Aria the Masterpiece Home Thread (Beginner Book Club / Aria Book Club)

Just some not so great bookmarks I had lying around. :frowning:

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You could always use a fork?

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Today was the latest expected date for my book to be delivered, but nothing arrived yet. Perhaps customs snatched it, but they shouldn’t as it’s below the minimum value. Can’t do anything but wait I suppose and hope it’ll be here by the start date.

I use an old bus ticket. Are you judging me? :stuck_out_tongue:

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That’s interesting, at least.

I just read the first chapter because I wanted to try an experiment.

  1. Read the whole chapter without looking anything up. (I ended up looking up a few words I got really curious about, but otherwise I did this.)
  2. Read the whole chapter again, looking up everything that I don’t know and adding all of those words to the book club’s vocab sheet.
  3. Add all those words to an SRS program (Kitsun) and study them over the next two weeks.
  4. Read the chapter yet again with everyone else and see how much more I understand.

Also just some observations from reading the chapter:

The first few pages are a bit tough vocab-wise because it involves some world building. Hopefully the vocab sheet will help less experienced members, and if necessary we can work together to write up a full translation of those first few pages for those that need it. And remember, the first few pages are always the hardest. :slight_smile:

Second, there are some words that have made up furigana for the world/series. I’ve heard that this is done sometimes in manga, but it was interesting to see. I’m going to add guidelines for how to handle these in the vocab sheet.

And finally, based on the first chapter, I think the book will be as beautiful and interesting as we all hoped. :blush:

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y-you’re as beautiful and interesting as we all hoped!

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Rather. Some of those furigana are quite a bit of fun.

I never said they weren’t fun. :slight_smile:

Though the furigana can be hard to read since it’s so tiny.

I am N4 grammar, but still WK LVL3 (probably for 23rd of June, LVL 4/5) will I be able to follow up or should I wait more levels?

I’d say as long as you understand the grammar, the vocabulary is something you could easily look up. Even more considering the vocab list, so go for it! :slight_smile:

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It’s a manga written for natives, so there’s always going to be parts using grammar of any N level.

If it helps, I’ve almost finished volume 2 now (this manga is so good), and I haven’t had any major grammar issues (other than a certain character that may as well just be speaking gibberish). I passed the N4 a year ago, so I’m a bit above that level.

@seanblue is this bookmark acceptable? :slight_smile:

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That bookmark is amazing! Where did you get it?

From the Japanese Premium Edition of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana for the PSVita :slight_smile:

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I really like this method! I’m trying to refrain from reading Aria until the start date… :sob: It’s sitting by my desk and looks so pretty though… But instead thinking I’ll catch up with the よつばと!group while I wait :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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My book came this weekend - It’s “used” but it’s more pristine than 95% of all the other books I’ve ordered from Amazon, so whatevs. I’m excited to start!

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I wish we were starting this weekend! :laughing:

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I’ve found that it’s really hard to read some of the extra tiny furigana on the first page. Any tricks for coping with this?

Magnifying glass? :stuck_out_tongue:

Which furigana, though? I’m not seeing any furigana on the first page that’s particularly different to the furigana anywhere else in the book.

When I first tried reading CCS (way before I was ready for it), I found the furigana almost impossible to read. After a volume of Shirokuma and Yotsuba, neither of which felt nearly as overwhelming, I went back and had no problem making them out. (Kero’s dialogue on the other hand…)

It might be the same for you, more shock-effect and lack of practice recognising kana by rough shape. If so, it will pass; it’ll just be a bit of a mental drain at first.

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