Ok, it does stand out when I checked on Kindle itself! Maybe resizing won’t break it, but when a bold font is used, it’s clearly visible!
6 Likes
It’s tagged as ‘gaiji’ within the source code.
4 Likes
My favourite new vocab is 因果関係. Really that whole section was great for me to translate, and despite this book being a new level for me (kanji, grammar, and content-wise) it hasn’t been too difficult! 
I really like the line 「命を奪うものが、命を造る役目を担う。」Something about the balance implied appeals to me.
Enjoying the read so far, and excited to see more about this strange world.
5 Likes
Here is some more context about gaiji
Japanese script reform - Wikipedia
Crucial bit:
Increased use of kana to kanji conversion on word processors and computers during the mid-1980s brought drastic changes to the amount of Japanese written by hand. As a result, the use of kanji outside the jōyō kanji increased, reversing the prior trend of using fewer kanji. These characters were called gaiji (lit. “outside characters”). […] The new JIS character set extends kanji simplification to gaiji, creating a discrepancy between the standard forms of characters used in literature and materials produced on a computer or word processor.
This little ‘bug’ has turned out to be quite the rabbit hole. It’s fascinating to read about all the little practical issues you get with the combination of kanji, computers and standardisation. On a similar note, here’s another such issue: sorting.
3 Likes
I’m afraid to go even further into this rabbit hole, but I want one more clarification…
I understand that some kanji may not be represented in the existing Japanese encoding systems, and that’s why they had to use image, not text. But why use unusual kanji at all? しかる is a common world, so I guess at least one of its kanji forms shouldn’t be problematic to use? 
1 Like
IME misconversion perhaps?
1 Like
Maybe at this point we should just rename this thread to
The Ultimate 叱 Vs 𠮟 Showdown
I think this explains the issue:
https://namakajiri.net/nikki/joyo-kanji-variants-the-curious-case-of-and-叱/
5 Likes
Whoa
So the book finally does justice to the poor neglected kanji. Well done 
2 Likes
Wow, this gaiji story is really interesting. Thanks for finding the solution. I wonder which formats have problem showing 𠮟 so they needed to use the image. I’d imagine Kindles are prepared for all kind of unicode characters. (That being said, I’ve never checked how emojis look like on them…)
I’ve spent some minutes staring at 繫 at the end of this week’s section, then I checked on jisho that it is an outdated version of 繋…
As for the story, it looks really promising! Can’t wait for next week. (I wonder which week will be when I can’t hold myself back and read the remaining parts in one go… but I promise, I’ll try to stick to the schedule. ^^")
4 Likes
Oh boy this is a bit of a tougher read off the bat, though hopefully that’s just because of exposition. Some slow going around page 14 because of worldbuilding and vocab lookups. Was pretty pleased that I was able to immediately guess what 初潮 was thanks to context haha.
Even though I haven’t read many Japanese books yet, this work most definitely feels penned by Murata-sensei. The narration has an acutely familiar sense of intimately detached observation. Ikuko’s candid demeanor towards a rather horrifying concept feels not unlike Keiko musing about the artifice of the world around her.
Though in 殺人出産’s case, the entire world is drenched in this uncanny societal valley. It’ll be interesting to see what Murata-sensei has to say with this premise, as I can already hazard a few guesses as to what she’s trying to go for based on interviews with her and the themes present in コンビニ人間.
Murata-sensei has an incredibly approachable style of prose that still covers complex topics. I loved it in コンビニ人間 and can’t wait to dig into more with this book.
9 Likes
I finally finished the first section. I try to make Anki cards for new words that I come across and I ended up making about 80 cards during this first section! It definitely slowed me down, but it was mostly the system explanation that I got hung up on. Hopefully the book is smother going forward now that I know all of these reproductive words.
