MovieChat Forums > The Ramen Girl (2008) Discussion > Sweet film but one entirely unbelievable...

Sweet film but one entirely unbelievable thing...

posted 13 years ago by SoTyred
31 replies | jump to latest

....is that this college educated girl does not at some point LEARN HOW TO SPEAK AT LEAST BASIC JAPANESE!!!!

I understand what they were going for, but it is just unbelievable that Abby doesn't learn Japanese. Especially since she umm...get's the new Japanese BF. Even in that short time before he left, he could have tought her enough to 'understand', and had his friends help her after.

That was just ridiculous. The CONSTANT whining about "I don't understand a word you're saying." might have given her a clue, ya think? The fact that she CHOSE to stay in Japan to learn 'The Way of the Ramen' makes it even more ridiculous, because she seems pretty motivated to get things right when she puts her mind to it. Understanding the language your teacher speaks might be a good idea, silly me.

7/10 but it's more on the 6 end of 7 than the 8 end of 7.

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[–] Zen_the_Mighty1 13 years ago

I agree with you. Anyone who would attempt to live in a country without speaking its language and with no one to translate for them is insane. I can't believe she wouldn't at least learn a little bit more than those very few words. It's just seems lazy. :(

[–] SoTyred 13 years ago

The odd thing is I'm a resident of the United States, and I'm not usually down with that whole "If ya come to America, learn to speak English! (Or as some so inanely put it 'Speak American ')" crowd of bigots.

Where it gets me here is that she specifically chooses a life path that will REQUIRE her to have some knowledge of the native language, and at no time does she bother to even try. Like you said...lazy.

I think what they were trying to do is use the Ramen angle to show us how 'we' can 'understand' each other on a different level than language, but it just doesn't make sense in context to the story.

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[–] ColbertoReporto 13 years ago

Any language is hard to learn outright in adulthood. Something "out there" like Japanese containing pretty much no cognates would be even worse. Aside from a couple small things, like the chef occasionally abusing Brittany's character, I enjoyed the movie a good deal.
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[–] cmeyer38 13 years ago

I didn't speak a word of Japanese until I was 24. I spent 8 weeks all day and evening every day at a special language school learning to speak Japanese and then lived in Japan with a Japanese room mate and working with the Japanese people for the next 16 months. I came home fluent. Can't read it much, though, because my job was talking to people, not reading. Like others have said, it is unbelievable that she didn't pick up more Japanese during that time. Instead of constantly whining, "I don't understand", she should have spent a lot more time with that dictionary!! She even could have learned to say, "wakarimasen" which is "I don't understand" in Japanese. I have created a workshop called "Japanese in an Hour" which I present every year at the Anime Iowa convention. Too bad Abby couldn't have come to one of those, ha, ha!

[–] SoTyred 13 years ago

I enjoyed the movie as well. It was just that one thing that really kept pulling me out.

She wouldn't have to learn the language to perfection, but as the user below me points out, as have I, if she wanted a Japanese person to teach her, she should have at the very least learned the basics.

I never had much luck learning another language at any age...lol. But I'd sure as hell put my nose into a book, or get Rosetta Stone, if I intended on being schooled by a person who only knew their native tounge.

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[–] GSmith9072 12 years ago

"The odd thing is I'm a resident of the United States, and I'm not usually down with that whole "If ya come to America, learn to speak English! (Or as some so inanely put it 'Speak American [] ')" crowd of bigot"

The utter hypocrisy is odd.

BUGS

[–] SoTyred 12 years ago

What hypocrisy?

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[–] GSmith9072 12 years ago

The idea that it is bigotry to believe someone should speak English in an English-speaking country, yet assert that this character should speak Japanese in a Japanese-speaking country.

BUGS

[–] SoTyred 12 years ago

Umm...reading comprehension there genius. I said I was NOT one of those people who said people have to speak english in an english speaking country.

The POINT is that she was trying to take lessons from someone who spoke Japanese, and even tho she kept whining that she couldn't understand him, she did NOTHING to even learn the language the man she was learning from's language. HUGE difference.

She as this "epiphany" that she's meant to be a Ramen Chef, yet she doesn't bother to even try to learn her teachers language!? Oh wait...she has her lil book she never uses.

This was just on late nite a couple nites ago, and it's still a sweet movie, but the problem still exists.

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[–] GSmith9072 12 years ago

"I said I was NOT one of those people who said people have to speak english in an english speaking country."

Yes, I understood that. And I suggested that you should be. What kind of sense would that make to not understand the major language of the country in which you dwell? That would make about as much sense as not speaking the language of your teacher. Although I only saw the 2nd half of this movie, and I thought I saw her understanding and speaking some Japanese (some of us non-geniuses don't become fluent in a foreign language so quickly).

BUGS

[–] SoTyred 12 years ago

Yes, I understood that. And I suggested that you should be.

No you called me a hypocrite.

And no, in general terms it is not a requirement to live somewhere and speak the language of the land if one chooses not to do so. That's called freedom of choice. Many people can get by without learning the "major language".

In THIS case, the girl is whining over and over that she can't understand the person she has CHOSEN to teach her, and doesn't do a thing to learn his language. That's called stupid and/or lazy. She doesn't even try. And no, by the end she is just picking up facial expressions and still only speaks the few words she learned from her little book.

**Skin that Smokewagon and see what happens!** Tombstone

[–] GSmith9072 12 years ago

"That's called freedom of choice."

Why yes, it's your choice to be stupid if you so choose to be. That doesn't make me a bigot if I think people should 'speak American' if they are living here, unless they don't plan on communicating to anyone.

