>>1900784But I already speak English ;_; I did start learning and was really dedicated at first, but between one thing and another sort of drifted away from it over the summer. I think I got discouraged as well because I didn't feel like I was really getting anywhere significant, but I probably wasn't putting enough time in to the right parts either.>>1900793I think part of the problem is how much doujinshi I have read, though I'm limited to stuff that's been translated, and a few Japanese fics that I've found translated over the years. There's often such a gap between Japanese and Western characterisation and interpretation of the text in them that I then find it bothers me when I go and read fic, either breaking my immersion completely or making me wonder if it's really 'right'.
And then certain ideas become ingrained in fandoms which may be completely out of tune with the original work, but once you've read a lot of fic you don't notice any more - though that's something that happens in all fandoms, Eastern and Western, as far back as Xena fic I've read.
>>1900826I haven't read TI so I have no opinion there, but I reject the notion that global culture has become homogeneous enough for the differences to be negligible in fiction. Ireland, Britain and America all speak English and watch each others tv shows and films, and read each others books, but if you ever visit another one there's still significant differences between each of them and in turn we're much more similar to each other than we would be to any Asian countries.
I think what really made me notice the difference was reading some Nip Mai Hime fic that was translated years ago and how Natsuki in particular behaved was so different from how she was always written in English fic that it stuck with me ever since and the more I've learned over the years that more I've noticed the disparity.
I still read pretty much everything I can though.