6 Likes
Enjoyed the following first section, but like some others found the exposition part slow to get through. For the most part, however, things become clearer once the world building was done and I could confirm that it wasn’t my Japanese skills at fault for being confused! I loved the macabre undertone, mixed in with the mundane - you might live in a world where you can give opt to give birth in exchange for murder, but on a day to day basis, there is still office gossip and chitchat.
私は職員室へ呼び出され、俺が手深くゴリと呼ばれてることは知ってる (7%)
I understand that she’s was called into the staff room but what does ゴリ mean in this context? Jisho is telling me it’s a type of fish, which doesn’t feel right…
3 Likes
The text says 毛深くてゴリ which I took to mean “hairy Gorilla” 
5 Likes
Because of my newfound interest in が in relative clauses, let’s have a closer look at this sentence.
私は職員室へ呼び出され、[…] 見当違いの説教をされた。<-- main sentence
And then the bit in between is a paraphrasing of the 説教, which can be divided into two bits:
俺が毛深くてゴリと呼ばれてることは知ってる、// だから悪戯や反抗心でこんなことを書くのかと、
Now, is 俺 the subject of 呼ばれてる or 知ってる (or both)? And who does it refer to, the person giving the lecture or the main character? 俺 would be an uncommon way for a woman to refer to herself, right? Also, what does being called hairy have to do with wanting to write subversive essays? So many questions 
3 Likes
Hmm, okay, yes, that is helpful. I think I’ve got it now… so 俺 is the person giving the lecture, and I think it’s the subject of 知ってる and 呼ばれてる?
私は職員室へ呼び出され = I got called into the staff room
俺が毛深くてゴリと呼ばれてることは知ってるだから = “I know that you call me a hairy gorilla
悪戯や反抗心でこんなことを書くのかと = So did you write this out of mischief or defiance?”
見当違いの説教をされた = received a misguided/off the mark lecture
Alternatively, I could also see it read as the narrator getting called a hairy gorilla (perhaps by her peers?) so the prof is reading this as her acting out. But I think my interpretation above is more likely?
2 Likes
I agree, your first take matches my read of the situation at least.
how I read this part
The middle part is part of the lecture she got under the false assumption that she wrote her essay as a sort of rebellious act, or making fun of her teacher. That’s where the part of him being ‘called a hairy gorilla among the students’ comes in. They may make fun of him for that, but she should still treat his lessons seriously and with respect. Apparently to this teacher, having a different opinion on this is unthinkable and can be nothing but a willful show for disrespect, rather than a thoughtful, diversive essay.
5 Likes
I finally made it through the reading for this week! A combination of not making enough time to read and the material being a little more challenging to get through than コンビニ人間 made this a rough going for me. I’m going to keep pushing through until I eventually catch up with everyone, though, no matter how long that ends up taking. 
When I first read through everyone’s “wow” moment in the story, I assumed that the men were being used to artificially inseminate the women whose contraceptives were removed, but reading through the comments here made me take another look. I have no clue how it’d work, other than through C-section. Although both scenarios sound incredibly traumatic, the punishment for the men sounds way harsher from the starting point alone. I think it’s interesting that Murata-sensei chose to make that the punishment for them in this world, rather than it being “your sperm will be used for impregnation.”
Agree with @mintyfresh that the story has that Murata touch to it even as early on as this. Also agree with the similarities pointed out between Ikuko and Keiko, though Ikuko’s detachment is interesting in a different way, considering the level of detachment that society underwent to be okay with the premise of the story. Definitely taking note of potential themes as I’m reading.
7 Likes
So psyched that you’re on board now! The first week was definitely difficult but since then it’s been relatively smooth sailing. I almost envy that you get to read four weeks through–every week after the first has ended on a cliffhanger and it’s always painful waiting to dive back in.
4 Likes
I read the first week’s section earlier today. What a way to start a book. You have anyone you want to kill yet?
Certainly seems like the story will be heavier than コンビニ人間. Guess I’ll find out soon enough.
8 Likes
Oh man you’re in for a ride. That story was great.
4 Likes