I don’t really have one, but I can give a brief rundown here (of the things I haven’t already talked about):
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Kitsun - This is a paid Anki-like service with the main draw of being actually clean, well put together, and not needing lots of configuring to get usable, like Anki. It tends to share most of its base with WaniKani.
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Minna no Nihongo - I’m doing a private class outside of everything else, and this is what they used. It feels like, even compared to Genki, it is handholdy in pushing topics without full explanations. The biggest flaw I think is that it introduces all verbs in their ます forms rather than their 連体形 (AKA dictionary form)
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Genki - It at least introduces verbs in 連体形, but shares a lot of the issues with MNN, and also coveres less, which makes the jump to an N3 oriented book (like Tobira) more difficult. The exercies are also worse than MNN IMO (which is the series’ main strength)
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Podmax’s Introduction to Japanese is a nice brief thing that will get you to N4ish grammar, and generally has a verb conjugation first approach, which I like. It also is one of the rare places that gives a lot of etymology for stuff, which really helps illistrate why things work like they are. However, a lot of the explanations can be hard to follow and loaded with some linguistic terminology. I also kind of feel that its something that may be more approachable with some basic grammar and kanji knowledge, which makes it easier to read. My recommendation would be to read the verb stuff at some point, which is really insightful, but leave the particle stuff for other resources, which cover it better (ie: Dictionary of Japanese Grammar stuff)
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Wasabi - I haven’t used much of it, but it seems to be a fine beginner guide sort of thing, and unlike Tae Kim’s guide it doesn’t seem to have a lot of misinformation
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Cure Dolly’s videos. They are generally a good second perspective on grammar you learn. I wouldn’t ever recommend it as a solo grammar resource, but a different view on the things you learn can help you get a more deep understanding. Warning about the videos though. She has a weird voice thing that some people can’t stand, but I don’t personally mind. The bigger annoying thing to me is the clickbaity titles and how she will take time to go on about “these are the SECRETS TEXTBOOKS WON’T TELL YOU” and it can feel like I’m listening to a scammy infomercial at times. Still, the content is pretty good.
I probably have used various things for small times that I don’t rememer, but really, most of my time is spent keeping up with MNN for the class, doing WaniKani at max speed, learning grammar via the DoJG books and Bunpro, and occasionally learning more words from Torii, doing reverse WK with KameSame, and doing a katakana word deck on Kitsun, with my priorities being in that order.
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Grammar
I have never had a good relationship with grammar. My relationship with grammar is so bad, I consistently spell it with an ‘e’ before remembering that it is yet another word not spelt the way it sounds (to my ear. I also have a terrible relationship with spelling.) I frequently forget whether ‘-ing’ words are verbs or adjectives - doesn’t ‘adjective’ just sound like a word that should describe action? It does to me. But. I am here to acquire Japanese. And… That should be supported by studying grammar.
This probably gives the impression that I am not interested in grammar, but no! What can be inferred from the very framework of communication is fascinating to me! I adore Japanese particles, and I could not put down the ‘Japanese in Depth’ series by Shigekatsu Yamauchi. (Absolutely fantastic series of articles. Cannot recommend enough.)
The difference is this. Give me plain english about the concepts inferred and the mindsets encoded in language and I love it. Ask me to understand jArGoN however, and it is… not so good.
Fortunately, I am a grown-ass woman and I know the good stuff is just a dictionary away, so Bunpro + A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, begin!
Thank you, @MegaZeroX, for giving me the nudge I needed to start 
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31st May
There were only a dozen reviews over the course of the day, so I mostly took the day off of thinking about Japanese. Or the morning at least, I came back ~2pm to do some poking around and ended up looking at grammar. It still felt like a day off 
Still need to look into vocabulary, later perhaps. And, like, do more of my actual class work. I have only slightly improved over last week it seems.
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Nice, looks like you’re keeping a good pace! Jealous of those 6AM reviews, by 9AM I’m already a little distracted and wish I had done WK as soon as I woke up lol. Keep working hard! 
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I am very pleased with myself this morning! Last night I unlocked lessons, and resisted the temptation to take them right away 
(This is an hour after doing one set of lessons And immediately regretting it- the point is I learned. I am giving myself a gold star damnit!) and this morning I have only done the new Kanji, and left all the lovely vocabulary for tomorrow morning… oh that lovely 0/0, I will see you soon!
Checklist for June 1st
[*] Work out how to format a check box EDIT: thank you @Mikaela_desu
[*] Do a grammar lesson (and reviews)
Bonus points!
Try out torii/kamesame
[*] Make a 2020 Goals list
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Thank you! I hope I can keep it up once the shine wears off you should keep a study log too! I would read it 
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I just learned the check box! It’s [ and ] side by side. To check it you should be able to click it without re-editing the post. Or you can edit the post and add \ and * to the inside.
