This 3DS Game Is Going to Teach Otaku English

Jason Moses June 10, 2013

Nanami to Isshoni Manabo! English Joutatsu no Kotsu (Or: “Let’s learn with Nanami! Tricks for improving your English), developed by edutainment software company Media5 for the Nintendo 3DS, promises to let players improve their English with words of encouragement from Kana Hanazawa (Steins;Gate), the “most popular voice actress in Japan” according to the game’s official site.

She’s the voice of Nanami, an android character who’s already appeared in a number of other DS English education games. In the game’s fiction, she was developed in 2030 and sent to present-day Japan to nurture a great leader to avert Japan’s total collapse circa 2021 (I wish I were making this up).

There’s even a paragraph in the story section lamenting Akihabara’s decline into an otaku fantasyland, which is just awesomely cynical.

But don’t take my word for it. Take a gander at this promotional video from Media5:

Hanazawa lends her voice to 25 “reward voices,” motivating and encouraging learners after successful study sessions, which include grammar questions, pronunciation drills (with native English speakers, of course), and more. There’s also social media integration, allowing players to challenge their friends to “learning battles” online.
But the real kicker is being able to win new clothes to dress Nanami up in. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a bottle of Wild Turkey to attend to.

Source: 4Gamer