It’s still not too late to make the commitment to learn Japanese! One way you can do this is by watching Japanese anime. If you’re not yet comfortable with your listening skills, you can still enjoy watching anime by making sure there are subtitles for each episode. That way, if you come across any words or phrases you don’t know, you can just peek and look at the subtitles for verification. The misconception about Japanese anime is that they are silly cartoons for children to watch. This is simply not true. Some Japanese anime deal with serious issues like: understanding the value of life, learning how to deal with people, and following your dreams. So not only can you learn life lessons from anime, you can also acquire a bit of Japanese fluency as well. Here are some animes that have received rave reviews in 2010:

Arakawa Under the Bridge (荒川アンダー ザ ブリッジ,) tells the story of a man from a privileged background who accidentally ends up living with a group of eccentric homeless people. This anime is great because it deals with serious issues like homelessness, but in a subtle and comic way that doesn’t sound too preachy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVo8Cwf29lk

In 2010, the second season of Kuroshitsuji (黒執事) or Black Butler was released. This anime is dark and deals with a young man who trades his soul with the devil to get revenge for the death of his parents. This story has all the unexpected twists and turns, and leaves you wanting to know what will happen next.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaeFIJq1_NM&feature=related

Durarara (デュラララ) is like a mystery/suspense anime that tells the story of several individuals who live in the bustling city of Ikebukuro. The great thing about this anime is that the lives of all these individuals are somehow all interconnected, but you never really know just how intertwined they are until later in the series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL7l8i2Q4fc&feature=related