Note this club is based on the originally published series. If you have the bis version the content will be mostly the same but there are differences in page numbers and chapter titles
Schedule
Important Info
Make sure to use the half of the table that matches your version of the books! Left half for original, right half for bis!
*bis readers will have to do some jumping about as the chapters are in different orders
Original has some coloured pages at the beginning that are scattered in the different bis volumes, feel free to read them as you come across them in your different versions
Thanks to @Micki for providing the bis information
Discussion Questions
What was your favourite joke each week?
What is your favourite picture each week?
Spoiler Courtesy
Please follow these rules to avoid inadvertent ネタバレ. If you’re unsure whether something should have a spoiler tag, err on the side of using one.
Any potential spoiler for the current week’s reading need only be covered by a spoiler tag. Predictions and conjecture made by somebody who has not read ahead still falls into this category.
Any potential spoilers for external sources need to be covered by a spoiler tag and include a label (outside of the spoiler tag) of what might be spoiled. These include but are not limited to: other book club picks, other books, games, movies, anime, etc. I recommend also tagging the severity of the spoiler (for example, I may still look at minor spoilers for something that I don’t intend to read soon).
Any information from later in the book than the current week’s reading (including trigger warnings that haven’t yet manifested) needs to be hidden by spoiler tags and labeled as coming from later sections.
Instructions for Spoiler Tags
Click the cog above the text box and use either the “Hide Details” or “Blur Spoiler” options. The text which says “This text will be hidden” should be replaced with what you are wishing to write. In the case of “Hide Details”, the section in the brackets that is labelled “Summary” can be replaced with whatever you like also (i.e, [details=”Chapter 1, Pg. 1”]).
Hide Details results in the dropdown box like below:
Example
This is an example of the “Hide Details” option.
The “Blur Spoiler” option will simply blur the text it surrounds.
This is an example of the “Blur Spoiler” option.
Posting Advice
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, someone else might be struggling with the same thing you are and its a great opportunity to help each other out!
Please mention the page number and book version (orig or bis) if you’re asking help on a specific section so people can find it easily (or week number)
You can search to see if someone has already asked your question!
Do join in with the conversation even just to share your thoughts on the current chapters.
Don’t forget to set this thread to Watching to get updates on the discussion!
Amazing how many manga characters take a trip to Okinawa (although sadly the Shirokuma cafe crew don’t end up going there in the end). I remembered the Chiura aquarium from another manga we read in beginner book club last year which was nice. Clearly a famous tourist spot.
When Panda says めんそ〜れ〜 this is apparently Okinawa dialect for “welcome”. Perhaps the equivalent of a picture of someone in Hawaii saying Aloha!
I learned that しといて is the ておく grammar point, and it says:
ておく is sometimes contracted to とく (or どく in verbs where て would usually be said as で). Although this is not excessively common in conversation, it is very common in drama, manga, and similar media.
In the bis version there’s also a recipe for the シャカシャカバター。
Shirokuma and the kangaro (?) trying to setup a 祝福のキス (しゅくふくのキス)from Sasako, not cool without Sasako’s consent, imho. I imagine it’s supposed to be a fun, light-hearted joke, but it rubbed me the wrong way.
Ah, the heart shaped straw with the fireworks?! I think it’s funny too (if I’m understanding the story correctly) that they turned off the lights to make a dramatic presentation for the mango smoothie!
I read it as Handa had been to this store before (maybe with another girlfriend or something? I haven’t read book 2 or 3 yet, so maybe I’m missing something) because when they enter, Handa says (mutters):
He’s been there with Shirokuma asking him about Sasako. So basically a lot of the humour around Handa and Sasako centers on all the animals knowing Handa has a crush on Sasako but hasn’t asked her out yet
I also thought it was funny that Handa thought Shirokuma let him win the cooking showdown, but it was really Otter and Red Panda that sabotaged Shirokuma!
Yes, I thought so too! The basic outline of the story from what I gathered… Shirokuma wants to ask Sasako out for a date under the guise of an employee trip (maybe I’m reading too much into that part), but Panda wants to go too. Next chapter Handa asks out Sasako to go camping, but again Panda again wants to go. So they all end up going camping and to compete for Sasako’s heart, Shirokuma and Handa have a cook-off. Handa wins but there’s there’s the sabotage spin! What a story!
Here are some points where I had a different understanding- but not saying I’m right!
I thought the trip was because business was slow and it could be a tax write off? What have you the vibes that Shirokuma wanted to ask out Sasako? I might have missed something…
I understood this as, they were having a hard time agreeing to where the Shirokuma cafe trip should go, and Handa’s idea was to go camping. Red panda did some background maneuvering to get Handa on the trip
It made sense in my head when I was reading it (because it sets up the cooking duel between Handa and Shirokuma)! But it sounds like I was connecting dots that shouldn’t have been connected!
Oh! I thought Red Panda was tipping off Shirokuma! Oh well, it’s definitely fun reading even if I’m not grasping the details correctly!
lol, that’s ok, keep posting things like that and I’m sure someone will pipe up if it seems you misunderstood anything. It’s nice to read something just at the edge of comprehension like this, it will be really enjoyable if you reread it in a year as you’ll discover more nuance and see how far you’ve come in the meantime!
Yeah, I am learning so much about coffee! I was actually given a coffee siphon for Christmas. Haven’t had a chance to use it yet but will be making some showy coffee for friends soon! With freshly ground beans obviously…
Chapter 67
So I had to look up Cocohana - turns out it’s the manga that Shirokuma Cafe comes from. Perhaps you all already knew that but I didn’t!
But on reading more I found that it is a josei manga - aimed at adult females! Maybe I should have realised when it was full of cute animals and sexy male florists. Luckily there is a new Dragon Ball SD coming out soon and I can get back to aliens and prolonged fight sequences…
I love these penguins, their enthusiasm to get that card game selling is fantastic
Did I mention coincidentally my aunt sent a calendar of penguins to me for Christmas?! I feel so smug recognising them
Week 3 ch 7-9 / bis 67-69
Thanks for the Cocohana heads up!!
All this coffee enthusiasm and knowledge is dangerous - I’ve been educating my SO and he’s looking into a mini roaster. The one he found looks almost exactly like the one kangaroo uses! It’s impressive how accurately drawn this manga is
Just had a mini heart attack because I thought there were only 3 weeks left in the club, but then realized the og version has 5 volumes Phew, I can still catch up!