ドラえもん ・ Doraemon 🤖 (ABBC) Week 5

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Week 5 11 Jan 2025
Start Page 39
End Page 51
Chapters おくれカメラ and ひっこしちず
Last week Week 4
Next week Week 6
Home Thread Here

Page numbers are the ones printed on the bottom of the pages. These may differ from the numbering in digital versions.

Last panel: end of episode

:mag_right: Vocabulary

Vocabulary spreadsheet

Characters

Japanese English role photo
ドラえもん Doraemon main character - a robot-like cat from the future sent by Nobita’s great-great-grandfather
野比 のび太・ のび のびた Nobita Nobi main character

:speech_balloon: Discussion Guidelines

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
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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”]).

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  • Be sure to join the conversation! It’s fun, and it’s what keeps these book clubs lively! There’s no such thing as a stupid question! We are all learning here, and if the question has crossed your mind, there’s a very good chance it has crossed somebody else’s also! Asking and answering questions is a great learning opportunity for everyone involved, so never hesitate to do so!

:rocket: Discussion questions

What do you think about this week’s invention from the future?

:fire: Participation

Will you be reading along with us this week?
  • I’m reading along
  • I’m still reading but haven’t reached this point yet
  • I’ve already read previously but I’m here for the discussion
  • I’m reading this after the book club has finished
  • I’ve stopped reading this book
0 voters
1 Like

:boom: 2 more super fun episodes this week :boom:

More creative problem solving this week. How would you use these inventions? :thinking:

:star:This week’s tip :star:

Don’t get frustrated with all the うつ’s in the first story!!! Life’s too short. I’ve put in some hints below.

the うつ's

There are three different verbs being used. Collect them all!
写す Where? P. 41 panel 12, P 42, panel 23, 25, P 43 panel 29 etc. Meaning: to photograph (something)
映る Where? P. 42 panel 22 Meaning: to come out (in a photograph)
写る Where? P. 43, panel 28 Meaning: to be photographed

7 Likes

The うつ’s definitely got me :sweat_smile:

おくれカメラ (Okure camera/delay camera?)

Page 1

Waa…

What’s making you sigh like that?

What are you worried about? (Where is the worry?)

Page 2

When I got back from the tobacco store…

Ehh? You lost your wallet?

Next, I returned (to the store) but couldn’t find it.

Mom will get mad if she hears.

Our mom is scary when she’s mad!

What’s scary?

No no, it’s nothing!

If I can’t smoke tomorrow, I won’t be able to eat oden.

Papa’s pitiful.

We should help him somehow.

Maybe we can use this (か ending?)

Okure camera! (delay camera)

Page 3

Instead of now, the camera photographs things that happened a little while ago.

For example, it can show us what happened in this room thirty minutes ago.

The memory will appear. (is 目もり a pun?)

Ah, it already did it.

And so, thirty minutes ago I was eating a dorayaki.

You sneak, it was all you!

It was just the one.

With this, Papa can search for his wallet quickly.

They sell tobacco at that store over there.

Page 4

It was about forty minutes ago.

Show the memory from forty minutes ago.

The wallet is there (“that’s a hit”?)

There was a period from here until the house.

Let’s return to photographing.

He turned the corner…ran into Tachibana…turned the corner again…

That’s a rare/special camera, take a picture!

We’re busy…

Page 5

Strange guy.

What’s with this picture?

It photographed what was there forty minutes ago.

The photographers take photographs!

However, it seems the wallet hasn’t fallen out.

Huh? Papa has disappeared.

Where could he have gone?

Let’s photograph all over.

There he is.

A little while ago, they played baseball here.

Papa watched that.

Page 6

He wanted to become their coach.

To show he could do it.

Aaa!

He fell down here.

But, there’s nothing here.

Someone could have picked it up.

Let’s take a picture showing the memory of that time.

It seems a dog picked it up.

It ran straight down this road.

If we miss it (lose track of it?), we’re in trouble!

It jumped in this window.

Page 7

Sorry!

There it is!

What a great camera!

I want to borrow it too!

Sure, sure!

It’ll show whoever secretly ate the dorayaki in the closet!

Who do you think secretly ate the dorayaki in the closet? (Well, you already know.)

story 1:
word I liked - なんとか - somehow
Anime translation of the invention is simply “Delay camera”
OOF this was a complicated one. Constant (intentional?) confusion with 写す and 映す
This invention was kind of meh but it’d probably make for a fun detective story.

ひっこしちず (Moving map)

Page 1

Nobita-kun, you’re late again.

Page 2

You should get faster.

As for me, I’m never late.

My house is next to the school.

Wow, how nice!

How nice, how nice…

Move our house next to the school too!

What are you saying?

Let’s move the school next to the house.

Here, the “moving map”!

This is the school, over by this house.

Peel off the school…

Page 3

You peel off whatever house is next to it.

Switch them, and stick them back on.

And then, what happens?

Go take a look out the window.

Whaaat?

The school is next door!

The folding of the map did it.

Now you won’t be late ever again.

