Anime Magazine: Moekana Second Edition

What is Moekana?

Moekana is a set of illustrated flash cards to help you learn the basic Japanese syllabaries, hiragana and katakana. The pack of 56 different Moekana cards feature cute Japanese stylized illustrations that make learning Japanese fun and easy - but don't take my word for it...

...just ask one of the tens of thousands of folks worldwide who own a pack of Moekana!

What's new in the Second Edition?

This is the 2nd edition of Moekana which means that its not an entirely new product but a revamp of the previous one - just like there are 2nd editions of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings etc where they fix spelling mistakes and wot not ^^;

The second edition of Moekana however goes a step beyond just small tweaks and includes extra cards that help explain 7 different modifiers in hiragana and katakana such as the dakuten and Choonpu for a deeper and more comprehensive learning.

Apart from Mirai Suenaga, Haruka Suenaga and Kanata Hoshikawa, the second edition also includes revamped illustrations that now feature the rest of the Culture Japan team who are Kizuna Yumeno, Chitose Shirasawa, Eiji Seiun, and Retrokyu.

A brand new Moekana Game Guide has also been included in this edition, which explains the rules of how to play two different types of Moekana Games, a fun and effective way for intermediate level Japanese learners to test their vocabulary and learn new words from their opponents.

Product Details

Product Name: Moekana Second Edition (もえかな 2nd エディション)

Series: Culture Japan

Price: 1,650 yen

Category: Japanese language flash cards

Material: Card

Card size: 88mm x 63mm

Pack Size: 90mm × 65mm × 27mm (115g)

Specifications:Each pack of Moekana contains 56 cards. Every pack contains the same set of cards.

Release Date: 2014/05 (late May)

Released by: Culture Japan

Ages: 5 and up.

Country of origin: Developed and printed in Japan

Illustrations by: Ikkyuu-sensei

Good Smile Company product page:http://www.goodsmile.info/en/product/4378/

Where to pre-order

AmiAmi (International Shipping)

Hobby Search (international Shipping)

J-List (mainly America but includes international shipping)

Any international branch of Kinokuniya

Toycoin (Singapore domestic shipping)

Amazon Japan (Japan domestic shipping)

Folks ordering from AmiAmi will get a microfiber towel at no extra charge which is about this size that features the Mirai Horoscope - I will update this photo as soon as I get the sample next week.

Which horoscope are you?

If you read the article on how I learned Japanese, you will know that I used many techniques to pound my brain with the lingo. One of the things I felt was that Japanese learning was too textual, monotone and boring - it did not have to be that way.

Two years ago I developed a product called Moekana to help folks start to learn Hiragana - we sold tens of thousands of packs worldwide. A year later we released Moekanji which helps folks learn Kanji. Both of these products are designed to compliment each other and many folks buy both at the same time.

If you have just started to learn Japanese however, I would advise to go just for Moekana first as you need to be able to read hiragana to be able to use Moekanji. Having said that, I'm not sure how long stocks of Moekanji will last for ><

Lets take a closer look at the cards inside Moekana Second Edition. Before we do take a lookie however, do note that these photos of the 2nd edition cards are printed on our office printer with crooked scissor corners ^^;

I will update this post with new photos when the cards are ready mid May.

Here we have the "A" card - 1st edition on the left and 2nd edition on the right.

The design has been completely revamped with a modern look and feel - I think it looks kinda cool ^^;

As you can see, the theme for this card has completely changed from "Akumakko" to "Asa." The addition of katakana makes the second edition a major upgrade from the original so you can now learn both types of writing at the same time.

Some themes have been completely changed while some have been tweaked like this card for "Kuruma."

And then there are some cards which are the same like this one for "Kimono."

The back of the cards now feature Mirai-chan in her kimono, in line with her new job as an official mascot character for Japan Tourism.

Here are some of the cards which feature new illustrations of Mirai.

Formerly known as the "White-haired-loli.jpg" Chitose Shirasawa and Kizuna Yumeno now join the Moekana series - these illustrations are just awesome - even more awesome closeup!

Eiji Seiun teaches us the importance of keeping good health.

Another prominent new feature in the second edition is the inclusion of the 7 modifier cards which are small ya, small yu, small yo, small tsu, handakuten, dakuten and choonpu. Previously, these modifiers were released in a booster pack.

Use moekana to make words like these - can you read them?

Also included in the deck are hiragana and katakana list cards for you to keep in your wallet and check if you still remember the characters you've learned - great to make sure there is no downtime in learning while waiting for a bus or train or food in a restaurant.

These are the boxes that retailers get - each box contains 5 packs of Moekana. The previous boxes were a bit boring so I wanted to do something more interesting with them...

If you got two retail boxes then you can actually join them together to form a nice gathering of our characters.

If you want to get hold of these boxes then ask your retailer - sometimes they give them to you for free or sometimes they may ask you to buy a set of 5 ><

The Moekana game I introduced on the site together with the launch of the first edition became popular and we held tournaments at Culture Japan Night events around the world. I decided to include the game instructions in the deck itself so everyone who owns a pack of Moekana will know how to play it.

The original game was a game of speed and was good for quick tournaments but after gathering some feedback, I found that many of you liked strategy style card games which involved a little more time for thinking and strategizing. A new turn-based play format for players who prefer strategy style card games that I call the "Moekana Knowledge Game" has been included in the instructions too.

If card games are not for you, the back of the game guide is a nice poster of the Culture Japan team which you can pin up on the wall or on the back of your best friends head.

Getting the color just right is always a challenge as color on screen is so different to the actual printed material.

Moekana is printed in Japan by the same printers that make many of the Japanese trading cards on the market.

We also made Moekana and Moekanji deck cases last year - not a whole load of stock left so check with your retailer to see if they have them.

We've got no stock of the 1st edition here at the CJ offices but you may still be able to find the classic packs hiding in some corners of hobby shops.