Nihongo con Teppei (Beginner) - Ep13: 漫画は好きですか？
Do You Like Manga? Teppei Turns a Childhood Reading List Into a Beginner Hobby-Vocabulary Lesson
Episode 13 of Nihongo con Teppei continues the "do you like~?" series — alcohol, coffee, books, and now manga. Teppei opens by encouraging listeners to replay episodes over and over to train their listening, then lands on today's topic: 漫画は好きですか (do you like manga?). He immediately asks the listener the episode's question before riffing on his own history with comics.
From there it's a nostalgic tour through classic shōnen and kids' manga — Dragon Ball (his "generation," where he admits to practicing the Kamehameha), Doraemon, Rurouni Kenshin, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (and the character Josuke), Pokémon, and Crayon Shin-chan. He then makes a thoughtful distinction between manga and anime, using Ghibli and Totoro as the example, and models the core beginner patterns 〜について (about), 〜ていました (used to ~), the listing particle とか (such as), 〜てしまう (end up doing), and the opinion marker と思います over and over.
For shadowing, this is a perfect episode to pick up everyday "talking about hobbies" vocabulary and the past-habit frame. You'll hear natural repetition, fillers (ね、えええ、まぁ), and casual opinion markers all at beginner speed. If you've ever wanted to say what comics you grew up with in Japanese, this episode hands you the whole frame.
📚 Grammar Breakdown
Meaning: Used to ~ / Was ~-ing (past habit)
In Text: 子供の頃はたくさんの漫画を読みました, 読んでましたね, 読んでいた漫画は.
Note: The past form of 〜ています describes an ongoing state in the past or a past habit. Teppei uses 読んでました / 読んでいた to talk about what manga he used to read as a kid — the standard beginner way to say "I used to [verb]." Shadow the てました rhythm; it's softer and more conversational than 読みました alone.
Meaning: Such as / And so on / ~and stuff
In Text: 小説、ノンフィクションとかね, ドラゴンボールとかね, ジョジョとかね, るろうに剣心とか.
Note: とか is the casual listing particle — softer than と (which implies a closed, complete list) because it signals "for example, among others." Teppei stacks it while rattling off manga titles, so this episode is basically a とか drill. For beginners, とか is your safest tool for name-dropping examples without committing to a full list.
Meaning: End up ~ / Do ~ completely (often unintended)
In Text: まぁ短いですから、あの、すぐ読んでしまいますね (since it's short, I end up reading it right away).
Note: 〜てしまう expresses completion, often with a nuance of something happening whether you meant it or not. Here Teppei uses it playfully — short manga means he "ends up" binge-reading it. It's N4 and super common in casual speech. Listen for てしまう / ちゃう as the "oops, it's done" signal.
Meaning: I think ~ / I consider ~ (opinion)
In Text: ドラゴンボール・ジェネレーションだと思ってますから, たくさん聴いたほうが絶対に良いと思う, アニメが最初だと思いますね.
Note: 〜と思います is the core beginner phrase for stating an opinion. Teppei uses both 思ってます (a stative "I've been thinking / I consider") and 思います / 思う to mark his views throughout. Shadow the soft, hedged と思いますね at sentence end — it's how Japanese speakers signal "this is just my take" without being blunt.