JLPT Book Haul: Nihongo So-Matome VS New Kanzen Master Initial Review

Рет қаралды 26,450

Күн бұрын

There seems to be an ongoing debate amongst JLPT takers out there - some of them prefer the Nihongo So-Matome series while others prefer the New Kanzen Master books. To take the N1 level this year, I have decided to buy all the N1 reviewers from both series and here's what I thought.
Sponsored Amazon links for the books:
New Kanzen Master Books: amzn.to/3RzLyQ4
Nihongo Soumatome Books: amzn.to/3RzHjnx
More details on my blog: thatjapanlife.com/nihongo-so-...
0:00 JLPT Book Haul Review
0:20 My JLPT Journey
2:34 Why I Bought Both Series
4:39 Pricing Comparison
6:05 Appearance Comparison
7:31 Nihongo So-Matome (NSM) Kanji Reviewer Format
8:18 New Kanzen Master (NKM) Kanji Reviewer Format
9:48 My Review and Comparison of Kanji Books
12:55 NSM Vocabulary Reviewer Format
13:31 NKM Vocabulary Reviewer Format
15:02 My Review and Comparison of Vocabulary Books
15:54 NSM Grammar Reviewer Format
16:48 NKM Grammar Reviewer Format
18:08 My Review and Comparison of Grammar Books
18:50 NSM Reading Comprehension Reviewer Format
19:53 NKM Reading Comprehension Reviewer Format
20:57 My Review and Comparison of Reading Comprehension Books
23:41 NSM Listening Comprehension Reviewer Format
24:53 NKM Listening Comprehension Reviewer Format
27:06 My Review and Comparison of Listening Comprehension Books

Пікірлер: 72

@raymondcaylao4170 3 жыл бұрын

Also felt the same when I bought the books!!!! Brings back my experience when I was studying for N1. I also have both books then, I know that Sou-Matome is easier to understand and study since I used both books for N2. Though, in the actual JLPT, Kanzen Master will give you the experience of almost taking the exam. So why then study with Sou-Matome??? Kanzen Master is really hard to understand. Read it 2x or 3x, you will still not be able to answer the exercises. 😂 So, I studied Kanzen Master only after finishing with Sou-Matome.

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

This is exactly my feeling now that I’m studying. I’ve decides to just start with NSM because NKM is too hard and tiring 😂

@monchaichan 2 жыл бұрын

So I recently resigned from my job and decided to give myself 6 months to study for JLPT N2. Going full-time study mode! Let's do this! Thanks for the detailed reviews. I'm getting both sets. :)

@ThatJapanLife 2 жыл бұрын

Good luck!

@Maximiliano97ARG 3 жыл бұрын

I feel so bad since everybody here is talking about N1 and I am sitting for N4 😂. Anyway, thanks for the review, it is really useful for me. By the way, your English is amazing, I need to improve mine 😅

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

That’s very nice of you to say 💕 and N4 is no small thing at all! Good luck!

@cashewpiya3178 3 жыл бұрын

i'm n5 lol

@kyleb3316 2 жыл бұрын

Don't sweat it, I'm still at N6 ;)

@vincytvholic 2 жыл бұрын

We really shouldn't compare ourselves....I'm 2 weeks in. 😃

@T--xk3hf 2 жыл бұрын

Everyone gotta start somewhere!

@dryagan 3 жыл бұрын

Most useful complete review ever. If you could review other lower level textbooks that would be amazing :) Thanks for posting this!

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

Yey! Glad you found it helpful. I don't have the books for the lower levels right now but that would be an interesting topic in the future.

@koohii3301 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this review, it's really comprehensive.

@sanso6590 3 жыл бұрын

thank you for your sharing. i have also bought both series and am now preparing for the coming test!

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

Best of luck!

@prasadpusadkar3205 2 жыл бұрын

so which series is better?

@andreikatyushkin1563 3 жыл бұрын

Amazing review! Helped so much! Now I see there's much more sense to get shin kanzen master since it simply goes deeper. Appreciate your hard work! Btw, hi from RUSSIA and best of luck on passing N1!!!