Thanks to Doraemon!

This is bad, now I can’t go to the tobacco store.

Page 4

Mr tobacco store too, in the front garden.

Let’s move the tobacco store man facing here.

Please!

Huh, I just said to go!

Cool! Let’s move more to make the town more useful!

Page 5

Let’s put our house in the park.

Let’s put our friend Shizu-chan’s house next door.

We should put the candy store nearby too.

Put the bully’s house far away.

Mama went on an errand in the fog and can’t get back.

Maybe-!

The house wasn’t where she thought it would be.

Let’s go find her! (welcome her?)

Where could she be?

The supermarket isn’t here?

I put the supermarket on the bread shop’s corner…

The bread shop was over that way…

Page 6

It’s not over there?

I don’t know which way!

Where’s the police box?

Nobi-chan!

I’m a lost child! (We’re lost!)

Heyy, over here!

It was a bad prank.

Put it back how it was!

story 2:
word I liked - いじめっこ - bully, いたずら - prank
Anime translation of the invention is simply “Moving map”
Much easier time with this story than the last one.
This invention would be super useful but I feel like I’d end up with leftover pieces and not know where they went, etc.

3 Likes

Something that took me a while to figure out

Page 48, Panel 11

うちのとなりをなんげんかはがす。

I was really perplexed by なんげんか but apparently it’s how you read 何軒か, several houses.

Relevant grammar point - なん + counter + か (JLPT N4) | Bunpro

9 Likes

Whoof, just got through the delay camera story this felt like the toughest one yet. I really struggled to follow vocabulary, even with the うつ guide.

Very fun invention and I continue to love the creativity of these. I’m sad I never ran into English translations of Doreamon when I was a kid, these are all great. Of course I’m even sadder that I didn’t learn Japanese as a kid, ha!

6 Likes

I would definitely use the map to put an ice cream shop right next to my house, amd then immediately move it back once I’ve got my ice cream.

For the camera, I’d probably use it to get more pictures of my dog.

3 Likes

Made it through! Not sure if I would use these inventions for much. Maybe the map one would be nice for free and easy transport? Here are some questions:

おくれカメラ
Pg 41, panel 13, what is the か in between どうなっていた and みたければ?

Pg 44, panel 35.
I roughly get the meaning of it, but what verb does よせばいいのに come from? 止す (to stop?), meaning “You should stop” Or perhaps more politely “It would be good if you stopped.”

Pg 44, panel 39, does this mean something like “If we fail to catch/find (the dog), it will be awful”?

ひっこしらず

Why is Doraemon white all of a sudden?

Pg 47, panel 6. Under what circumstance can you use いってん here? Is it short for 言っているん?

I was translating it as “What are you saying/talking about?” in a “that’s ridiculous” kind of meaning.

Thanks for clearing up なんげんか. That stumped me too.

Thanks!

2 Likes

おくれカメラ

P 41

It’s the question particle か

This is an interesting device used a lot in Japanese. When you’re wondering something like here ‘how did it look’, then that is treated like a nested question with the question particle か. You’re probably already used to this when there is a question ahead of a quoting particle, the question particle is used, but even here: “If we could see… how did it look?” If what is ahead of a conditional (みたければ) is a question, then the question particle is included in that. It feels unnatural, since in English we muse questions all the time without the question punctuation mark and there is no grammatical mark for it aside from the question word (here: how).

I hope that makes sense!

P 44

止す is what I think makes sense here, too.

The conditional えば form plus いい literally means what you said: “It would be good if he…
And is a grammar point for “he should have…” or can be used direction to someone to express your opinion - I think you should…

Just to go a bit further on why 止す makes sense:


As far as I can tell from the expression on the player’s face and the text (コーチしてあげるなんて、でしゃばって), the dad was butting into the game, which you got the meaning of. But the implication is, the dad went further than just coaching. He should have stopped (at giving some unsolicited advice), but from the photos they see he kept going, probably insisted on actually batting and making a run around the bases. So they’re basically saying, well, he should have stopped (at the advice, and not continued playing).

yep! A bit more like, if he slips away it will be tough, but you got the gist

Panel 39


I love this scene! It’s such a fun idea that since they set the camera at a fixed time in the past, they have to move as fast as the action in the past to see what happens next :joy:

ひっこしちず

P 47

Yes, it’s a less formal version of it short for 言っているん. Replacing the いる or る with ん is more slangy and used with friends.

3 Likes

Nice ideas! With the ひっこしちず I would totally move my house away from the busy road it’s on and put it near the forest side of town. Then I thought I might feel bad about moving someone here… but then I remembered, there are lots of empty houses, I’ll just swap with one of those :smirk:

The camera story was my favorite so far I love the pacing in that story. I’m not sure what I would use it for! Maybe taking nature photos. First I could sit and watch a sunset or an animal and be in the moment. Then once it’s over/gone I would take photos

3 Likes

Hi, I’m joining late. I’m starting at chapter five and will try to read the first four as I’m able. I just read pages 39-40 on Book Walker. I had to look up a bunch of the vocabulary on Jisho.org. It was likely more than I should have because I haven’t studied in so long. I’ll go back and read over the comments as I catch up to everyone :slight_smile:

Side note-I have a Doraemon:Story of Seasons (Harvest Moon) game that I haven’t gotten around to playing yet. It will be cool to read about the origins of the characters, first.

