Suzume, a Japanese animated movie breaks records in China

Nick's ESL News Lessons

A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.

Date: 2023/04/15

Difficulty: Elementary A2

PDF: Suzume, a Japanese animated movie breaks records in China
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Vocabulary Match

movie -   - ground shake
animated -   - set a new best
successful -   - film
director -   - filmmaker
earthquake -   - winning
break a record -   - cartoon

Article

The Japanese animated movie "Suzume" has made more money in China than any other Japanese animation. It made over 720 million yuan ($105 million) in just three weeks.

The story is about a 17-year-old girl and a special young man who stop bad things from happening in Japan. Many young people in China like the movie, even though there are problems between China and Japan. "Suzume" is more successful than another movie by the same director called "Your Name" from 2016. The movie talks about a big earthquake and a giant wave in Japan in 2011.

A 20-year-old student who likes the director's movies enjoyed "Suzume" because it is very beautiful and shows love very well. The movie almost won the best prize at a film event in Berlin last year.

Quiz

  1. What is the story of "Suzume" about?
  2. Which movie by the same director is "Suzume" more successful than?

Conversation

A: Have you seen "Suzume"?
B: Yeah, I have. It's a great movie.
A: I heard it made a lot of money in China.
B: Yeah, it did. It's very popular there.
A: Why do you think it's so popular?
B: I think because it's a beautiful story with a positive message.
A: Is that right? Hmm, I'd like to see it.

Discussion

  1. What is your favorite animated movie?
  2. What kind of movies do you enjoy watching the most?
  3. Have you ever watched a Chinese movie?
  4. Would you like to visit China?

Vocabulary Answers

movie → film
animated → cartoon
successful → winning
director → filmmaker
earthquake → ground shake
break a record → set a new best

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. It's about a 17-year-old girl and a special young man who stop bad things from happening in Japan.
  2. It's more successful than "Your Name" from 2016.

Source Material

https://japantoday.com/category/entertainment/japanese-animation-film-suzume-breaks-china-box-office-records


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