Aaah. I think with
人間には気付けないけど、実はすごいことが起きてた とか
I was mainly confused because I skipped over 起きてた being past, and because I thought it was in answer to the previous sentence where someone mentioned long-lasting small bugs. I guess the sentence has some kind omitted callback to the topic of the 2-day bug.
I guess the characters all implicitly understood that the only way a bug is large-scale but unnoticed is when the human mind is affected too. I assumed it was something that humans really just don’t notice (e.g. it doesn’t happen where it is observed by humans), but yeah, that makes sense then.
Kasane lied as naturally as she breathed.
Page 110
Re: 幸運にも - ah, so it’s probably just an expression. Gotcha!
(And I just read for the first time 幸いにも in 僕が愛したすべての君へ a few hours ago, haha.)
It’s going a bit slower after all. Two more questions.
Page 111
Kasane: 見た飾りごく普通の中学生男子
ごく普通の中学生男子 is probably “a very normal middle-schooler boy”, but what exactly is 見た飾り? “The seen decoration”, as in “From outside appearance” or something?
Page 120
Kasane: 距離感がいまいち掴めないな
Is that Kasane saying that she can’t quite get a feel of what the emotional distance between Kon and her is?
Yes. In later panels she explains exactly why - but basically from Kasane’s point of view they have just met, while everyone else believes Kon has been with them for several days. Also Kon calling her Kasane (instead of her last name) makes it seem like they are on friendly terms, which makes it hard for her to gauge how close they are supposed to be.
What are the terribly handwritten kanji/kana in the upper panel?
Kon: 話してるとき楽しそうだなーって
Initially I was unsure whether it was fun for him while she was talking, or whether it he’s saying that it seemed like she was having fun, but… because it’s 楽しそう, right? If it was him, he would’ve just used 楽しい?
Kasane: 子供の頃から興味を持たざるを得なかったというか
Is using 持たざる something like an expression with 興味? Is that why it’s not just 持たない? (And is it a conjugated 持つ or just its own word? It’s my first time seeing it.)
Page 126
Kasane: 思ったより ずっと人間だなぁって
Is that a deliciously ambigious “(You’re/I’m) even more human than I thought”? Still, what a weird thing that must be to hear for Kon, even without the subject being specified.
Page 129
このバグは誰も気づきこそしないけど 大規模には違いない
I’m a bit confused by this sentence having both こそ and けど.
With only こそ: “Precisely because nobody is noticing this bug there is no doubt it’s large-scale.”
With only けど: “Although nobody is noticing this bug, there is no doubt it’s large-scale.”
…but how is that combination working?
Also, what exactly is the こそ highlighting? Everything that came before it, the whole このバグは誰も気づき?
And what’s up with that whole continuative + こそ + しない anyway? Is that grammar, or an expression? I can’t find anything about it.
Page 135
Why is she calling Kon (or what is happening here) a 例外事象の中の例外, an “exception within an exceptional event”? Isn’t it just the “normal” exception, a 残留物?
Page 136
紺はバグとして解消されず結果ここに留まった
“Kon remained here, without being cancelled as a bug”?
Page 138
このまま何も問題なあく…とは いかないだろうか
Is that “‘Like this, it won’t be a problem…’ …you can’t say that, can you.”?
Chapter notes
I love this chapter for so many reasons.
From the bug perspective, precisely because nobody is noticing it, this is a fantastic bug. The thought of bugs meddling with the human mind is fascinating and terrifying at the same time, and I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me earlier how interesting this would be with Kasane around.
And on top of that, more so than the previous chapters, this one actually had a memorable and emotional story, with Kasane at first just wanting to observe Kon, but then clearly getting more attached to him, while knowing that soon he’ll be gone and she will very likely be the only one to remember him.
Also, of course: What a twist.
6/5 points, more please.
Favourite page: 125, where Kasane wants a cute tail so that she doesn’t have to add an exception to the rule.
And aww, Kasane trying to make the most out of their supposedly limited time, without being able to tell Kon why. And that top frame of page 130 where Kon is being erased in the water reflection…
Answers to other people's comments
But look how happy Kasane is about the differently-colored water fleas!
Yeah, this was absolutely stellar!
I wonder if the author planned to do this from the very first chapter.
(And then spent the time on staircases and insomnia instead to lull us into a false sense of security…)
I agree, although it is weird that a bug like that should be limited by physical distance. The bug changes the physical reality and everyone’s memories to back up it’s story (down to making a bank account with regular payments for Kon!), but then it drops the ball because Kasane’s father is a bit far away?
つい講義のノリで, which means something along the lines of “I went into lecture mode without intending to”
Yes, Kon is talking how she seemed to be having fun while talking; and also yes, he would just say 楽しい if it was about him.
Just to clarify, this sentence is a bit more nuanced. He’s saying "I thought ‘She sure looks like she’s having fun while talking’ " - he’s explaining why he’s asking the question in the previous panel.
Well, the actual expression is 興味を持つ
This is getting combined with the grammar structure ざるを得ない, which means that someone can’t help but do something.
In other words, she’s saying that she couldn’t help but have an interest in it since she her childhood.
Page 126
Yes, that’s my understanding. In the next panel you can see that he does seem to be somewhat puzzled about it - keeps staring at her probably wondering why she’d say that.
