[82riceballs]

i think [mandarin] chinese will help you with ur japanese (that is if ur very devoted). the only reason i think this way is b/c i'm a native speaker of mandarin and i learn japanese a lot quicker than, say, the average american (no offense) who is equally as devoted cuz i have the advantage of knowing the definition of kanji so i can concentrate wholly on pronunciation. but, idk... maybe someone who is japanese native speaker can tell you the opposite... just choose the one you would be willing to be more devoted to, k? good luck =)