people who have an understanding of the form because it’s not taught in the West. So portfolio review, that aspect can be difficult. And a lot of times manga art or anime style art it’s usually called, gets blocked because we don’t have faculty that are prepared for It. But I think starting with me, more people are going to start being more open to comics and manga and anime and we’ll create more programs.
portfolio (代表作を集めた)画集
review 評価、批評
aspect 解釈、見方
get blocked 行き詰まる
faculty 学部
Narrator
Bazzell-Smith’s class at the Rochester Institute of Technology is unique in teaching manga drawing as a distinct art form at college level. He teaches everything from storytelling technique to effectively drawing each frame. The students, many of them art majors, complete a 16-page original manga by the end of the semester. The class could lead to the opportunity to become a professional manga artist. Bazzell-Smith also explores the stylistic differences between Japanese manga and American comics, particularly those from the 1960s and 70s. Although the two styles have increasingly blended, manga, with its distinctive characteristics, continues to attract a different audience.
distinct はっきりと異なる
frame (マンガの)コマ
distinctive独特の
Kofi
Japanese manga actually references American cinema more so than American comics do. Osamu Tezuka, who’s considered the godfather of modern Japanese manga, since in the postwar era, completely changed the form. And he was a big fan of Disney and he was heavily influenced by American cinema. So what Tezuka did is he made manga cinematic and dynamic, and what I mean by dynamic is the camera angle changes, so it feels like you’re in a film, you’re watching a film. In American comics, especially during that time, we see a lot of medium shots and long shots and characters are generally drawn the same size. And in manga we see the camera move and characters change sizes more. And Japanese manga is imitating film. So manga is about show rather than tell, which is a really important part of film. So you’re not doing too much exposition. And American comics rely more on text. There’s usually a lot more text. Nowadays you can look at some other modern comics from all over the world and in the US, and you can see more cinematic quality work. But Japanese manga was really the first one to do that and to establish that.
reference 参考にする
godfather (ジャンルの)創始者
cinematic 映画のような
exposition 説明すること
次回はアメリカンコミックの歴史、みたいな話が聞けます。
突然ですが、「ビッグバン・セオリー」が今 Amazon Prime で見られるので、
ランダムにシリーズ3から見ていたら、
レナードがシェルドンをたしなめるセリフに
おなじみのことわざがありました。
I’m just saying, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
(“ハエ捕りには酢より蜜“さ)
不愉快な態度より温和な態度をとった方が良い結果が得られる、という意味。
(英辞郎)
当ブログを検索したところ、ドラマとアニメからメモあり。
Sometimes you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
(ハエを取るにはハチミツよ)
(「ハリエットはスパイ」)
You win more flies with honey than with vinegar.
(あなたはアメじゃなくてムチを使う)
(「メンタリスト」)
それに対して、言われた通りの言葉でしか理解しないシェルドンのセリフ
You can catch even more flies with manure. What’s your point?
(肥やしの方が効果的だ)
ま、まぁ、たしかにそうだけど…。
やっぱりドラマを使った英語学習も楽しいな〜。
去年の今頃、「ボキャブライダー」
Our mission is to make healthy food more accessible.
(私たちの使命は、健康的な食品をより手に入れやすくすることです。)
私イチオシの健康的な食品、といえば「納豆」です。
2025年03月19日
2025年03月15日
Abacus Math Contest (2)
Learn Japanese from the Newsより
Abacus Math Contest Tests Speed and Accuracy の後半部分です。
(Available until October 14, 2025)
Bite-Size Japan (4分52秒〜)
Yamaguchi
They are currently about 4,800 abacus schools in Japan. And it’s taught in over 100 countries and territories across the world.
countries and territories 国と地域
Tokunaga
With “soroban”… you calculate by moving these beads up and down with your fingers. And with ”anzan,” you perform those calculations in your head. At the highest level, students do it with incredible speed and accuracy.
bead そろばんの珠(たま)
Chiara
I mean, I’d love to know their secret!
Yamaguchi
We spoke with an “anzan” master who’s set a world record with her speed.
set a world record 世界記録を樹立する
Narrator
Miyamoto Rikako runs an abacus school. She took up abacus and “anzan” at age two, and won her first gold at age five. Since then, she’s won first place in the abacus and “anzan” events at many national competitions. Here’s an “anzan” demonstration. She works out these problems three digits at a time. As she jots down the answer, she’s already started on the next three-digit column. In just 30 seconds, she’s solved five problems, getting five out of five correct. Next, flash “anzan,” in which she holds a world record. Today she’ll do 1.7 seconds.
run 運営する
take up 始める
work out 算出する
column 縦の列
ものすごい速さでフラッシュ暗算をする Miyamoto さん
そして、もちろん余裕で大正解😳
So how does she do it? A bead above the horizontal bar is worth five, while each of the four below are worth one. If this column represents the ones, then the next column is the tens. Miyamoto says that with “anzan,” she visualizes abacus beads in her head. We asked her to explain.
