時をかける少女: Week 2 Discussion (Chapter 2)

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Chapter 2: ラベンダーのかおり

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Start Date: December 1st
Previous Chapter: Chapter 1
Next Chapter: Chapter 3

Vocabulary List

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There are some difficult sentences in this chapter. Here are my attempts to translate the sentences I had most trouble with, hopefully they are correct. Along with some questions. Sorry about missing page numbers, but I have no idea what they are (I use the Kindle version and the entire chapter two is on 3.5 pages for me, which don’t have any numbers.)

すると、このドアから逃げたのでもない。

Then, he didn’t escape from this door. Why のでもない is used here and what exactly does it mean? What’s the difference between this form and simply にげなかった?

かの女は机の上にふたをとったままおかれている三つの薬びんのうちの一つをとりあげ、そのレッテルを読もうとした。だが、読めなかった。She picked up one of the three vials which were left on the desk with removed lids and tried to read the label, but she couldn’t read it. This まま stuff always drives me crazy.

それから、一、二分して、一夫と吾朗は、もうすっかり帰りじたくをすませ、理科教室へもどってきた。 Then, after one or two minutes, Kazuo and Gorou returned to the science classroom, ready to go home (= completely finished their preparations for going home). 一、二分して = after one or two minutes?

一夫は色の白い顔にとぼけたような表情を浮かべたまま、黒い瞳をくるくるまわし、開いたままの、理科実験室のドアをさしていった。 Still with a blank expression on his white face, Kazuo rotated his black eyeballs, and said, pointing at the science laboratory door which was still open.

「ばかだなあ、そんなことがあるもんか」 Idiot, it’s definitely not that.

和子は注射一本で、すぐに気づいた。After receiving a shot, Kazuko immediately regained consciousness. WTF, the science teacher gave her a shot himself? (As far as I understand the doctor still didn’t appear.)

「おいおい。貧血はぜったい安静だよ。だいじょうぶかい？」“Wait a minute! Anemia is absolute rest (?). Are you okay?” What does the middle sentence mean? Does it mean “Anemia requires absolute rest”? And then it’s enough for Kazuko to say “I’m okay” and he lets her stand up and go to the classroom? That’s kind of weird…

いちど母にラベンダーのにおいのする香水をかがしてもらったことがあるんです。Once my mother let me smell a scent of a perfume with lavender fragrance. Is it correct?

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I don’t have time for a proper answer, but:

  • でもない is “not… either”. I think it takes a noun, which is why you have the nominalisation の
    (Actually still looked it up, and that’s pretty much it)

  • rotated his eyeballs-> rolled his eyes

  • There’s indeed no doctor.

  • Anemia absolutely requires rest. And yeah, he is pretty lenient…

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Seeing this now, I’m not sure of my own interpretation. I thought she took a lid from the table, then picked up one of the three.

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@twktg’s translation is correct.
I think your problem comes from missing the まま in とったまま (so it’s not her picking it up, it was left removed).
I hope it helps :slight_smile:

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I’m surprised with how much quicker it’s going. I’ve read half of the chapter already and feel quite confident. Here are some questions:
Kadokawa Page 12:
しかし、消えたとしかいいようのない、ふしぎな事件だ。

However, there is no other way to describe the disappearance as a strange event.

So far as I understand it “AとしかいいようのないB” means A cannot be described other than B. Is that on the right track?

和子はそのにおいがなんなのか、ぼんやりと記憶しているように思った。
I don’t understand how ように思う is working here. She’s thinking 記憶しているly right? She is thinking of vague memories?

Kadokawa Page 13:
そして、ゆっくりと、くずれるように、床の上に倒れふしてしまったのである。

Slowly, as though she was slowly collapsing, she fell flat on her face onto the floor.?

一夫は色の白い顔にとぼけたような表情を浮かべたまま、黒い瞳をくるくるまわし、開いたままの理科実験室のドアをさしていった。
I’m quite confused about the first clause here… @twktg’s translation helps a bit but I can’t seem to get it. A breakdown or explanation would be greatly appreciated :smiley:

And thank you @Naphthalene, that makes sense

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Nice! :durtle_noice:

Yes, but here B is 事件, so the translation would be something like

there’s no other way to describe the (strange) event as a disappearance rather than the other way around :sweat_smile: (I tried to actually translate the sentence, but it sounds super awkward in English…)

Aaaaand that’s all the time I have for now.
I shouldn’t be on the Internet to begin with D:

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:confetti_ball:

Almost there~ Thank youuu

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If that’s correct, then it’s not the other way around, right? A is “it disappeared” which is being described, and B is “mysterious incident” which is the description.

Maybe There’s no other way to describe how it disappeared other than as a mysterious incident.

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I would just like to formally record my excitement at seeing 彼女 written with 2 kanji on p14 of the Kadokawa edition. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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No, sorry, my “yes” meant “yes, you are on the right track, but it’s the other way around”.
That’s what I get for rushing my posts.

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It’s the other way around from that explanation. It’s that B can’t be describes as anything other than A
消えたとしか言いようのない、ふしぎな事件 means A mysterious event that can only be called a disappearance (it vanishing)

Consider the fundamental grammer, which is 〜ようのない, which means that it’s impossible to do something. Combining しか means it’s impossible not to do something, and xとしか言いようのない means it’s impossible not to say x

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Ah, got it. いいよう way of saying. いいようがない there is no way of saying. しか other than. It all makes sense now

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I’ll try…
表情 - facial expression
浮かべる - to show on one’s face
まま - remaining in a certain state
一夫は … 表情を浮かべたまま - Kazuo … still showed a facial expression
色の白い顔に - on white face
とぼける - to have a blank facial expression
ような - similar to
とぼけたような表情 - “a facial expression similar to having a blank facial expression” (in other words, a blank expression)
Wheat lead me to “Still with a blank expression on his white face, …”

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Thanks a bunch! I get it now. I think the double up of 白い顔 and とぼける was confusing me

So it’d literally be: Other than a disappearance, there is no other way of saying a strange event, right? I think that makes sense now~

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There is no mention of an injection in my version (Kadokawa Tsubasa)

Just

「うん、貧血だな」
先生は和子をちょっと診察して、そういった。
和子はすぐに気づいた。

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Okay, I’m not crazy, then! Good.
(I don’t have the book with me, so I couldn’t check, but I felt weird to have missed something like that)

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Can I just say - compared to my experience with Kiki, it is insane how much better this novel is going! I’m not sure if it’s something about the way the book is written, or if it’s just the fact that I’ve had more reading practice since then (with manga etc), or if it’s the fact that the chapters on this one are so much shorter…I know it’s not the copious amounts of grammar study I’ve been avoiding doing.:roll_eyes: In any case, I dropped out of Kiki after the first chapter, but I actually feel good about my chances of finishing this one, which is not at all how I expected to feel.

So…yeah! I’m excited, and I feel like I actually understand what’s going on most of the time! Plus, this story has really grabbed my attention so far. I’m interested to see what happens next. :smiley:

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kiki has no furigana. the writing style isn’t that different, difficulty-wise.

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Some versions do.

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