Page 129
Sorry I don’t know really know for sure.
My best guess is that this is a very similar pattern to こそすれ, that can be attached to the masu-stem of a verb (like in our current case). X こそすれ, Y ない is a pattern that means that “X” will happen for sure, and certainly “Y” will not happen / be the case.
Considering this is こそしない, I feel this must be the antonym of こそすれ => so it basically would mean “for sure will not”. “People for sure will not notice the bug, but there’s no doubt it’s a huge bug”
Well, if I remember correctly, in this story 例外事象 is the “formal” name for bugs - bugs are exceptional phenomena basically by definition. So this is basically “An exception within a bug” - the fact the Kon, in his existence as the product of a bug, didn’t end with the bug itself.
Page 136
I’d go for something like “Kon, being himself a bug, didn’t get erased and has remained here as a result”
Page 138
I feel Kasane’s closing words are intended to be vague, so I’m not really sure. I feel she’s saying something more along the lines of " As for ‘Just like this without any problems’ … it’s probably not going to be like that, is it? "
Even though and also precisely because? I’ve never seen anything like this, but maybe it does just mean both.
Sometimes particles split phrases, like 気づかない can be 気づきはしない to add emphasis. I’d guess it’s the same thing, though again I’ve never seen this with こそ before. And I think it’s just precisely because no one notices it must be a large scale bug.
I started replying before @2OC3aOdKgwSGlxfz posted, but I think I agree with the rest of what they wrote, so I won’t bother answering more than above. I haven’t read all their responses, so my responses could be redundant.
I’m missing something obvious… can someone explain the first panel on page 143
the whole nickname thing why is it faster to call them normally but then they don’t…I feel like this is a lame question but … I’m sure someone smarter than me will tell me what I’m missing
“This guy’s nickname in elementary school was Chicken (?) Tatsuta.” (Not sure why chicken, but I’ve only just started reading the chapter myself. Maybe that’s explained shortly)
ながっ
普通に呼んだほうが早いじゃん
"That’s long!
Isn’t it faster to call you normally (your normal name)?"
(Thanks @TobiasW for catching that I overthought this at first!)
(Since 持たざる has it’s own jisho entry I kind of assumed it was either a fixed word or a conjugation on its own, but I since I didn’t search for a conjugation + を得ない I couldn’t find it. Searching for grammar is pretty hard sometimes…)
Page 129
Mysterious - I can’t find anything when googling either, and it doesn’t seem to be in The Dictionary or The Handbook. But meaning-wise that translation definitely makes sense.
Ignoring the こそ construction that I don’t understand, I think “even though nobody notices” makes more sense, because she’s giving the reason why it must be large-scale in the panels afterwards: 「そりゃそうだ」「人間が生まれてるんだから」. (“Even though nobody notices, it’s without doubt a large-scale bug. Of course it is. Because humans are being born.”)
Questions for the new chapter:
Page 144
Teo: 言うじゃん 人間は忘れる生き物とか何とか
Is the 言うじゃん something like “Don’t they say:”?
Page 145
Handwritten kanji alarm in lower right panel. 助けてくだいさい！
Fuku: 真っ直ぐ帰れって言われる系かぁ
“Being told ‘Go straight home’?”
…what’s the 系?
So, “Is it the kind of bug where we are being told to go straight home?” was the vibe I got from it. Maybe I misinterpreted that though.
Pg. 148
Casual ずるい, I think. “Unfair”, is how I would interpret it, though I also don’t dislike describing the bug as being miserly/stingy because it won’t let you just use your neighbor’s house as a point of reference.
範囲はまだ検証中
I mean, I still overanalyzed it, so you’re not the only one who didn’t get it first pass.
Story Comments
This was a really sweet chapter. The talk Kasane and Kon had in the car was very heartwarming. I’m glad I gave the manga a chance to pull me back in, because after the first volume, I was a bit skeptical of the format. Here’s to hoping they keep up this kind of story beat over the looser style for the next volume. At the very least, I can say for sure I’ll join in with that one when it drops!
Side-note, though. Why Chicken Tatsuta? Or is there another meaning of チキン that I’m just unaware of?
yeah… I’m like if you give someone a nickname use it… I get lazy Japanese and his name is 竜田たつた so it made sense but it’s not that lazy … but then again …
あけおめ、おたおめ
Not looking at the rest because I only got through the first couple of pages will have to come back and read them later
Finished… yeah! Vocab populated (always try to get the stuff that’s not in bubbles and/or handwritten too for folks like @TobiasW )
Really enjoyed this chapter a lot!
Story Comments
Ch9 was ok…but seems like there are quite a bit of Japanese story telling where (to me) it feels like more of a lecture than a story…and while it can be interesting I often get bored…Hard to explain but at some point the explanations turn into a lecture…
This chapter (ch10) was great. I really enjoy a story that pulls me into it and doesn’t just lecture … although the little bit of explanation especially on page 149 with the わくわく showed her excitement in studying the bugs (and living in the world). Made me think peanuts!!
Glad to see her tear down that sign when she brought kon home… loved the whole story…all the feel goods along with all the mystery and some uncertainty of the future. Vol 3 can’t wait!
