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Have you ever heard of anime? For once in your childhood, I believe that you became addictive with Sailormoon, Pokemon, and even Dragonball Z. These were just few of the various anime shows famous like ten years ago. I happen to get so addictive to these aspiring characters until I found myself drawing them and painting their canvass on papers and walls. There was even a point in time when I joined a costume play at school and imitate my favorite Japanese character, Miaka Yuki in Curious Play. It was an exciting moment during childhood and teen’s era.
My passion towards animation is not new to a person named Tracey Seals, a 21-year old girl from Mississippi who chases her dream in becoming an official animator. She traveled all the way from her hometown in US and flies to Japan, just to make her dream come true. People may not understand what she’s really up to, but she still pursues it because this is exactly what she wants.
An interview from Mark Schreiber details how and why Tracey Seals went to Japan recently. Tracey explains how she’s into costume play, how she’s been longing to go to Japan since high school, and how her passion for animation motivates her into becoming what she dreamed to become. Basically, she loves Japan, and her love towards this country made her fell motivated to learn its culture and language as well.
Learning Japanese is not easy as learning an ABC in our typical English Alphabet. A native English speaker will really have a hard time learning Japanese language; English is dropped in this language. Frankly speaking, there is no similarity of English language in Japanese, so an English speaker needs to really start from the scratch. This was a hard time for Tracey because she was an excellent student when she was in high school. She would have given up easily knowing that she got lower grades when she took Japanese class. Well, fortunately she didn’t.
Her dream to become an animator gives a way to learn Japanese language more! That’s what keeps her motivated. Regardless of a mixture of adjustments, embracing a new society, mingling with totally new people, Tracey was motivated to pursue. Just like what I mentioned, she loves everything in Japan. Her passion towards Japanese animation enabled her to push more into studying the country’s native language because this is one way of reaching her dream. This is all that she ever wanted, and there is nothing, not even the difficulties of learning the language could hinder her into pursuing her dreams.
If only all Japanese learners are like her, right? Nevertheless, it is good to get inspired when one person chooses to study Japanese in Japan. Be inspired as well when you are interested in learning Japan’s official language!