[*]
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Goalposts!
Graded readers with the Absolute beginner book club!
Recommended grammar levels for this club are ~N5.
| Grammar goal N5 by July |
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|
| Day |
Lessons (sets of 3) |
Bunpro progress |
| May 31 |
[*] [*] [*] |
12/111 |
| June 1-7 |
[*] [*] [*] [*]
|
15/111 |
| June 8-14 |
|
|
| June 15-21 |
|
|
| June 22-28 |
|
|
| June 29-30 |
|
|
Recommended WK level for graded readers: ??? not directly applicable. Just keep chipping away
For now, my goal is level 10, as this is roughly N5 level.
Edit 23/June: Well, this fell by the wayside quickly Bunpro will have to wait for another time I think. Great tool, but right now I want to find a frame work for my understanding of grammar (in both English and Japanese). Learning specific grammar points just is not my focus right now 
| Wanikani level |
Estimated date/Date reached |
Days spent |
Check boxes are fun |
| 1 |
20/05 |
3 |
[*] |
| 2 |
23/05 |
4.5 |
[*] |
| 3 |
28/05 |
7.5 |
[*] |
| 4 |
04/06 |
8.5 |
[*] |
| 5 |
13/06 |
13 |
[*] |
| 6 |
26/06 |
~10 |
|
| 8 |
~04/07 |
|
|
| 10 |
~23/07 |
|
|
| 21 |
Level 21 by 2021! |
|
Celebrate |
Recommended vocabulary level for graded readers ??? also N5 level. |
|
|
|
| [*] Choose a vocabulary program already darn it! |
|
|
|
| Edit: so far, I am going with Tori. I haven’t used it much yet, mostly because I am occupied with everything else I am doing, but it is chosen! |
|
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|
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It’s hard to assign a WK level to the graded readers, since they always include furigana anyways, so it is just a vocab question. There are hiragana only words and katakana only words that WK won’t cover, and words with more obscure kanhi that WK won’t cover until relatively late. I would suggest that, when you get to level 10, to look at Jisho’s n5 word list and see what you are missing from there. Cover the gaps and you should be ready.
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Oh, I just realized you weren’t taking about graded readers, but the absolute beginners book club (they are different). In that case, it’s kind of unbounded. Either way, unless you have a very large vocabulary, you will be looking up lots of words regardless.
Also, the recommended grammar is more like >=N5. You will definitely see stuff outside of it, since children’s books don’t care about foreign learners grammar order!
(the n5 recommendation is just a minimum to really approach stuff at all)
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In that case you answered a question I did not even know I needed answered! I assumed that the absolute beginners would be reading Grade 0 readers! I would like to read both 
So book club, then graded readers shortly after. Sounds like a plan.
Read things, in some order, to be determined when I have a little more language under my belt. #Plans.
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The book club is the harder of the two, to be clear (if that influences your order at all)
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The good thing about the book club is that they will have a list of all the vocab, so looking it up is easy, but you will likely need to ask a few grammar questions as well. I didn’t mean to scare you off! Reading on your own writings be challenging, but the book club does give you all the resources! It is just that approaching the level 0 reader, on its own, is easier than the stuff the book club would give.
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Ah! Excellent! I was hoping there would be something like this in the club.
I don’t mind a challenge, as long as it is a +1 or +2 challenge. If it is too hard, I’m better off just doing the study for a little longer, and tackling a book later. In a month, I will give it a go and see how I do.
I am already excited.
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PS I like the idea of keeping a study log! might have to scrap one together before my next level-up. thanks for the encouragement
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June 2nd
Even though I went to bed early, and I woke up easily for my 6:30am review, as soon as that was done I went right back to sleep for three hours 
As long as I get my reviews done I will take it I guess.
[*] Brunpro
Marugoto homework
[*] Squash leaches
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Goooood morning! Review schedule did not survive spending the night with friends. Big surprise the reviews did get done though, even if delayed.
[*] Bunpro review
Bunpro lesson
[*] Marugoto homework (I did some yesterday! It is just still not finished.)
[*] Kamesame EDIT: THIS IS REALLY HARD AND CONFUSING AND 
Try Torii on desktop
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What was hard about Kamesame?
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Producing my WK items turned out okay, but I tried to do the N5 lessons and kept getting hit with kanji too complex for me to remember, and words I did not know how to learn. I was sort of hoping for lessons in the style of Bunpro or WK that elaborate on new items rather than ‘here is an item of information, let’s see if you can remember it in 30 seconds time’. Am I using the lessons incorrectly?
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