Frank and the Obaasan (eBook)

A Japanese Reader for Beginners

Clay Boutwell, Yumi Boutwell (Autoren)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
269 Seiten
Kotoba Inc (Verlag)
978-0-00-100918-9 (ISBN)

Infos

READ Real Japanese-Now Even Better!
Beginner to upper-beginner in Japanese? Love stories that are fun but still give you serious language practice? Frank and the Obaasan Volume 2 is back-newly updated and now fully integrated with the Makoto+ Sentence Explorer for the ultimate interactive learning experience.

What's New?
With the Makoto+ Sentence Explorer, every single sentence from this book is yours to explore online for free. Listen to crystal-clear audio, see each sentence broken down into bite-sized parts, check vocabulary and grammar instantly, and reinforce your learning with quizzes and games. It's like having a Japanese tutor available 24/7-only far more patient.

The Story
Frank is not your typical Japanese learner-he's an alien. After crash-landing in Japan and surviving Volume 1's fermented-soybean-fueled mission to save the galaxy, he now faces an even stranger menace. Joined by the no-nonsense (and possibly super-powered) Obaasan, Frank must once again protect the universe... and maybe grab some natto along the way.

Inside You'll Find:

10 complete episodes in one continuous story arc

Furigana above all kanji, so you can read even as a beginner

Line-by-line breakdowns of every sentence with clear vocabulary and grammar explanations in English

Full English translations (to check, not to cheat!)

MP3 audio for every episode-listen while you read for maximum retention

Anki Flashcard Deck - with all vocabulary from the book

Makoto+ Sentence Explorer access for instant lookups, audio, quizzes, and more

If you can read hiragana and know some basic grammar, you're ready to jump in. Short, absurd, and addictive, Frank and the Obaasan will keep you turning pages-and learning-without feeling like homework.

So... what are you waiting for? Ninja up your Japanese and click 'Buy Now.'

Textauszug

EPISODE ONE: Revenge of Kitti-chan!

キティーちゃんの復讐ふくしゅう

Makoto+ Search Code: frank2a

TIP: The Makoto+ Search Code works in the search bar for both “Browse Sentences” and “Story Mode.” Use it to quickly focus just on this particular episode chapter.

 

Try to read the Japanese first. If you need the ro-maji version, use it sparingly. Lastly, read the English to cement understanding. The following pages will break down each line and explain grammar, kanji, and culture. Please look for the sound files of the stories.

If you read the first season, you will well remember the bounty hunter Kitti-chan! He didn’t realize his name sounded a bit… feminine. Now, he goes by a different, more masculine name. But he’s still Kitti-chan.

 

And now, Story One, Revenge of Kitti-chan!

 

[Frank and the Obaasan are sitting around the kotatsu (a heated table to keep your feet warm on a cold day) eating mikan (Japanese orange) and talking]

[OBAASAN]: フランクさん。寒さむい日ひに、これは最高さいこうです。こたつ、そしておいしいみかん。

[FRANK]: はい。そして、そろそろ、もっとおいしい食たべ物ものができあがります。

[OBAASAN]： それはなに？

[Frank reaches under the warm kotatsu and pulls out a hissing tabby cat]

[FRANK]: 焼やき猫ねこです。

[OBAASAN]： そ・・・それは食たべ物ものじゃないわよ。

[FRANK]： そうか？食たべ物ものじゃない？それなら、その意味いみは一ひとつしかない。[Frank turns the cat to face him] 友ともだちだよ！

[Cat bites Frank’s nose]

[FRANK]: 残念ざんねん。食たべ物ものでも友ともだちでもなかった。

[Obaasan shakes her head]

[OBAASAN]: とにかく、フランクさん、あなた、いつ大宇宙だいうちゅうに戻もどりたいですか？

[FRANK]: よろしければ、日本にほんにずっと住すみたい。あの2人ふたりの皇帝こうていシズルたちには二度にどと会あいたくないです。

[A sudden flourish of trumpets is quickly followed by the front door being knocked down. The two Shizuru emperors rush inside and fall before Obaasan, bowing low with their foreheads to the floor]

[OBAASAN]: あら、どうしたの？皇帝こうていシズルと皇帝こうていシヅルさん？

[EMPERORS]: 大変たいへんです！とても大変たいへんです。

[FRANK]: ええ？どうしてここまで来きたの？わたしを許ゆるして、わたしにご褒美ほうびを与あたえるつもり？

[EMPERORS]: えっ。[the two emperors simultaneously shake their heads and return their focus to Obaasan] 大変たいへんです！キティーちゃんが宇宙うちゅうの支配者しはいしゃになって、みんなを奴隷どれいにしてしまいました。

Use the ro-maji and English on this page sparingly.