horizontal bar (そろばん用語で)梁(はり)
visualize 思い浮かべる
Miyamoto
I’m not moving the beads around… rather, they simply appear and disappear instantaneously. Two-digit problem: 11 + 25. Add 11. Next, add 25. The answer is 36. This is the image I see in my head. These kids have shown me that regardless of gender or age, the more you practice, the better you get. They give me big smiles and say they love “soroban.” They give me energy!
instantaneously 即座に、瞬間的に、たちどころに
Chiara
That is so cool! Oh my gosh! It’s incredible what the human brain can do.
Yamaguchi
Exactly.
Tokunaga
Now let’s learn some everyday expressions related to numbers. Chiara, have you ever seen these?
Chiara
Oh, of course I have! That’s “waribiki!” Now when you see this word when you‘re out shopping, it’s very hard to resist.
resist (欲しいものを)我慢する
Tokunaga
I’m the same way! “Waribiki” refers to a discount of a certain percentage. As in “ni-waribiki,” the amount comes in front. “Juu-wari” means 100%. “Ni-wari” means 20%.
Chiara
So, “kono shoohin wa ni-waribiki desu” means that it is being offered at a 20% discount.
Tokunaga
When the number or amount of something has increased, we can use “bai.” Compare these two cups of juice. Chiara, how would you describe the difference?
Chiara
Uh…I’d say that’s about “ni-bai.”
Tokunaga
Usually, we attach a number in front of “bai.” For example… The amount of rainfall was 1.5 times higher than last year.
(雨の量が去年の1.5倍になった。)
This is the same as saying 150%.
With figures like these it’s easy to get mixed up. So watch out!
Yamaguchi
All right,. That’s all for today.
Chiara
Until next time!
Tokunaga
See you soon.
「そろばんの珠」って bead なんですねぇ。
穴が空いていて、horizontal bar の下の珠はつながっているから、
ってこともあるのだろうか…。
いずれにしても、頭の中にそろばん🧮を常備するまでには、
何十時間、何百時間と練習したんでしょうね。
いやー、すごいすごい、お見事でした。
去年の今頃、「ボキャブライダー」
The seedy world of illegal gambling is something I never want to get involved in.
(違法ギャンブルなんていういかがわしい世界に、私は決して関わりたくありません。)
最近ニュースでよく聞く「オンラインカジノ」もコレ。
Abacus Math Contest Tests Speed and Accuracy の後半部分です。
(Available until October 14, 2025)
Bite-Size Japan (4分52秒〜)
Yamaguchi
They are currently about 4,800 abacus schools in Japan. And it’s taught in over 100 countries and territories across the world.
countries and territories 国と地域
Tokunaga
With “soroban”… you calculate by moving these beads up and down with your fingers. And with ”anzan,” you perform those calculations in your head. At the highest level, students do it with incredible speed and accuracy.
bead そろばんの珠(たま)
Chiara
I mean, I’d love to know their secret!
Yamaguchi
We spoke with an “anzan” master who’s set a world record with her speed.
set a world record 世界記録を樹立する
Narrator
Miyamoto Rikako runs an abacus school. She took up abacus and “anzan” at age two, and won her first gold at age five. Since then, she’s won first place in the abacus and “anzan” events at many national competitions. Here’s an “anzan” demonstration. She works out these problems three digits at a time. As she jots down the answer, she’s already started on the next three-digit column. In just 30 seconds, she’s solved five problems, getting five out of five correct. Next, flash “anzan,” in which she holds a world record. Today she’ll do 1.7 seconds.
run 運営する
take up 始める
work out 算出する
column 縦の列
ものすごい速さでフラッシュ暗算をする Miyamoto さん
そして、もちろん余裕で大正解😳
So how does she do it? A bead above the horizontal bar is worth five, while each of the four below are worth one. If this column represents the ones, then the next column is the tens. Miyamoto says that with “anzan,” she visualizes abacus beads in her head. We asked her to explain.
horizontal bar (そろばん用語で)梁(はり)
visualize 思い浮かべる
Miyamoto
I’m not moving the beads around… rather, they simply appear and disappear instantaneously. Two-digit problem: 11 + 25. Add 11. Next, add 25. The answer is 36. This is the image I see in my head. These kids have shown me that regardless of gender or age, the more you practice, the better you get. They give me big smiles and say they love “soroban.” They give me energy!
instantaneously 即座に、瞬間的に、たちどころに
Chiara
That is so cool! Oh my gosh! It’s incredible what the human brain can do.
Yamaguchi
Exactly.
Tokunaga
Now let’s learn some everyday expressions related to numbers. Chiara, have you ever seen these?