4 Likes

waving :wave: great to see you here, and way to take advantage of the episodic nature of the manga to jump right in with the club. I’m sure you’ll get back into the groove faster than you think :sun_with_face:

that game looks so cute :heart_eyes: let us know how it is when you get to it!

2 Likes

I’ve been quite busy this week, so I only now have got around to this week’s chapters! People have answered most of my questions but here is one more.

おくれカメラ

P 44

じかんの目もりをずらしながらうつしてみよう。
P 44, panel 37

I need a bit of help with this sentence.

From jisho.org, I got this:
目もり = 目盛り = gradations (on a ruler, thermometer, etc.); division; scale (like on the camera?)
ずらす = to move (an appointment, meeting, etc.); to bring forward; to put back; to put off; to delay; to postpone; to stagger (e.g. working hours)

and I’m assuming うつしてみよう is let’s take a photo and see? I just can’t wrap my head around the translation, but maybe it’s obvious :sweat_smile:

All my questions are answered for the ひっこしちず story! Thanks everyone!

As for the おくれカメラ I would probably use it for ordinary things like taking candid photos of friends, family, animals and nature - sometimes a person or camera in your face just takes away the authenticity of the moment. You’d be able to get really close up to where birds or easily startled animals were! Things like that - kind of along the lines of what @mitrac said about taking photos once sunsets or an animal is over/gone.

As for the ひっこしちず invention, I feel like there’s so much room for things to go wrong that I’d like to keep that far away from me :joy: If I was braver then that would be so cool!

2 Likes
P 44, panel 37

The 時間の目盛り in question is depicted on P41 panel 14. I guess you could call it a “time dial”.
ずらす in general means “to shift” or “to move” (something somewhere else, to a different position).
ながら is “while doing” ながら (JLPT N4) | Bunpro
うつしてみよう - your interpretation is close enough, it’s the volitional form of “try to do” てみる (JLPT N4) | Bunpro

So, it’s something like “Let’s try taking pictures while [moving|adjusting] the time dial”

Note that its plural “pictures” and not a single shot. This is indicated by ながら implying both actions are continuous, and also by Nobita juggling several pictures on panel 39.

4 Likes

Hello, everyone! Finally caught up with y’all :tada::tada::tada:

おくれカメラ

Gotta start this by thanking @mitrac for the list with the うつ’s. That helped a lot. Thank you so much!
This one was really funny. Nobita’s dad seems like one of those はじめてのおつかい kids that loose focus of the task in hand and end up just doing whatever seems fun :joy:

ひっこしちず

Ok, I loved this one. This invention seems so cool! Loved the vocabulary and what places they chose to move around. Moving the bully’s house further away was hilarious :joy:
Do you guys thing there’s a international version of this map? I’d love one to move my house to the countries I’d like to visit someday hehehe.

4 Likes

Hi, it’s my first time reading a book since starting wanikani. I have a question regarding ambiguity. Do I need to understand why each particle, each tense and each construction was used? Do I just go until there’s something that stops the flow? Thanks in advance.

4 Likes

Welcome!

There are different ways of reading, and it’s valuable to do both - ie looking up a lot (intensive) vs moving along if you are understanding it (extensive). So there isn’t a “right” answer, but here are some thoughts to consider.

What has worked well for me is to read some books extensively and others intensively as they have different advantages. You can choose or mix these approaches depending on what you need. For example, I normally enjoy reading extensively too relax, but it can be interesting to get into more detail for some mangas and books. When I see the same unknown grammar or vocab words over and over, though, for sure I’ll look into it.

Reading other people’s questions and answers on a book club is also good intensive practice.

I hope that helps!

6 Likes

I just finished reading both chapters. Good to see the information on intensive vs extensive reading. Two chapters per week is a pretty good pace for this book as it is very intensive for me at this time.

I’ll keep that distinction in mind going further onto my next books. Intensive reading feels like it is a good method to push yourself, but extensive reading certainly seems more enjoyable so we don’t get burnt out. I can see how mixing both approaches can be a solid approach for continuing studies.

5 Likes

I know, right? My current method is to read every chapter twice, once as extensive reading and once again as intensive reading.
That way I can use my knowledge and context cues to understand the overall message and the second time I can refine the information I already gathered in the first time.
It helps that the chapters are quite short :smiling_face:

5 Likes

Fantastic strategy! It can also help to make new words more memorable

4 Likes

I’m up to page 45. I’m reading a couple of pages a day, but I’m going to have to pick up the pace to keep up. The grammar is still difficult at times, but I’m able to follow the story pretty well (pictures help). I’ll continue studying my grammar texts, and it should get a lot easier.

2 Likes