Anime for Listening Skills: Bananya - Episode 1

I found this adorable little Bananya figure other day. Isn't he cute? He likes to sit with the Japanese books on my desk.

If you haven't seen Bananya yet, you're missing out. It's a short and sweet anime with simple storylines, adorable animation, and lovable little banana-cats, and each episode is less than three minutes long. The best part for us, as Japanese learners? It's very easy to follow, and that makes it great for listening practice!

Let's watch the first episode together, and hone those listening skills!

First of all, go and grab a tasty snack for the show. It's okay, Bananya and I will wait right here for you.

Got your goodies now? Great! Just follow this link where you'll be able to watch Bananya for free (I'm not sponsored), and make sure you select Episode 1.

Now, this next step is very important: Turn the subtitles off, or at least cover them with a piece of paper. Why? Because if you're reading English, it makes it harder to listen to the Japanese. Trust me on this. You don't want those subtitles.


Okay, let's watch some anime! For today's listening practice, we're going to listen for specific words. Here's the first one:

バナナ
Banana
Watch the whole episode and listen carefully for バナナ. There are six instances of this word- not counting the times the narrator gets interrupted, or the name "Bananya." Can you find them all?

Now, here's the second one:

おいしい
Delicious
Now watch the episode again and listen for おいしい. There are two of them. You'll hear おいしい all the time in anime.

Now, watch the whole episode a third time and listen for both words. It's trickier, isn't it?


You made it! Did you find all eight? For a fun treat, why not turn the subtitles back on and enjoy the whole episode?

Bananya thinks you did great.

Did you enjoy this lesson? Would you like more anime listening practice? Isn't Bananya the cutest, silliest thing ever?! Let me know in the comments below!

またね！
-Kitty