Just checked Bookwalker out of curiosity, and there seems to be plenty of choice:
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Oh, so it is in ebook, that is good. 
The original series (the 北海道 books is like a later story/series) is るろうに剣心―明治剣客浪漫譚― モノクロ版 if looking at the ebook versions (I assume the color version is probably the same too, no idea about the starter book one, haha). I also happen to have that one in paper along with number 2 since my late teens because I asked a friend to buy them for me when he went to Japan at the time. And I had completely forgotten about it until I found them while unpacking in my new place.
The full series that I own, I have in 完全版 version and that version doesn’t seem to have an ebook release.
So this series has potential as a book club pick, yay 
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I am in 9 clubs (including sailor moon which I’m only halfway caught up with) and have never managed any!
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A week after posting this I can say things are going incredibly well. I just reached page 130 and only have two chapters left until the end of the book – forget finishing by the end of the month, I’m on track to finish it this weekend.
Who could have thought that by multiplying your pace by seven, you could get through a book seven times as fast!
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9! That’s the most I’ve heard so far. I wonder if anyone has you beat.
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I just read 彼女は一人で歩くのか?, the first book of the “W” series (thank you @NicoleIsEnough for the recommendation!)
That book, both in terms of content and writing style felt very reminiscent of the likes of Asimov and Philip K Dick. The latter one is obviously a huge inspiration for the plot, and is even quoted at the beginning of each chapter.
That felt like the kind of SF I grew up with, with updated technology. In particular, I liked that it feels like half fiction and half thought experiment (that point brought to mind the work of Asimov as well). That was in stark contrast with the light novels I have been reading lately where not just thought experiments but thoughts period tend to be unwelcome.
So, yeah, turns out there is good Japanese SF and I had just missed it until now.
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Thanks for the review! Science fiction is one of my favorite genres in English. I had also gotten the impression that there wasn’t any good SF in Japanese, but I’m happy to hear there are good options out there. I guess the glut of 異世界 light novels just makes it seem that way. This series sounds interesting, so I’ll have to add it to my 積読 list. 
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That sounds interesting! Especially the bit about updated technology. I feel that both Asimov and PK Dick didn’t age too well. I prefer modern SF, such Daemon by Daniel Suarez.
How difficult would you say this book is? Is there a lot of technical terms?
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I feel this book will not age too well either, but that’s generally the case for speculative fiction.
There are a lot of technical terms, especially from computer science and biology. Luckily, I teach in Japanese about bioinformatics, so I was familiar with literally all those terms 
I felt the hardest part were conversations, as there’s usually no marker of who is speaking, and sometimes characters would talk to themselves, but the other one would then go on and add something else… It can be a bit of a mess a times.
Other than that, not too bad. The sentence structure is very clear, and the only fancy kanji being used is 躰, which is kinda obvious (since it’s just 身体 squished together). No weird grammar point I could notice.
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I haven’t read this book, but I just want to say that I actually love SF that hasn’t aged well. SF from like the 60s to 90s is so much fun
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And Heinlein. Oh boy, Heinlein.
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And finally after a long hiatus, I am actually back to reading. 
And instead of starting the catch up with Sailor Moon I decided to start reading the second にゃんにゃん探偵団 book. But I should be able to read that fairly quickly and finish it. Will be nice to have that finished feeling. Or maybe I’ve just avoid what I am soooo far behind on, haha.
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It’s the same for me at the moment. 
My motivation to read is high up right now but instead of continuing Sailor Moon, I just want to start new stuff. 
…because I know I’m too far behind to ever catch up before the book club has finished reading. (I don’t even know where they’re at at the moment…)
And I already feel the same with Kiki but I’m not giving up on catching up yet. Because of my motivation I might continue reading this weekend and see how far I can get.
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I think I could probably catch up if I manage to read some every day, but I also didn’t want my return to reading to feel heavy or full of obligation. I’ve been meaning to read the second nyan nyan book for quite a while. I got it as a birthday gift last year. They are fun and easy enough (although I forgot that sometimes I wish they had more kanji). And a better use of my time than starting to read Kenshin when my kanzenban versions will hopefully start shipping across the globe soon. ^^
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After dragging my feet for a while I finally got around to making a bookmeter account. Some of y’all have a new follower now, よろしく！
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I followed you and I’m looking through your list now. How’d you like the first three volumes of ヨコハマ買い出し紀行?
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I really have to get back to that series and finish it up. I’ve been trying to get through some of my backlog so I have a ban on buying new stuff for a while, but I really really enjoyed it. Good vibes only, quite funny at times. Almost makes you wish you lived in a crumbling civilization with a scooter.
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セーラームーン (Act.31 無限8「無限迷宮」1)
ゆるキャン△ (13 - テストにでるおしゃれキャンプ入門)
フルーツバスケット (Chapter 9)
聖☆おにいさん (Chapters 3+4)
獣の奏者 (Chapter 7, Part 1 真王の行幸)
魔女の宅急便 (5・キキ、一大事にあう to end)
本好きの下剋上 (Chapters 2-4)
(アオハライド already completed)
My book club readings for the week, which I’m making it a goal to finish by the end of the day Monday. As expected, the wrench in the works may be 本好きの下剋上, but I’m looking forward to the challenge! (The other potential wrench is that I’m in a very exciting part of ハイキュー.) Also excited to finish another volume of ゆるキャン and start a new chapter in 獣の奏者.
To the reading hammock!
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Alright friends, I need your help!
I’m 11 pages away from the end of しあわせの花, which means I’ll be finishing it up tomorrow. For the uninitiated, this is basically a collection of slice-of-life stories that happen at various points throughout 鬼滅の刃 (this is important for later). I want to move on to another novel right away and keep going on this pace of one book per 2-3 weeks.
Here’s what I’ve got on hand right now:
Top to bottom, left to right:
- 秋の牢獄 and 雪の季節の終わりに are both horror/mystery novels by the author of 夜市
I don’t know anything about either of them but I liked his writing style so I’m sure I’ll like them - 狼と香辛料 I also don’t really know much about; I saw a few episodes of the anime ages ago, randomly inherited this book from a friend of mine
- 片羽の蝶 is another 鬼滅の刃 side story; this one apparently expands on Shinobu and Kanae
- 異世界食堂 is about a restaurant that appears in different fantasy settings and services a wide variety of clientele. I really liked the anime and I’m a food geek so I expect to have a good time with it
What should I read next? (you can vote for up to three)
- 秋の牢獄
- 雪の季節の終わりに
- 狼と香辛料
- 片羽の蝶
- 異世界食堂
0 voters
If you’ve read any of these already, I’d be interested to hear what you thought!
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Theres a small mistake in your titles. It’s not 雪 but 雷. I voted for variety