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

I’m glad it helped! Thank you very much and good luck with taking the test as well! 💕

@ELFanatic 2 жыл бұрын

This is really useful! I also love that you had opinions on who won. That said, I'm split, which I think is another testament to your review. Since, I should be informed enough to draw my own conclusions. The quick and dirty seems to be nkm is a time sink with more realistic results. So-Matome is a quicker pick up, with a better work life balance but with some traps, usually minor dmg, but critical dmg if you're not careful. And I still don't know which one is my speed, but that's on me. I think I might just have to buy the first of both and see which I vibe with.

@ThatJapanLife 2 жыл бұрын

I’m glad it helped. It really is difficult choosing between the two. Buying the first of both sounds like a good idea.

@dougamolina 2 жыл бұрын

This helped me a lot, and the way you organized and articulated all these points was a great plus, very well done. Thanks!

@julsitos2 2 жыл бұрын

very helpful review of jlpt review books! kudos!!

@mikilin3705 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for sharing! I am gonna take the N1 test in December, and based on your video I think I will just go for a whole set of Kanzen Master : )

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Glad I could help. And good luck to us in the test!💪🏻

@cizawey7393 2 жыл бұрын

hi thankful for this its so useful. and can i ask your opinion on nkm that available free on some website and nkm that you bought official from the bookstore?

@maya.riv.1011 7 ай бұрын

Great video! super helpful thank you!

@mryoh7 3 жыл бұрын

Because of this and as what I had read their contents at Junkudo Bookstore, I did bought all set of 'New Kanzen Master' (JLPT N4) Books including the Language Grammar, Listening, Reading, Vocabulary and Kanji which all costs a total of ¥7,000. Hoping that I will pass this July. I will start studying this before and/on April. I also bought the Official JLPT Answering Book which costs of ¥700. Yey 😁😁

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

Yey!! Good luck nato sa test!

@mryoh7 3 жыл бұрын

@@ThatJapanLife Ikaw sa N1. Ako pud N5 lang usa. Gamit nako ang 日本語総まとめ (Nihongo Soumatome) ug 日本語単語スピードマスター (Nihongo Tango Speed Master). Then from N4 to all the way N1, diha nako mag Shin Kanzen Master. Hoping maglambo pa imohang vlog. Padayun lang sa life sa Japan. God bless nato sa pagtake sa JLPT 🙏😇😁

@DimaDesu 3 жыл бұрын

Great detailed review! Thanks!

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@howardjhon533 2 жыл бұрын

recomend for n2 books can buy amazon here in japan

@mahoiparrocho4020 2 жыл бұрын

詳しく説明してくれてありがとうございます。✨

@TariKattzify 11 ай бұрын

Thank you for your help!

@jssamarakoon3883 Жыл бұрын

Useful review .thankyou 🇱🇰

@Alannyyo 2 күн бұрын

Is amazon prime shipping fee features work when I am not in Japan and ordering books from Japan amazon? I’ve tried using the Japan amazon prime video and it doesn’t work so I was curious about the other one

@zee808 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

@ikhlasmubaraq8340 3 жыл бұрын

what is the best way to use that sou matome book? I know that book have 5 kind of variants.. do using that book simultaneously really can makes me pass N3 for 6 weeks? or using that book by book the best? e.g buying the goi version and bunpou version first and finished this 2 book first, then buying another 3 variant later and finished that 3 variant for another 6 weeks. so it would be 12 weeks right? I dont have a time for studying that long.. or I just buy that 5 variants together then using it everyday for 6 weeks is that effective? or that is too much? yeah studying 5 kind subject simultaneously even its related were really hard right? or this 6 week method of that sou matome book is complete bull crap?

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

Hi. I guess it depends on the person and his/her schedule. The way I look at it, I think the company made the books and their ‘6 week plan’ etc to be studied consecutively (meaning, you could potentially finish all of the books in just 8 weeks. And I honestly think that it can ne done IF you can study ‘full-time’ daily. For me, that would mean about an hour each for kanji, vocab and reading and about 30 mins each for listening and grammar. However, if you have a job, or in my case - a full-time mom to a toddler that needs my attention the entire time he’s awake - that’s a very difficult schedule to keep. What I do is just try to make sure that I have covered the same number of lessons for each subject. Say, maybe I had only an hour to study today and spent that covering the 9th lesson of the Kanji book, my next goal would be to study the 9th lessons of the other subjects before proceeding to the 10th Kanji lesson. That’s just my personal preference. Also, note that what I’m saying is that you CAN finish all books in about 2 months. Whether that’s enough time to ‘learn’,’memorize’ and ‘internalize’ the lessons is a whole nother question.

