Looking for textbook

[monkeykoder]

I'm hoping to push myself up to the upper beginner/intermediate level over this summer. I've already taken 2 semesters of College level Japanese but have forgotten much of it (and I borrowed the textbooks). I'm hoping to pick up a good book for self study. Right now I'm finding it hard to study the online material due to previous experience with it and a lack of exercises to try. So I've been looking at something like Japanese in Mangaland or Mangajin just to add a little entertainment to my studies but I'm afraid they might teach a more Mangaesque Japanese which wouldn't help if I was ever to find an actual use for studying Japanese.

My current list of possible goals for my studies includes watching Dramas without subtitles, reading novels (Interim goal would be Manga if it would help), I would love to have conversations with native speakers to be a goal but I don't see myself meeting any for the next 15 years so I guess I'll scrap that one. If any of this didn't make any sense I apologize I tend to write stream of consciousness style (also in browser spell check is my friend).

[richvh]

Advice on selecting a textbook

[monkeykoder]

Okay to refine my question will this path Japanese in Mangaland (including Kanji in mangaland)-->Manga+Japanese in Mangaland-->something-->Novels be an efficient route? Or is Japanese in Mangaland going to hinder my route to reading novels? Would it help me in being able to function on forums/e-mail should I find someone to communicate with? With an ear for the language and a fair comprehension of the written language would I be on the road to understanding what is being said?

[richvh]

I've got volume 2 of Japanese in Mangaland, and in my opinion, it's no substitute for a good textbook. Its examples are limited to single panels from manga (so there's no story to really make it interesting) and it's lacking in exercises.

[monkeykoder]

Too bad it doesn't follow the format of Kanji in Mangaland you at least have 1 whole page of Manga to read and they seem to get more complex as you go along. It may not be perfect but it gives you something to practice reading on that is interesting.

Is there a better textbook for learning written Japanese that would be as interesting?

[Yudan Taiteki]

No good method of language learning will be interesting 100% of the time.

[monkeykoder]

No need to be interesting 100% of the time just not as dry as a book on programming.

[HarajukuxBoy]

I use Genki Volume 1 as my main textbook, and it is amazing! Very in depth, and it's worth the money.