Romaji version:

Obaasan: furanku san. samui hi ni, kore wa saikou desu. kotatsu, soshite oishii mikan.

Frank: hai. soshite, sorosoro, motto oishii tabemono ga deki agarimasu.

Obaasan: sore wa nani?

Frank: yakineko desu.

Obaasan: so...sore wa tabemono janai wa yo.

Frank: souka? tabemono janai? sorenara, sono imi wa hitotsu shikanai. tomodachi da yo!

Frank: zannen. tabemono demo tomodachi demo nakatta.

Obaasan: tonikaku, furanku san, anata, itsu daiuchuu ni modoritai desu ka?

Frank: yoroshikereba, nihon ni zutto sumitai. Ano futari no koutei shizuru tachi ni wa nido to aitakunai desu.

Obaasan: ara, doushita no? koutei shizuru to koutei shizuru san?

Emperors: taihen desu! totemo taihen desu.

Frank: ee? doushite koko made kita no? watashi o yurushite, watashi ni gohoubi o ataeru tsumori?

Emperors: Ee...Taihen desu! Kitti chan ga uchuu no shihaisha ni natte, minna o dorei ni shite shimaimashita.

 

 

 

English version

 Obaasan: Frank, on a cold day, there is nothing better than this. Kotatsu and delicious oranges.

Frank: Yes. And pretty soon, something even more tasty will be ready.

Obaasan: What’s that?

Frank: [pulls a cat from under the warm kotatsu] Fried cat

Obaasan: T...that’s not food.

Frank: Really? It’s not food? In that case, it can only mean one thing. [Frank lifts the cat to his face] He’s my friend! [Cat hisses and bites Frank’s nose.]

Frank: Too bad. It’s not food or a friend.

Obaasan: Anyway, Frank, when do you want to return to outer space?

Frank: If possible, I would like to live in Japan for a long time. I don’t want to meet those two Shizuru emperors ever again.
[Sound of trumpets is followed by the front door being knocked down. The two Shizuru emperors rush in and bow before Obaasan.]

Obaasan: Oh, What’s wrong, Emperor Shizuru and Emperor Shizuru?

Emperors: It’s terrible! Very terrible!

Frank: Eh? Why did you come here? You intended to come to forgive me and then grant me a great reward?

Emperors: Eh… [The two emperors return their focus to Obaasan] It’s terrible! Kitti-chan has become the galactic dictator and has made everyone into a slave.

 

Now, let’s break down each line for better understanding.

 

フランクさん。寒さむい日ひに、これは最高さいこうです。
こたつ、そしておいしいみかん。

Frank, on a cold day, there is nothing better than this. Kotatsu and delicious oranges.

 

VOCABULARY

1. フランクさん Frank

1. 寒い cold (e.g. weather)

1. 日 day

1. に on

1. これは this

1. 最高 best; supreme

1. です be; is

1. こたつ small table with an electric heater underneath and covered by a quilt

1. そして and

1. おいしい delicious; tasty; sweet

1. みかん citrus; mandarin oranges

 

 NOTES

さん (suffix) Mr/Mrs/Ms; honorific used with both genders

A こたつ is found in many Japanese homes in the winter. The table, covered with a heavy blanket and heated underneath, is a welcomed relief during the coldest parts of winter.

 

"Kotatsu-tastefulTN" by Marumegane Yuta, licensed under CC BY-SA...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 13.8.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Schulbuch / Wörterbuch ► Wörterbuch / Fremdsprachen
• ISBN-10: 0-00-100918-4 / 0001009184
• ISBN-13: 978-0-00-100918-9 / 9780001009189