@Adamslearning 2 жыл бұрын

Omg I love your videos can u make more jlpt books review ?

@ThatJapanLife 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much for watching. So glad you found it helpful. I’ll try to to find more materials to review 😊

@jaysonroa1058 2 жыл бұрын

You're so fluent. I saw a comment in Bisaya and nakurat gyud ko Bisaya ka man sad diay.

@ThatJapanLife 2 жыл бұрын

Salamat kaayu 💕💕

@luanllluan 3 жыл бұрын

Hi there! You talking about n1, but let me ask you in a more humble question 😅 Do you think it is worth it to take the n5 test or study to get the n4 already? Unfortunately, outside Japan there's only one test per year. I feel I can pass the n5 test in December, but definitely not the n4. At the same time, to wait a whole year feels sad 😅 What do you think?

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

Hm, if I were in your position , I’d probably just skip it and wait to take the N4 or even N3 next year OR… take the N4 this year because it really is not that much more difficult compared to N5. There are still a few months before the test and I have a feeling you can pass it (with enough work). EVEN if you can’t pass, then you would get some insight into what the N4 level test is like and that would prepare you for next year

@luanllluan 2 жыл бұрын

@@ThatJapanLife many tks for your response!!! yeah, even that I'm not passing, to take the N4 makes more sense and leads me to a better understanding for next year. tks (:

@RAZKHANTV 3 жыл бұрын

Nice sharing. You're doing great .

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much 💕

@andrei20140 5 күн бұрын

Any updated about what books you end up studying from? It's been 3 years haha

@janeseroy6293 3 жыл бұрын

Ganahan kaayo ko sa imuha ate. 💕 Let's hit N1! Unta ma chambahan .. hehehe..

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Jane 💕 yes, paningkamutan! 😂 good luck nato! 💪🏻

@janeseroy6293 3 жыл бұрын

@@ThatJapanLife gonna follow you ate para sa feedback.. self study lang sad ko.. I'll be waiting.. hehe.. Godbless!

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

@@janeseroy6293 yey, thank you! Yes, for sure, will make another video once I’m done 🤞🏼

@annap1871 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much

@jeanlawrencemurakami1236 Жыл бұрын

I don’t have any N level I just enjoying working in a company getting my salary and bonus I have no time to Study instead doing my business giving me more income , don’t wanna stress myself studying 😥

@ThatJapanLife Жыл бұрын

Good for you! 😊 Good luck on your business!

@norules7805 3 жыл бұрын

Ate, if matapos ko po ang dalawang genki books. Makakapasa na ba ako ng n4 or n5 lamang?

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

I think kayang-kaya ang N5. Hindi ko pa na try ang Genki books but if you have taken the time to study the basics easy lang talaga yung N5. As for N4, probably. Sorry, hindi ako masyadong familiar sa coverage ng Genki books. Sorry for late reply.

@manethcabanesdinamling8491 Жыл бұрын

Girl, I was pretty sure you are a Filipina and checked your account. I am binge watching Japanese learning videos but hearing the way you speak English how did you have that Native-like way of speaking?

@ThatJapanLife Жыл бұрын

grew up na walang ibang magawa kundi manuod ng English movies and TV series 😄

@vegnewb 3 жыл бұрын

I feel like I know you from somewhere. Where?

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

must have a common face. I live a pretty secluded life 😅

@vegnewb 3 жыл бұрын

@@ThatJapanLife I don't think so. I think it is one of three things 1. I met you on a hike or a meetup 2. I was a customer at a place you work(I was probably a pain in the butt) 3. You helped me on the street when I was lost, or something. 4. We met at a JALT conference.

@RickGrimes807 3 жыл бұрын

maybe you've seen her in some youtube video. Who knows

@jakellaneta5991 3 жыл бұрын

do you also writing kanji??

@ThatJapanLife 3 жыл бұрын

When I was studying for the N2, I honestly did not bother to but right now, yes, I try spend some time copying and practicing the Kanjis I learn from the book.