Japanese · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 3 of 12
Film, books and media
映画と本Eiga to hon
Talk about films and books: summarise a plot, give opinions with nuance (わけではない, 気がする, ～ば～ほど) and read reviews with ものの.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Summarise a plot in the non-past and say what happens with ことになる
- Give a nuanced opinion with わけではない, 気がする and words like いまいち
- Say “the more …, the more …” with ～ば～ほど
- Understand ものの (although) in written reviews
Listen
In Fukuoka, friends Kono Yuta and Miyake Saki come out of a film based on a novel (a fictional story called Letters from the Sea) and disagree about it. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Saki
どうだった？私、最後はもう涙が止まらなかった。
Dō datta? Watashi, saigo wa mō namida ga tomaranakatta.
What did you think? I couldn't stop crying at the end.
Yuta
映像はきれいだったし、演技もよかったんだけど、正直、ちょっと退屈だったかな。
Eizō wa kirei datta shi, engi mo yokatta n da kedo, shōjiki, chotto taikutsu datta ka na.
The visuals were beautiful and the acting was good, but to be honest, I found it a bit boring.
Saki
え、退屈？私、原作の小説も読んだけど、映画のほうがいいと思ったよ。
E, taikutsu? Watashi, gensaku no shōsetsu mo yonda kedo, eiga no hō ga ii to omotta yo.
What, boring? I've read the novel it's based on too, and I thought the film was better.
Yuta
嫌いなわけじゃないよ。ただ、話がいまいちだった。主人公が祖父の手紙を見つけて、島に行くことになるまでが長すぎる気がした。
Kirai na wake ja nai yo. Tada, hanashi ga imaichi datta. Shujinkō ga sofu no tegami o mitsukete, shima ni iku koto ni naru made ga nagasugiru ki ga shita.
It's not that I didn't like it. The story just didn't quite work for me. It felt too long before the main character finds her grandfather's letters and ends up going to the island.
Saki
確かに前半はゆっくりだけど、そこに伏線がたくさんあるんだよ。見れば見るほど、よくわかる映画だと思う。
Tashika ni zenhan wa yukkuri da kedo, soko ni fukusen ga takusan aru n da yo. Mireba miru hodo, yoku wakaru eiga da to omou.
Sure, the first half is slow, but that's where all the foreshadowing is. I think it's a film you understand better the more you watch it.
Yuta
そうかな。まあ、結末は意外とよかったけどね。手紙を書いたのが祖父じゃなかったなんて、思わなかった。
Sō ka na. Mā, ketsumatsu wa igai to yokatta kedo ne. Tegami o kaita no ga sofu ja nakatta nante, omowanakatta.
I'm not so sure. Well, the ending was surprisingly good. I never imagined that it wasn't her grandfather who wrote the letters.
Saki
でしょ？あのシーン、泣けるよね。監督は原作をかなり変えたけど、私は映画の結末のほうが好き。
Desho? Ano shīn, nakeru yo ne. Kantoku wa gensaku o kanari kaeta kedo, watashi wa eiga no ketsumatsu no hō ga suki.
Right? That scene makes you cry, doesn't it? The director changed the novel quite a lot, but I prefer the film's ending.
Yuta
え、原作と結末が違うの？じゃあ、小説も読んでみようかな。
E, gensaku to ketsumatsu ga chigau no? Jā, shōsetsu mo yonde miyō ka na.
What, the novel has a different ending? Then maybe I'll read it too.
Saki
貸してあげるよ。でも、映画よりずっと長いから、読み終わるまで一か月はかかるかも。
Kashite ageru yo. Demo, eiga yori zutto nagai kara, yomiowaru made ikkagetsu wa kakaru kamo.
I'll lend it to you. But it's much longer than the film, so it might take you a good month to finish.
Yuta
大丈夫。…あ、ネットの評判、見て。「前半はやや退屈なものの、結末には誰もが感動するだろう」。ほら、僕の言ったとおりだ。
Daijōbu. A, netto no hyōban, mite. “Zenhan wa yaya taikutsu na mono no, ketsumatsu ni wa dare mo ga kandō suru darō.” Hora, boku no itta tōri da.
That's fine. Oh, look at what people say online: “Although the first half is somewhat dull, everyone will be moved by the ending.” See, it's just what I said.
Saki
結末には誰もが感動するとも書いてあるでしょ。じゃあ、引き分けだね。
Ketsumatsu ni wa dare mo ga kandō suru to mo kaite aru desho. Jā, hikiwake da ne.
