Watching RAWs without knowing Japanese

[Tadanga]

After three months of intensive dorama I decided to jump in and watch a RAW.
Although I chose Ganges River De butterfly where Nagasawa Masami is in India ( therefore would be less dialogue-heavy as a normal dorama ) I was amazed to see that I not only understood the story but realized how much of the actors' play I was normally missing because I would be concentrated on the bottom third of the screen for the subtitles.
On top of that, for the first time I was really listening to the language instead of relying lazily on the subs.
I definitely encourage all to give RAWs a try once you get the logic of the language and get familiar with the dozen or so expressions that come up very often.

How was your first time ?

[giggle weed]

I watched the last few episodes of stand up!! raw, and I actually surprisingly understood most of it. Maybe not everypart and what they're exactly saying, but I got the story and main idea of what was happening. And it really did make me listen to the language. ;D

[Tsukimi13]

I watched the first episode of Itazura na Kiss raw last year but i couldn't understand anything...so i've been waiting for the subtitles However i think that when the raw of It started with a kiss II will be out i'll watch the raw!
But I agree with you,we enjoyed the player's game better without subtitles!

(hum sorry for my poor english i do my best...)

[GoddessCarlie]

I always watch shows in Raw first. Then with subs just to clear up some things I didn't understand. It's great listening practise, I really recommend it!!

[apartofmylife]

I recommend it too I do it when I watch Hollywood movies and American dramas/sitcoms.
I watch them raw first, then with subtitle.
The best thing is I can concentrate on listening! I am really bad at listening, but as I keep watching, I can understand what's going on
and enjoy them, though I still don't understand many words.
Now I watch j-drama with subtitle. it is also good to understand the difference between our way of speaking and their way of speaking.

[8thSin]

I always watch shows in Raw first. Then with subs just to clear up some things I didn't understand. It's great listening practise, I really recommend it!!

I thought it would be better if people watched with subs first so they knew what was going on, then watch RAW to appreciate acting/directing (and would've remembered few lines too)

But I know most people are too impatient to wait for subs and end up watching RAW first

[lalia dawn]

i watched all of "life" as raws and found it to be hugely helpful to learning the language, and also a really rewarding experience to work on figuring out what i could not understand. i was stopping it alot and going through the dictionary every 5 minutes, or listening over and over when they talk super fast, but i think i agree that through watching the raw and concentrating on listening i gained more than watching with subtitles. now i cant wait for the subtitles to fill in the gaps and to compare to my interpretation. i'm really looking foward to the day that i can truly feel like i can say i understand japanese, but i think its a couple of years off.

[Hachiko-chan]

I watch some dramas raw, it's a good way to practise japanese.
And to my surprise I understod quite much
Some dramas that I watched raw have been hanakimi,Life and now I'm watching Utahime, Joshi deka, hataraki man and Tantei Galileo raw.

[quashlo]

I would suggest watching other programs as well... Don't limit yourself to dramas. Comedy-based variety shows are a good way to keep on top of pop culture... The next time you watch a comedic drama, you may "pick up" on a joke that you would otherwise not have understood. There are also several very educational quiz shows, like Q-Sama (posted here by Bu) and Nep League (posted here by gnohz and on Jpopsuki as well).

[8thSin]

Speaking of Nep League... It's not being uploaded anymore

Did anyone see it in clubbox or something?

[Sanari]

I watched RAW when I couldn't find subtitles and just needed to see the Japanese movie or drama. It was incomprehensible at first but with each time there were more and more words and phrases I could understand. So yes, I guess it helps learn the language if you want to learn.
I agree with <b>8thSin</b>, people better watch first with subs and then RAW. Helps a lot.
My first jdrama without subs was Yasha. Missed most of the story but got the main idea and enjoyed good acting and nice voices.
A really hard experience was to watch a Chinese series with subs only in simplified Chinese. That was pain!

[groink]

I thought it would be better if people watched with subs first so they knew what was going on, then watch RAW to appreciate acting/directing (and would've remembered few lines too)

But I know most people are too impatient to wait for subs and end up watching RAW first

I agree. But at the same time, I believe, based on other topics, the people who watch the RAWs without knowing the language are more likely fans of the actors - which basically then makes the story secondary. I was the same way when I was a Sakai Noriko fanatic - where I would watch many of her idol shows like White Girl Story and such - and without understanding the dialog. But now that time is valuable, I need to wait for the subs rather than waste time watching a given episode twice.

--- groink

[nicha89]

my first time was Hana Yori Dango 2, i couldnt wait for the sub, but all i understaood in the drama was "senpai" lol. but now i unerstand a lot of what is being said. i watched "i love my younger sister" and understood almost everything they said . i guess it's partly because they dont have a lot of conversations in this movie. but still, i understand a lot when i watch raws ^^"