Shadowing Practice: Miku Martineau on ‘Bet’ | The Social - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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All right, welcome back everybody.
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Our next guest is the lead actress of the manga-inspired Netflix series, Bad, where students gamble for power and social status.
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Well, that series follows Yumiko, a mysterious transfer student who aims to upend the school system while on a personal quest for revenge.
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So here to tell us all about her cards and show us her cards is Yumiko herself, played by Miku Martino.
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Miku, welcome to the show show!
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Thank you so much!
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I have a gift for you, too.
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Oh!
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Every girl deserves flowers.
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Oh my goodness.
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Thank you.
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You are, oh my gosh.
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We already loved you.
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We did get the flowers.
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We already loved you.
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I love you guys.
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Oh my gosh, thank you so much.
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This is a first, this is lovely.
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I don't know what to do with myself.
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It's like I got a good date.
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Okay, so let's talk about Bat, because it's inspired by Japanese manga, and you're gonna say kakegurui.
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Kakegurui.
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Did I almost have it?
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You did a good job.
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You did a good job, it's hard.
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Explain to people what that means.
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Kakegurui means compulsive gambler, and that is exactly.
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Huyumako is, she is a teenage gambling addict who is vengeful,
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she's so animated and eccentric and she's just a complete wild card and she's also very charmingly magnetic.
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Ooh, I love that.
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I just learned a new fancy word and I'm gonna use it.
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Well, a lot of people know that anime characters are known to have really distinct voice acting and expressions,
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so did you adapt a similar performance for Bette?
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It's inspired by the manga, so it was definitely important for me to incorporate that manga energy and bring that to life even though,
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you know, we are creating a whole new world.
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She is so iconic because of her, you know, voice inflictions and her physicality and the way she moves and speaks.
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And so that is what makes Yumako iconic.
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And I definitely wanted to do her justice by including that in her performance.
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I'm sure the fans are gonna love it.
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Well, live action adaptations are typically critiqued for not completely following the original anime or manga.
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So is that a live action adaptation or is it more of an original spin-off?
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So it's inspired by the manga, and that's what's so beautiful about creating something that's inspired by something.
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I mean, you get to take the most wonderful themes that makes that show that show, and you also get creative liberty to create this whole new world.
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And that's what we've really done with that.
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And for the first time, we get to truly see what drives Yumiko's madness.
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And if you've read the manga, you would know that in the 17th volume, it is revealed that her parents were murdered.
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And so that's that sense of vengeance.
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And I'm really excited to teach the manga fans more about Yumiko and continue her iconic character.
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I love that.
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I love that.
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So, Miku, what do you think that Bette does differently that's going to make it a success?
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You know, Bette definitely brings that manga energy to life.
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It is so visually beautiful and it's almost edited in a comic-y, like comic book way.
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And the editors did a great job with that.
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And you know, we have a little bit of everything.
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It's funny and it's drama and it's thrilling and there's a lot of action sequences.
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And we also talk about pretty deep topics.
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You know, the core principles are about power dynamics and social status and wealth and the school is very cutthroat.
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And Yumiko really shakes things up when she gets there.
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So it turns out that in the series, there's a lot of fight scenes, which is so bad.
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Beep.
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Yeah.
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Now you are a trained martial artist yourself.
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So do you get a hand in some of this fight scene choreography?
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I love to do action.
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And I was so excited when they told me that there was gonna be a few action sequences.
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And it was actually my idea.
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It was shown in the trailer where I do a one-handed cartwheel with swords in my hand.
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And we were trying to figure it out, how to coordinate it in the stunt room.
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And I was like, oh, why don't I do this?
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And it made it to the real thing.
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And it's awesome.
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That's so cool.
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That is so cool.
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That's so cool.
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Well, speaking, yeah, look at that.
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Speaking of martial arts, you recently worked with the icon, Michelle Yeoh on Star Trek, Section 31.
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Now she's famously known for doing her own stunts.
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What did you learn from her?
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I mean, it was just such an honor to be a part of Section 31.
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The Star Trek legacy is absolutely amazing.
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Michelle Yeoh's legacy is completely amazing.
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She really is a beacon of, sorry, makes me emotional.
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She's a beacon of hope and opportunity for a lot of Asian actors.
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And it's so cool that we have a female Asian lead doing kick-ass roles.
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I mean, that's exactly what I wanna do.
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I love that.
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Living, breathing proof.
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She's living, breathing proof.
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So you're a mixed kid like me and you are of Japanese heritage as well.
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So what does playing Yumiko actually mean to you?
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I mean, it means the world to me.
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I mean, my mom immigrated to Canada from Japan when she was 30 years old, and though I grew up in Canada, I grew up in a culturally Japanese home.
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And being a part of roles that allows me to embrace my culture, learn more about it, and have more conversations with my mom about it,
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and you know, work with dialect coaches for Japanese, it's awesome.
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I mean, it's so special and sentimental to me.
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That's wonderful, that connection.
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All right, so I don't know if a lot of people know this, but anime and manga have enormous fan bases that surpass the country of origin, which is Japan.
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So what do you think differentiates this from other art forms and makes it so popular?
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I mean, manga is just unlike no other.
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They really push the boundaries and that's what our entire show is about.
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You never know how far the characters are gonna go.
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We keep people on the edge of their seats.
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It gets crazier and crazier in each episode.
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and you know, you don't think it could get crazier
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and then they just push the limits and that's what I love about Manga.
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Well, they got the right person to do it.
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Yes, they do.
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Thank you.
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Congratulations.
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We wish you all the success in the world.
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Thank you.
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Truly, truly.
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Thank you again.
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I know, thanks for the promise.
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I know, it's beautiful.
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I am so sweet.
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We wanna tell everybody that Bette comes out this Thursday.
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That is May the 15th.
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Support her, support Canadian.
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Yes.
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That's our girl.
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Nikki, thank you again so, so much.
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Thank you so much.
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Thank you.
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Hey you, come a bit closer.
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We've got so many more must-see interviews, spicy debates, lifestyle tips, and pop culture moments.
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So subscribe to our channel by tapping the logo below and don't miss out.

