The objects of the Society are as follows:
1. To evangelize くまクマ熊ベアー as the premier “first LN” for Japanese learners
2. To secure the top position of Natively’s popularity rankings for くまクマ熊ベアー
Any person who acknowledges the supremacy of くまクマ熊ベアー and the genius of
くまなの is eligible to be a member.
The day-to-day running of the Society is under the control of the Executive Committee which consists of:
Me
Literally anybody else I can get
Membership dues are to be paid up front. No refunds.
I only discovered this series because of this site.
Really great series to read. It’s really hard to find easy to read books outside of the full furigana of the kids bunko books.
I wish more light novels were written in a way that is approachable to Japanese learners.
They could put “Gaijin-FRIENDLY!!!” on the cover or something.
I think a lot of people assume light novels are easier than normal books but that isn’t necessarily the case.
I’ve watched the anime. What I personally liked about it was that the protagonist resembles Yui from Yuru Yuri in her voice, looks and (a little) personality. Unfortunately that’s something adaptation specific.
Funny this thread exists. I picked up くまクマ熊ベアー as my easy read and, yes, it is easy I have spotted a few N1 grammar points in there, so it isn’t a complete cakewalk.
I like the short chapters, makes it easy to just read a chapter or two and come back later. I hate stopping mid chapter, as I end up having to reread the last page.
Not to take anything away from くまクマ熊ベアー but I found 異世界でチート能力を手にした俺は、現実世界をも無双する ~レベルアップは人生を変えた~ to also be very easy. I’d probably say that’s a solid recommendation after くまクマ if you want a change.
I have read up to volume 11 and own volume 12, but I wouldn’t go as far as recommending it. It is an easy read, but it’s pretty slow paced and fairly repetitive. That does make it a good first book for learners, though.
Well, I guess I’m not an enthusiast and should probably not post in here then
You have to take into account that 99%+ percent of Japanese learners never get to a level where they can read a wide variety of Japanese light novels/novels.
I am reviewing and rating and discussing everything for that 99%+ percent. I know there is a very small handful of users here who don’t qualify for that.
Well, sometimes I feel brain dead and I just want an easy read. While I don’t love the series, I don’t hate it either. I pushed just as hard against someone who said it was garbage on WK
Well, sure, but I feel like a beginner/intermediate learner finding this thread would get some strongly biased info with respect to that series here, and those are not cheap books. I think I would have been disappointed if I had bought that book just based on the positive comments here, but (what I meant is that) it is fine if one considers it a learning experience as well. There’s some good practice of です/ます form as well in some chapters.
I was about to post about my favorite parts as well to keep things on topic, but what’s the policy for spoilers? (spoiler tags? Details drop down? just don’t do it?)
Does anyone know how different the syosetu version is compared to the published version? I know the published version obviously has images and a little bit of editing, but I’ve always wondered how different they actually are…
There are extra chapters at the end, involving different characters + the titular bear. I was hoping that they would eventually appear in the main text or be relevant to plot, but, despite meeting some of the main characters and going to plot relevant places, that hasn’t been the case as of volume 11.
I think some parts got slightly rewritten or extended, but I don’t pay too much attention to the author’s notes at the end of each volume, so I’m not sure.
I think you’d be hard pressed to find a “lighter” light novel. It’s a great introduction to the medium, and to native reading in general. There’s little to no slang, the grammar is simple, the sentences are short. It consistently reuses the same vocabulary which really helps new words to stick in your head. And it’s fun.
To quantify, I read these books several thousands of characters per hour faster than other purple level books. That sort of speed difference really changes the character of the reading experience in a positive way.
Please come back and share your thoughts here when you’re done!
Make no mistake - I do not believe these books have anything going for them as far as literary merit is concerned. Neither does くまなの, writing in the あとがき of volume 1:
However, its (many) shortcomings as literature are precisely what make it such a fantastic series for learners.
I read roughly the first 100 chapters on syosetu before starting again from volume 1 of the LNs. Based on that, I would say you aren’t missing much by reading the WN instead.
See, now, this is an interesting topic. I’ve arrived at the same conclusion myself: mediocre, banal books are better suited to low-level language learning than beautifully written works of literature. The very factors that make those works of literature “literature” — subtlety, complexity, deep historical/cultural context, the sophisticated use of language — also make them much less accessible to non-fluent readers.
So it’s an ideal excuse to read absolute garbage and I am here for it
くまクマ熊ベアー , 乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった, and 娘じゃなくて私が好きなの!? seem to be the big three easy LN series that I see mentioned often in learning communities (though the bear book seems to be a bit easier than the other two). I think a lot of us are hanging around this high purple area (L24-L26) right now. That includes me, so I will probably resort to picking up kuma sooner or later. Though, the high volume count scares me since I know if I read too many I will feel obligated to finish the entire thing even if I don’t really like it.
The slow pace can help with that. I don’t remember any volume ending on a cliffhanger and, generally speaking, there’s no urgency to read ahead. You can stop basically anywhere.
I think my interest in the series peaked around volume 4 and then slowly dwindled down until I didn’t really feel like reading it anymore. I still keep buying and reading a volume once in a while, same as with 痛いのは嫌なので防御力に極振りしたいと思います (read 11, own 13).
Speaking of which, that series is level 28, so it could possibly be a second series for anyone who likes that style
I have spotted a few N1 grammar points in there, so it isn’t a complete cakewalk.
That does make it a good first book for learners, though.
