Anyone else using the Miller-san storybooks?
I just got both volumes. Looking forward to getting into them. Just wondering what overall impressions were.
Cleaned up post for disambiguation
I thought it was pretty good although I only have the first volume. I even still come back to it now and then when whatever I’m reading gets too rough. 
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I’ve been using them and I love them! (Then again, I haven’t tried other textbooks so I can’t really compare it with others.)
I believe the general consensus is going for either Minna no Nihongo or Genki to get the basics and important grammar, and then immersing yourself in reading books, watching series, etc.
I will say, now that I’m about to finish 初級 2 and about to go into 中級 1, Minna is best done with someone that will guide you through it because it can get a bit tricky.
What I’ve been doing is using Youtube 
I love watching the NihonGoal videos because it’s very easy to understand them. You could also try nekosensei (although I’m not a fan of that one.)
Also, if you are like me and learn better by doing exercises and drills, try to get your hands on the workbooks. (書いて覚える and 標準問題集, you can skip the kanji one if you are using wanikani along with Jisho.com, and I personally have never used the translation book because NihonGoal does an awesome job at explaining.)
Hope this helps!
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Oh, thank you. Sorry for the confusion, we were talking about the Miller-san additional story books, not the textbooks themselves.
I edited the original post for clarification. There are certainly already enough threads about MNN for a lifetime. 
Yes the NihonGoal videos are quite good supplements. I use them + Kanshudo’s textbook companion, although Kanshudo is based on version 2.
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I’ve got both of them.
They look and feel like novels… I’ve read the first two or three chapters of the red book 3 or 4 times… never finished the full book, but I’ve made it to about halfway through… I’d be happy to do a book club for these books! .
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I was actually thinking about a book club but didn’t know if there would be enough interest. I love that the Miller books are slightly higher than some graded readers, but still easy enough that they can be worked through without a lot of lookups. Perfect for anyone just finishing N5.
I have no experience starting a book club though.
Wut? Miller-san has spin off books? XD Well, that answers the question of why there are so many memes about him hahaha
Guess I have no choice but to check them out then.
Are the stories fun? Or are they more like everyday life conversations?
Every modern textbook series introduces a recurring cast of characters to get the reader vested in the material, but apparently MNN’s Miller-san was so popular that he warranted spinoff books. The books are written at the same level as the textbooks for the most part from what I have heard, so they are excellent as companion or standalone reading practice books. I literally just cut open the box this afternoon and haven’t had a chance to do anything with them yet, so I don’t know how engrossing they are yet.
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I’d say a balance of both? It’s like every day life, so you’ll feel like it’s real (w/a slight young professional who is single and a bit of a gaijin bent), but it’s amusing.
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That’s probably the draw. MNN is primarily used by Asian Japanese learners, so the stories about the daily life of a suave western businessman in Japan are probably very entertaining.
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I’d be interested in this and would even re-read the chapters I’ve already read (I’ve taken it slowly). How far are you into it? (I don’t really have much experience with book clubs either, but I do think it is a good idea…)
I’m still on chapter 1, I have been cramming vocab lately, but I do need to get back into reading. If anyone else has interest in following along with Miller-san we can organize a book club for it.