Why practice speaking with this video?

This engaging interview with actress Miku Martineau provides an excellent opportunity for English learners to practice their speaking skills in a lively context. The discussion revolves around her role in the manga-inspired Netflix series Bet, allowing you to immerse yourself in the world of entertainment while enhancing your language abilities. By utilizing the shadowing technique with this video, learners can mimic Miku's expressive and animated speech, helping to build confidence and fluency.

Practicing with this video not only improves your pronunciation but also exposes you to natural conversational patterns. As you shadow Miku, you’ll pick up colloquial phrases, emotional inflections, and the rhythm of conversational English—elements that are often overlooked in traditional language study but are critical for authentic communication.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In this video, several key structures and expressions stand out:

  • Descriptive Adjectives: Phrases like “compulsive gambler” and “charming magnetic” vividly paint a picture of the character Yumiko. This variation in descriptors can enrich your vocabulary and improve your descriptive skills.
  • Direct Speech: Miku often uses direct quotes and questions, such as "Did I almost have it?" This form of interaction engages listeners, making your conversation style more dynamic.
  • Conditional Sentences: Miku hints at possibilities with phrases like "if you've read the manga." Practicing these structures can help you articulate your thoughts more clearly and conditionally when discussing hypothetical situations.

By incorporating these structures into your shadow speech practice, you can create more nuanced sentences in your own conversations.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While shadowing this video, pay careful attention to some pronunciation challenges:

  • Manga: Commonly mispronounced, its pronunciation should be /ˈmæŋɡə/ (man-gah) not '/mang-ah/'. Getting this right enriches your understanding and appreciation of Japanese culture.
  • Vengeful: Make sure to emphasize the second syllable: ven-GEF-ul. This distinction can change the meaning if mispronounced.
  • Iconic: Miku pronounces this word with a stress on the second syllable (i-KON-ik). Correct pronunciation helps in expressing admiration for something renowned or memorable.

Utilizing a shadowing app can facilitate practice by providing instant feedback on your pronunciation. By focusing on these tricky words throughout your shadowing sessions, you’ll enhance your speaking fluency and overall confidence in English.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.