Chiara
Oh, of course I have! That’s “waribiki!” Now when you see this word when you‘re out shopping, it’s very hard to resist.
resist (欲しいものを)我慢する
Tokunaga
I’m the same way! “Waribiki” refers to a discount of a certain percentage. As in “ni-waribiki,” the amount comes in front. “Juu-wari” means 100%. “Ni-wari” means 20%.
Chiara
So, “kono shoohin wa ni-waribiki desu” means that it is being offered at a 20% discount.
Tokunaga
When the number or amount of something has increased, we can use “bai.” Compare these two cups of juice. Chiara, how would you describe the difference?
Chiara
Uh…I’d say that’s about “ni-bai.”
Tokunaga
Usually, we attach a number in front of “bai.” For example… The amount of rainfall was 1.5 times higher than last year.
(雨の量が去年の1.5倍になった。)
This is the same as saying 150%.
With figures like these it’s easy to get mixed up. So watch out!
Yamaguchi
All right,. That’s all for today.
Chiara
Until next time!
Tokunaga
See you soon.
「そろばんの珠」って bead なんですねぇ。
穴が空いていて、horizontal bar の下の珠はつながっているから、
ってこともあるのだろうか…。
いずれにしても、頭の中にそろばん🧮を常備するまでには、
何十時間、何百時間と練習したんでしょうね。
いやー、すごいすごい、お見事でした。
去年の今頃、「ボキャブライダー」
The seedy world of illegal gambling is something I never want to get involved in.
(違法ギャンブルなんていういかがわしい世界に、私は決して関わりたくありません。)
最近ニュースでよく聞く「オンラインカジノ」もコレ。
2025年03月12日
Abacus Math Contest (1)
Learn Japanese from the Newsより
Abacus Math Contest Tests Speed and Accuracy
(Available until October 14, 2025)
驚くべき暗算の世界！が見られます。
まず前半部分です。
Yamaguchi
Welcome to “Learn Japanese from the News.”
Chiara
Join us as we learn Japanese and about the country through Japanese news stories.
Yamaguchi
Today’s headline is: Abacus Math Contest Tests Speed and Accuracy
(そろばんや暗算の大会「早く正しく計算できるか」)
accuracy 正確さ
Tokunaga
This is a “soroban.” (Japanese abacus) It’s a calculating tool, thought to have been introduced to Japan from China around the late 16th century. In Japan, kids still learn how to use a “soroban” in grade school.
grade school 小学校
Chiara
I’ve never used an abacus before…but I’m really curious how this will work.
Yamaguchi
Yes, actually, it can be fun to learn.
But first, let’s go over some key Japanese terms.
暗算 mental arithmetic / mental calculation
桁 digit
arithmetic 計算
Narrator
On August 19, there was an abacus and mental arithmetic competition in Okayama prefecture. A total of 155 participants, ages 9 to 23, gathered from five prefectures. In the “Flash Anzan” event, three-digit numbers appear on a screen one at a time. They quickly disappear, then the next one appears. Participants add up a total of 15 numbers in their head. No abacuses or other tools are used. The amount of time numbers are displayed on screen gets shorter and shorter, and in the end 15 numbers were displayed in 2.2 seconds. Watanabe Toma, who came in first, said, “I’m glad I was able to calculate correctly.” After that, they held an event to see who could do calculations correctly using an abacus in a set amount of time.
Yamaguchi
In Japanese, we have the expression “yomi, kaki, soroban” - reading, writing and arithmetic are three fundamental skills that form the basis of primary education.
fundamental 基本的な、基礎的な
Tokunaga
When I was a child, shopkeepers used a “soroban” to calculate change.
change おつり
Chiara
I can see that would be really handy. And it’s been used in Japan for such a long time.
handy 役に立つ、便利な
Yamaguchi
Exactly.
Now, let’s review the following sentence from the story.
“Participants add up a total of 15 numbers in their head.“
(全部で15の数字を頭の中で足していきます。)
Tokunaga
This sentence is talking about adding up numbers. The Japanese word for addition is “tashizan.” Chiara, how do you read these mathematical symbols?
Chiara
So, from the top there’s …”tasu,” “hiku,” “kakeru,” “waru.”
Tokunaga
Yes, that’s right. “Tasu” means to add. The noun form is “tashi,” which refers to making up a deficiency.
make up 不足の埋め合わせをする
deficiency 不足
Yamaguchi
Yes. When we obtain something that we’re lacking and make use of it, we say “tashi ni suru,” which means “to put toward” or “to supplement.” For example, let’s say you are going on a road trip with a friend and you want to pitch in for gas. You might hand them some cash and say, “Gasorin-dai no tashi ni shite.” (Let me pitch in for gas.)
put toward お金の一部として払う
supplement 〜を補う、埋め合わせる
pitch in for 〜のお金を出す
Tokunaga
It’s a way to say that you hope giving a little extra something will help improve the situation in some way. We also heard the “anzan(暗算),” which refers to calculating in your head. Chiara, what’s a common word that contains the character “an?”(暗)
Chiara
Well…the one that comes to mind is “anki,”(暗記) or “memorization.” So for example, “pasuwaado o anki-suru.” (memorize a password)
Tokunaga
That’s a good word to know.
