However, sometimes we feel that some negative reviews are just plain unfair. Take this review we received today (on US iTunes App Store):

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Do not buy this ★
by Yuusuzumi – iStart Japanese! (Lite Version) – Mirai Japanese (Mirai Language Systems) – Version 2.0 – Jul 12, 2010
“This app may seem like it will teach you Japanese, but don’t be fooled. The pronunciations by the so called native Japanese speaker are incorrect and unnatural sounding. Learning to read Japanese through romaji (ロマじ) is a terrible way to start out, I agree. There are better apps out there for free that teach you to read hiragana and katakana along with better vocabulary than this. I recommend Human Japanese or Kotoba!, which is a very nice Japanese dictionary.”
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We find this review unfair because:
1. The Japanese speaker in the app is a native Japanese citizen, born in Japan, and lives in Japan.
2. The content of the app has been checked and re-checked by several Japanese proofreaders and language experts.
3. Our system introduces kana in the app – but before the kana are learned, what other way of introducing Japanese words are there other than via “romaji”?
4. The reviewer wrote about “iStart Japanese! (Lite), which is free, so we feel that the title of the review “Do not buy this” is obviously inappropriate.

What’s more, the reviewer mis-spelled “romaji” in Japanese kana in the review (should be ローマジ, not ロマじ as he/she spelled it), the vocabulary and correct kana spelling for which is even in our Prolog lesson (of both the Lite and Full versions) – so we feel that he/she hasn’t really used our app in the way that it is intended.

Please help us improve our ratings and reviews by posting fair comments on iTunes – they really make a difference to us. If you feel that our app is lacking in any way, we would love to hear from you. You can post on the MiraiPenguin page on Facebook, in the comments on our website (www.miraijapanese.com), or email us directly at:

team@miraijapanese.com

Thank you!
Your iStart Japanese! Team

Join our Facebook page “MiraiPenguin” for more great free Japanese language learning!

iStart Japanese is currently the #1 Paid App in the UK (Education category), and was #2 in the US, Canada, and Australia!

Here is a short selection of the most recent comments on the iTunes App Store:

• Wonderful – by KatieKDOT (UK)
  I’ve just started with this app and the praise it receives is justified. I visited Japan last Christmas and my partner has family in Japan – so I hope to visit many times and understand the language – this app is perfect for me to begin to learn in earnest – and I’m excited about using it!
• Amazing – by Bennybo100 (UK)
  Absolutely amazing, I wish I could give it more than 5 stars.
  More lessons please.
• A nifty little app! – by Neon Blonde (UK)
  This is actually a very good app, I had my doubts because I’ve tried learning the basics from the Japanese language before and failed miserably. It’s do easy to use and the way it breaks things down and repeats them over really helps me learn. Oh and the quiz is a good idea too, possibly more questions than 5 should be asked other than that I can’t grumble!
• Excellent! – by TomHothersall (UK)
  Awesome app considering I take my phone everywhere! Now I have NO excuse for not learning every day.
• Great app – by Kaystar9 (UK)
  This is my favorite app by far, I use it everyday. It’s very handy and you can use anywhere. It very fun and easy to use. I’m already speaking Japanese and I’ve had 2 lessons x x
• Fantastic – by kim3er (UK)
  It’s the most effective form of self learning I have found so far. More lessons please!
• Great app! – by Suviiana (UK)
  Very good app. I’d recommend it for anyone who wants to learn Japanese from scratch.
• Good tutor – by Zen123 (US)
  Been trying to learn japaneese as a 3rd language. This app is like a pocket rosetta stone.
• Amazingly simple and effective! – by Anistream.net (US)
  Directed towards complete beginners, it allows for mistakes to be made and let’s the user pause or stop the tuition if needed. This is essential for beginners to go at a pace they feel comfortable. As the lessons progress it continues to use previous lesson contents in examples with new content for a gradual and sustainable learning experiance. A must have for any person wishing to visit Japan or an anime fan!
• Brilliant!!! – by Barriguita (UK)
  Extremely easy and intuitive to use!
  I really enjoy using it, it’s amazing how they have done it so user friendly and at same time an effective learning tool for Japanese.
• Amazing – by DrBadger (UK)
  Perfectly paced and very clear the English speaker is very good and so Is the native Japanese speaker. Shows the way to write the symbols perfectly very well made I have enjoyed this app very much worth every penny.

We will be uploading new lessons very soon which will be available to you via the in-app purchase facility!

Get iStart Japanese! on the iTunes App Store Now!!!