CROSSROADSCROSSROA DS Language StudioÊs Newsletter March,
March , 201
20 1 8On March 1st, Black Pantherwas released in movie theatersin Japan, though it came out inother countries in February.
Many people in Japan may
have seen that there are a lotof people talking about thismovie
ontheInternet,
particularly in America. So
what makes a superhero movie
so important to so manypeople?
Black Panther was created in 1966 for theFantastic Four comic book by Stan Lee and Jack
Kirby, and was the first black superhero. In theyears since his creation, Black Panther has beenunique among black characters in superhero
comics. He’s portrayed as one of the smartest
men on the planet and is the ruler of a small
African nation, which possesses the mostadvanced technology on Earth.
In the movies, Black Panther first appeared
Ellain 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, played byChadwick Boseman (who previously starred asJackie Robinson in 42). Boseman returns inJanisBlack
Panther, which has become one of the top
ten highest-grossing movies in history.
Black Panther isn’t the first black superhero
movie, but it is the first to feature a
predominantly black cast. As the movie ismostly set in Africa, all the major characters are
portrayed by black actors and actresses. Of themain cast, there are only two white actors—
Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis—and they’reboth supporting characters.
The reason why this is important is because
there’s long-been a belief in Hollywood that amovie can’t be successful unless the main
character is a white man. But many recent films
are now proving this logic wrong, such as thehorror film Get Out, the comedy Girls Trip, andeven the new Star Wars films. Now Black
Panther can be added to the list.

But there’s something even more
important behind Black Panther. When I
was a boy growing up in Chicago, my two
favorite movies were Superman starring
Christopher Reeve and Batman starring
Michael Keaton. I had no shortage ofsuperheroes who looked like me. In thestories I read or watched, there was nolimit to what a white man could
accomplish. We could run corporations,
we could command starships, we couldchange the entire world.
But black children had no such role models.
Even when I was growing up in the 1980s and1990s, black characters in fiction were usuallysidekicks or comedy relief. In horror movies,
they were always the first characters to die.
Black heroes were often trapped in poverty or
were criminals or ex-cons. Africa is often
depicted in movies as a post-apocalyptic
wasteland, ravaged by war and strife. Here inJapan, the terrible practice of “blackface” (wherenon-black people paint their face to look black)is still far too common on TV.
Black Panther flips all those expectations on
their head. It shows a vision of Africa untouchedby colonialism, it gives us a black man as agenius and a noble hero, it shows black women
who are capable of being engineers andwarriors. That’s important for black boys andgirls, because it tells them that there’s no limit
to what they can accomplish.
Hopefully, the success of movies like Black
Panther and Wonder Woman will lead to evenmore representation of women and minorities inmovies.

Article by Perry
NET LESSONS: Too busy to come to CROSSROADS?
…. Try our lessons on the net!
Here is a review of Black Panther with a trailer:
http://time.com/5133882/black-panther-review/

Joshua Says: I think it is fair to say, you cannot progress if you areafraid of change. And those who are able to embrace change will progress
rapidly. This holds true whatever the endeavor, but especially when it
comes to learning a second language. It is by the nature of your new
language that you will start to see the world differently. The question,then is, whether or not one wants to “see different.”
Junko Says: We’re going to run a special 2-month TOEIC course of 16 X
90-minute lessons. We have been successfully teaching this program
outside of Crossroads for a few years already. You can learn overall test
strategies and special strategies for listening and reading. We will also
guide you on how to prepare for the TOEIC at home. If you’d like totake this course, please ask for details at the reception.
Perry Says: As most of you have probably heard, this is my last month at
Crossroads. Next month, I will begin teaching at Kagoshima University, so I’ll
be leaving Matsuyama at the end of March. While I’m excited to take this next
step in my career, I’ve also really enjoyed getting to know all of you and will
miss you. Good luck with your English studies!
Darrin Says: March would have to be my favourite month in Japan. The days

have become comfortable with the knowledge that the last of the really cold
weather is behind us and the parks are starting to become colourful withplum blossom. While I do suffer from allergies that react to the pollen fromthe Japanese red cedar pine, I love how much more cheerful people seem to bein March. How about you? What is your favourite month of the year?
Mandcy dit: Pierre de Ronsard disait que l’ “amour et les fleurs ne durent
qu’un printemps”. Durant la plus jolie saison de l’année, on attends avec
beaucoup d’impatience de contempler la floraison des cerisiers et d’assister àune tempête de neige de fleurs. Une occasion très agréable pour piqueniquer
avec les gens que l’on aime et boire du saké avec modération..... ou pas.
ACROSS
1 bitter conflict
6 a state of having on money
7 earning before tax
8 an uninhabitable wilderness
11 represented graphically
12 specifically or especially
13 much greater in number or influence
14 former prisoner (hyphenated)
12
15 based on imagination
16 an amount that is less
13DOWN
2 turns or tosses over with a sharp movement
3 violated or destroyed by force
4 represented or described
5 not effected or influenced by
9 to gain through effort
10 assistants or companions(print version here)

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Study for the TOEIC – A Special Course
We are going to have a special course at Crossroads for people who want to master theThat’s me!

TOEIC. It will be a two-month course with two 90-minute lesson every week
ora four-month course of one 90-minute lesson each week.
* Our course is designed to teach useful techniques for dealing
confidently with all seven parts of the test.
* We have already been teaching this course for over 6 years
to our business clients with great success.
* It is designed for those who want an impressive TOEIC
score for career advancement.
* We will start each course as soon as we fill each
We want to know your thoughts aboutgroup - 4-6 students per group.
the lessons at Crossroads. Knowing how you* Ask at the office for the details......
feel about studying with us is very important to us.
and.....
let your friends* Do you think you are improving?
know about* Do you have any requests?
this, too!
* Can you understand your teacher?

Questionnaire* Is there something you’d like him to change?
Soon your teacher will hand out one of theses questionnaires in class, If you
miss the handout, please pick one up in the office.
We are looking forward to reading your opinions, so please don’t be shy!!!

E X C L U S I V E L Y
F O O T YRRUEHATDUPS K E P T I C I S M
PITTBTAOAELRTNND
D E V I C E
EDABNE N T I C I N GVUTRNRETSGTHE
W I N D S H I E L DGCHLI N V E N T I V E N E S S

Last Month’s Puzzle Solution
DOWN
ACROSS
1 not divided or shared 2 acknowledged and praised for achieving
somethingwith others
3adistinctive period of time
4 the game of football
5
distinguishedfrom others
8 doubt
6
notarrogant
11 useful equipment,
mechanism or gadget 7 someone who opens a new line of research
9 documents granting sole rights
13 highly attractive
10
something given or shown as a mark of respect
15 most cars have this12
preventing air to enter16 creative thought or14amachine for transporting people and goods
actionDon’t forget… Our SPECIAL 1+1 Campaign offer! Up to 50% off!!
See our notice board, or ask Junko in our office, for the details.