Love that Kei brought an analogue camera with her on the trip. The author managed to predict that in the future teenagers would enjoy using retro technology for taking photos. What he missed though was that we’d all be taking photos on our smartphones, and that digital cameras would be what the cool kids are going back to.
I do like her perverse logic that her battery ran out last year - so instead of bringing a couple of spare batteries she thought it was easier to bring a bag full of camera film! (and pay for all the processing…)
Ooo, just noticed a reference I missed the first time around: when Kei is describing their itinerary on page 40, the imaginary Kei who’s stargazing is singing 見上げてごらん夜の星を, which also served as the anime’s ending theme. I linked this one before, back in volume three.
Page 43, the sudden quiz about Alan Shepard was a callback to chapter 30 (volume 7), the last time they visited this place.
Page 63, in the Edo period, Tamaya and Kagiya were rival firework manufacturers. They would periodically have fireworks battles, at which supporters of each manufacturer would show support for their chosen faction by shouting their names. Over time, shouting “Tamaya!” and “Kagiya!” became a general thing that you do to show appreciation for fireworks displays. Kei is adding “Fuchuya!” here as well, because they also make fireworks.
Page 76 third panel, I dunno what the game Fuchiya and Suzuki are playing is called, but the aim is for each player to take it in turns to scoop as much sand away as they dare without letting the stick fall. Whoever drops the stick loses.
Page 88 fourth panel, Kei is singing ひこうき雲, which she also sang back in volume 8, so I guess her repertoire is a bit limited. Not, I notice, the song she imagined she’d be singing in this scene.
Thanks for the notes, they were helpful reading the chapter.
I’ve heard of gold fishing scooping, and powerball scooping, but not yoyo tsuri! I didn’t think they looked much like yo-yos, and that’s because they are not! Yoyo tsuri is catching water balloons with a string made of paper attached to a hook.
Page 98, I find it kinda interesting that mum’s grave is marked with a crucifix. I guess it’s kinda just seen as something that you typically mark graves with.
Fuchuya removing the signs he put up for the fireworks show is something I wasn’t expecting to surprise me. I guess that’s how japan has that image of being so clean, everyone cleans after themselves.
I struggled with the word on the left on the back of this jacket. It didn’t help that I read the middle character as え instead of 之. From the later dialogue I figure this says せんのすけ and is older brother’s given name. Younger brother is 慎之介.
When I put Tsukuba into my dictionary the first hit was Tsukuba University, but I assume they are referring to Tsukuba Space Centre, which is a JAXA facility north east of Tokyo. Tsukuba Space Center - Wikipedia
This week we learnt that the kids are still traumatised by that entrance exam in volume 1!
Is there trouble in store for Shuu? He’s got a long physical exam coming up. We saw him having a nosebleed recently. Is there a medical issue that is going to scupper his astronaut plans…?