"And no, by the end she is just picking up facial expressions"

Dang, wish I had that masterful ability to read what so got from facial expressions! Would have helped me so much with french class. Without those subs I would have been 100% lost.

BUGS

[–] SoTyred 12 years ago

That doesn't make me a bigot if I think people should 'speak American' if they are living here, unless they don't plan on communicating to anyone.

Yeah, it does. I should have figured I was talking to a "Speak American" redneck butthead.

Dang, wish I had that masterful ability to read what so got from facial expressions!

Well, you obviously weren't even paying attention to the movie then.

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[–] GSmith9072 12 years ago

Wow, what a completely unnecessary insult, and with such an in depth reason to explain why (because you said so). Ironically I'm actually getting 'sotyred' of communicating with a little baby who can't take an alternate opinion and must resort to calling me a redneck.

BUGS

[–] SoTyred 12 years ago

Well you're on ignore now. That means any comments you make I won't read because all I'll see is a lil "ignored" symbol. Why do I know you'll make a comment anyway?

**Skin that Smokewagon and see what happens!** Tombstone

[–] GSmith9072 12 years ago

"Why do I know you'll make a comment anyway?"

Nice attempt to try and make me stop replying to you. Does that make you feel better, you little baby? Now you can feel as though you've gotten the last word I don't really plan on posting on this board again (unless I get replied to), you know. You could have just brought yourself to just... not read my replies. But I know that's just so hard for you. Now you'll just have to imagine what kind of reply you've received, lol. And here's to betting that you'll unblock me to view it.

BUGS

[–] Splarne 10 years ago

it is much easier to pigeon hole you, me, and anyone else who thinks that if you move to a country that speaks language x, you might want to learn language x.

there are people that have been in this country for 40 years that have a very difficult time speaking the language. i know some. their kids communicate for them. anytime i speak to them, it is in spanish because they absolutely have stopped trying english. i'm not the least bit fond of that scenario, as i have lived in a spanish speaking country and i certainly didn't run around insisting everyone communicate with me in english.

as for this movie, i didn't get the timeline... or maybe i didn't pay attention close enough. does seem that living in and dealing with a country and its language on a daily basis... even for an adult, some level of communication would rub off. that was lacking, and likely due to britney's inability to learn japanese as an actor... so the writers just said "forget it, just smile and look pretty."

***

Go away, or I shall taunt you a second time!

[–] GSmith9072 12 years ago

And here's another reply, so that your curiosity consumes you!

Bugs are soo cute.

Why are you reading this you little weakling? :/

BUGS

[–] serotonin-shot 13 years ago

But she did eventually learn a bit didn't she? As the film progressed she seemed to know and understand more and more words and phrases. Albeit she progressed very slowly, but still by the end she seemed to have a little grasp of the language.

IT IS INTROSPECTIVE AND I WANT TO INTROSPECT<><>

[–] SoTyred 13 years ago

Yeah, I just found the character lazy in not trying her best to REALLY learn it. I just watched Abandoned. She's (Murphy) is pretty much the only good thing about it.

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[–] tbone10270 11 years ago

SoTyred you are a *beep* ing moron. How can u say she doesn't need to learn the language of the country shes living in and then turn around and call her lazy for not doing so. You are a hypocrit and you are prejudice against Americans. Grow the *beep* up.

[–] Rena_Mahone 13 years ago

lol, yes, I agree. Wanting to learn making Ramen but not understanding a word of Japanese is pretty silly. Nice movie anyway.

Boycott movies that involve real animal violence! (and their directors too)

[–] eraserheadbluevelvet 13 years ago

I miss living in Japan and I lived there for three years and I still don't understand a lot of it. It seems like when you know English in other countries other people just want to speak English because it is easier or they want to practice.

[–] DapperDanMan1983 12 years ago

At the end she was speaking Japanese. She understood all of Maezumi's mother's speech, it seemed. I think that she was joking with Maezumi at the end when she said that she couldn't understand him.

[–] DaytonaBob 12 years ago

I couldn't agree more. I was floored that we didn't see some sort of progress.

I lived in Japan for a year and a half with the military and learned how to get by within 2 months just basic stuff like ordering or taking a cab.

After a year while not able to be totally conversant, I could follow and give some sort of answers that half the time got a laugh but understood.

And here she is working in a purely Japanese environment and NOTHING?

They who give up liberty to
obtain a temporary safety deserve
neither liberty or safety

[–] rumipoet24 11 years ago

Hey , welcome to America friend where the average citiczen can barely babble in native english....agreed it was a very sweet film.

[–] Bunny68 11 years ago

I lived in Japan for two years, have visited a few times since, am married to a Japanese wife, have plenty of Japanese friends, took a Japanese class at my university, and can still only speak basic, child level Japanese. I can only "read/write" hiragana, but if I use a phone or computer, I can have it changed to Kanji when applicable.

Sue me.

*shrug*

[–] Mukatsuku74 11 years ago

I lived in Japan for 3 years, moving there and leaving on the same day as another non-Japanese person who was living in the town next to mine. I made sure I took part in the culture and learnt the language, however this other person left the country after 3 years, totally unable to say a single sentence.

It's certainly not uncommon for people to live there for a year without learning the basics; in fact, it's frighteningly common (due mainly to people hanging around in big cities in groups of foreigners), however Abby was trying so hard to learn how to cook ramen that I think she'd also try to learn the language. She did understand a lot of it, when listening, so maybe she was just embarrassed to try to speak it.
Also, the main guy's dialect didn't help :)