It also says everyone will be moved by the ending, doesn't it? So let's call it a draw.
Understand
Telling the story: plot summaries
Japanese sums up a plot in the non-past, as English does: (shujinkō wa sofu no tegami o mitsukeru), the main character finds her grandfather's letters. Use plain forms in writing and casual speech, and です／ます when you're speaking politely.
～ことになる (koto ni naru) after the dictionary form says that something ends up happening or is decided, not by the person's own choice: (shima ni iku koto ni naru), she ends up going to the island. Compare ～ことにする (koto ni suru), to decide to do something yourself. The past ～ことになりました (koto ni narimashita) is common for announcing news: (raigetsu kara Ōsaka de hataraku koto ni narimashita), I'm going to be working in Osaka from next month.
- 主人公のハルカは、亡くなった祖父の手紙を見つける。Shujinkō no Haruka wa, nakunatta sofu no tegami o mitsukeru.The main character, Haruka, finds the letters of her late grandfather.
- 手紙を読んで、ハルカは一人で島に行くことになる。Tegami o yonde, Haruka wa hitori de shima ni iku koto ni naru.After reading them, Haruka ends up going to the island on her own.
Opinions with nuance
～わけではない (wake de wa nai), casually (wake ja nai), means “it's not that …”: it heads off the wrong conclusion. (kirai na wake ja nai), it's not that I dislike it. Nouns and な-adjectives take (na) before (wake). ～気がする (ki ga suru), I have a feeling that …, makes an opinion less absolute: (nagasugiru ki ga shita), it felt too long to me.
～ば～ほど (-ba … hodo) means “the more …, the more …”. Say the same verb or adjective twice, first in the ば-form, then in the dictionary form: (mireba miru hodo), the more you watch it; (kangaereba kangaeru hodo), the more I think about it; (nagakereba nagai hodo), the longer it is.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (mā mā) | so-so, not bad |
| (imaichi) | not quite there, a bit disappointing |
| (igai to) | surprisingly, unexpectedly |
| (nakanaka) | quite, pretty (good) |
| (omotta yori) | than I expected |
Although, in writing: ものの
(mono no) means “although” and belongs to writing and formal speech, such as reviews and reports. It follows a plain form; な-adjectives keep (na), and nouns take (de aru): (zenhan wa yaya taikutsu na mono no), although the first half is somewhat dull. In conversation, say the same thing with (kedo) or (ga).
- 映像は美しいものの、話の展開が遅い。Eizō wa utsukushii mono no, hanashi no tenkai ga osoi.Although the visuals are beautiful, the story moves slowly.
- 小説を買ったものの、まだ読んでいない。Shōsetsu o katta mono no, mada yonde inai.I bought the novel, but I still haven't read it.
New words
- 映像eizōimages, visuals, picture · えいぞう
- 演技engiacting, performance · えんぎ
- 退屈taikutsuboring; boredom · たいくつ; な-adjective; (shōjiki), to be honest
- 原作gensakuthe original (book a film is based on) · げんさく
- 小説shōsetsunovel · しょうせつ
- いまいちimaichinot quite good enough, a bit disappointing · casual
- 主人公shujinkōmain character, hero, heroine · しゅじんこう; in this story she finds the (tegami), letters, of her (sofu), grandfather, and travels to an island, a (shima)
- 伏線fukusenforeshadowing, hint of what's to come · ふくせん; (zenhan), the first half
- 結末ketsumatsuending · けつまつ
- 意外とigai tosurprisingly, unexpectedly · いがいと
- 泣けるnakerumoving, that makes you cry · なける; potential of (naku), to cry
- 監督kantoku(film) director · かんとく
- 評判hyōbanreputation, what people say about something · ひょうばん; (hyōban ga ii), well reviewed; (hikiwake), a draw
- 感動するkandō suruto be moved, to be touched · かんどうする
Practise
1.Yuta says (kirai na wake ja nai). What does he mean?
2.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.It's a film you like more the more you watch it.
3.Match the Japanese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.Which sentence means “The more I read it, the more interesting it gets”?
5.Which word means “not quite good enough, a bit disappointing”?
6.You're writing a short review. Which sentence says “Although the acting is good, the story is dull” in written style?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
思ったよりよかった。
Omotta yori yokatta.
It was better than I expected.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.