暗算ができたらいいなと思う時
重さの違うマヨネーズを見て、グラムあたりどっちが安いのか知りたい時
まぁ、大差ないんですけどね…😅
でも、学生時代にあれだけ早く計算できたら、
数学とか理科とか、テストの時にだいぶ時間の節約ができただろうなぁと思いました。
番組後半で、暗算エキスパートの頭の中がどうなっているのか、
映像を使った説明があります。
興味深いですよ！
Abacus Math Contest Tests Speed and Accuracy
(Available until October 14, 2025)
驚くべき暗算の世界！が見られます。
まず前半部分です。
Yamaguchi
Welcome to “Learn Japanese from the News.”
Chiara
Join us as we learn Japanese and about the country through Japanese news stories.
Yamaguchi
Today’s headline is: Abacus Math Contest Tests Speed and Accuracy
(そろばんや暗算の大会「早く正しく計算できるか」)
accuracy 正確さ
Tokunaga
This is a “soroban.” (Japanese abacus) It’s a calculating tool, thought to have been introduced to Japan from China around the late 16th century. In Japan, kids still learn how to use a “soroban” in grade school.
grade school 小学校
Chiara
I’ve never used an abacus before…but I’m really curious how this will work.
Yamaguchi
Yes, actually, it can be fun to learn.
But first, let’s go over some key Japanese terms.
暗算 mental arithmetic / mental calculation
桁 digit
arithmetic 計算
Narrator
On August 19, there was an abacus and mental arithmetic competition in Okayama prefecture. A total of 155 participants, ages 9 to 23, gathered from five prefectures. In the “Flash Anzan” event, three-digit numbers appear on a screen one at a time. They quickly disappear, then the next one appears. Participants add up a total of 15 numbers in their head. No abacuses or other tools are used. The amount of time numbers are displayed on screen gets shorter and shorter, and in the end 15 numbers were displayed in 2.2 seconds. Watanabe Toma, who came in first, said, “I’m glad I was able to calculate correctly.” After that, they held an event to see who could do calculations correctly using an abacus in a set amount of time.
Yamaguchi
In Japanese, we have the expression “yomi, kaki, soroban” - reading, writing and arithmetic are three fundamental skills that form the basis of primary education.
fundamental 基本的な、基礎的な
Tokunaga
When I was a child, shopkeepers used a “soroban” to calculate change.
change おつり
Chiara
I can see that would be really handy. And it’s been used in Japan for such a long time.
handy 役に立つ、便利な
Yamaguchi
Exactly.
Now, let’s review the following sentence from the story.
“Participants add up a total of 15 numbers in their head.“
(全部で15の数字を頭の中で足していきます。)
Tokunaga
This sentence is talking about adding up numbers. The Japanese word for addition is “tashizan.” Chiara, how do you read these mathematical symbols?
Chiara
So, from the top there’s …”tasu,” “hiku,” “kakeru,” “waru.”
Tokunaga
Yes, that’s right. “Tasu” means to add. The noun form is “tashi,” which refers to making up a deficiency.
make up 不足の埋め合わせをする
deficiency 不足
Yamaguchi
Yes. When we obtain something that we’re lacking and make use of it, we say “tashi ni suru,” which means “to put toward” or “to supplement.” For example, let’s say you are going on a road trip with a friend and you want to pitch in for gas. You might hand them some cash and say, “Gasorin-dai no tashi ni shite.” (Let me pitch in for gas.)
put toward お金の一部として払う
supplement 〜を補う、埋め合わせる
pitch in for 〜のお金を出す
Tokunaga
It’s a way to say that you hope giving a little extra something will help improve the situation in some way. We also heard the “anzan(暗算),” which refers to calculating in your head. Chiara, what’s a common word that contains the character “an?”(暗)
Chiara
Well…the one that comes to mind is “anki,”(暗記) or “memorization.” So for example, “pasuwaado o anki-suru.” (memorize a password)
Tokunaga
That’s a good word to know.
暗算ができたらいいなと思う時
重さの違うマヨネーズを見て、グラムあたりどっちが安いのか知りたい時
まぁ、大差ないんですけどね…😅
でも、学生時代にあれだけ早く計算できたら、
数学とか理科とか、テストの時にだいぶ時間の節約ができただろうなぁと思いました。
番組後半で、暗算エキスパートの頭の中がどうなっているのか、
映像を使った説明があります。
興味深いですよ！
