I enjoyed it a lot more through the book club than when I tried to read through it on my own previously. Having people to answer questions and comment on a shared experience really made a difference. Of course I like this manga enough to have all 12 volumes in English, and it’s easy enough that it’s encouraging about progress. Makes me want to collect the Japanese volumes too (when they go on sale again). I’ll stay on the lookout for more promotions where the first volume is free again so people can join in later on too.
まあ いいじゃないか ちょっと くらい…
まあ - well
いいじゃないか - that’s not good, is it?
ちょっと - a little
くらい - approximately
“Well, that’s not good is it? A little, approximately…” Question: I’ve no idea what he’s saying here…!
よくない 買った ばっかり! 本革! ５万!
“It’s not good! We only just bought [that couch]! Genuine leather! 50,000 yen!
ツメとぎ器 買ってくる から
“I’ll go and buy some nail clippers” Question: not sure what the から is doing here
ねえ このジーパン 洗ったほうが いいんじゃないの
“Hey, these jeans need a wash don’t they?” Question: ほうがいい means “it’d be better to”, but does adding the んじゃない do anything more than just add the tag question?
スソも 切らないと 長いし ボロボロ だよ
スソ - hem
も - also
切らないと - if don’t cut
長い - long
し - indicating one of many reasons
ボロボロ - worn out, scruffy
だ - copula
よ - sentence ending particle
“If you don’t also cut this hem, because it’s long, it will be tatty”
だめだよ - no way!
この風合いが イイ感じ なんだから - “because it feels good like this” Question: what is the なんだ dong in this sentence?
だから スソだって あえて切って ないんだぞ
だから - so
スソ - hem
だって - (1) after all, because (2) but (3) even, etc
あえて - (1) purposely (2) not necessarily (3) definitely not
切って - te-form of 切る, to cut
ない - negative
ん - explanation particle
だ - copula
ぞ - masc sentence ending particle
“So, I’m definitely not going to cut the hem” Question: I have no idea how だって and あえて work, and I don’t know why 切る is in the te-form
Looks like that first one uses that “いいじゃないか” as in “Isn’t it okay?” The ちょっとくらい likely refers to it only being a little bit of damage. “It’s only a little.” To which the mom replies that it is in fact not okay.
The から likely indicates an unspoken part of the sentence. “I’ll go and buy some nail clippers (so calm down)”
I get the sense of “should” from the ほうがいい which with the じゃない makes it feel like “shouldn’t you?”
The なんだ is indeed the explanation. Since 感じ is a noun, it requires the な before the の.
I’m not 100% sure about this last one so I checked the English version. “The hems are supposed to be let out.” Obviously not a direct translation, but it does hint to the “also” or “even” meaning of だって. あえて is an adverb describing the 切る so to necessarily cut. I’d probably translate it as “You’re not necessarily supposed to cut the hems.”
Since you have the かな〜 there at the end, the person is probably not talking about their own understanding, but about Chi:
“I think she doesn’t understand it, does she?” / “I wonder if she doesn’t understand it”
With the exclamation mark at the end, I would have expected something like ものか there instead of のか, to make the meaning more into “as if there’s any way she would understand it”, but if it’s just “のか!”, I guess it’s just a standard question? If that fits the context, it’s probably correct.
The sentence order is basically converted:
the standard sentence would be わかってくれるのはチーだけだよ
However in colloquial speech sometimes you say something first, and then add more context afterwards, because maybe you noticed it’s not really clear what you mean. Like in this case, where the topic of the sentence is added at the end to make it clearer what the チーだけだよ is referring to.
Finished the last two chapters! I found it an overall pleasant read, something “light” that didn’t require looking up as much like with Shirokuma Cafe.
I haven’t participated as much in the threads because I could read it comfortably, maybe one or two words from Chi tripped me up occasionally.
I might check out the anime or the second volume if I feel like it, but as of now I’m excited for the next book.
Did you like it? And was it difficult for you?:3
