Everything that you want to read. I like to read with the dictionary opened so that I can look for every word I don’t know, that’s how I increase my vocabulary, basically. I tried to have another SRS besides Wanikani, but I just don’t have time, so I learn while I’m reading, no matter how many times I have to stop the reading to look for something.
Hoooooooooooooly. I found such an amazing manga that does SUCH an amazing job talking about LGBT+ issues in Japan. Please, pleeeease read this. I cannot recommend this enough to everybody. A French version is out, and I believe an English version is on the way or out already.
「弟の夫」By たがめ (My Brothers Husband)
The LGBT scene in Japan is very … invisible. And when it is visible it’s only as entertainment or in Boys Love & Girls Love content, but those mediums (as much as I enjoy them)really fetichize gayness and turn it into a fantasy and separate it from reality.
It’s a story about a Japanese man whose brother left for Canada and marries a Canadian man. Very unfortunately, the Japanese brother who had lived in Canada suddenly dies, and his Canadian husband comes to Japan to see his other brother and family. How will they react to that?
Reasons why this story is so good:
-The story tackles tough issues SO well and naturally. It never feels forced or shoved in.
-The pacing is really good. You really have time to soak in the environment, characters, and their backstories. It never feels rushed or too slow.
-9 times outta 10, I usually really dislike how Gaijin characters are written. They have very poor Japanese, they’re constantly sticking random English into their sentences, overly bubbly/smiley, a lil’ airheaded, can’t read the air, and often the butt of the joke. But the Canadian character in this is written like an ACTUAL person, heaven forbid. You’ll fall in love with him instantly, he’s so likable and well written.
-There is such great character growth, especially for the brother coming to terms with his Gay brother.
-It really spotlights and challenges Japan’s perspective on gayness, and how harmful it can be to simply ignore it and shove it under the rug.
-There are some really emotionally charged parts, but it’s also just reaaaallly freaking adorable. It’s so easy to fall in love with all these characters.
Gosh I’m really going on and on about this manga, but I just really enjoyed this manga soooo much… I can’t recommend it enough. Especially because there is still a lot of ignorance about queerness in Japan.
If you have the chance, definitely pick this one up. 
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It comes out in English in May, I think. I’ve been planning to pick it up when it comes out 
Maybe I’ve improved enough now that I could give it a go in Japanese instead though.
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Wow that sounds amazing, I will absolutely check that out. I too have noticed often japanese fictional media tends to portray anything slightly unusual/frowned upon by their culture as either the butt of a joke or so far fantasy that’s it’s not very relatable and I have kind of been getting over it. So from your write-up it sounds worth a read.
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Political Economy by Gilbert Abraham
Nipon by Florea Tuiu
The first one I picked up due to my College but I soon fell in love with the beautiful way it presents its information (also, it covers a lot of historical information regarding the development of countries both in the West as in the East)
The second one covers the Economical development of Japan from the Feudal Era where they explain how communities called “uji” or “uchi” were made out of 60 families and then they go from there to more complex things but I find it to be an interesting read.
MANGA
Bakuman - rereading it
Alejandro Jodorowski and Moebius - studying their material
I advise anyone who hasn’t heard of Moebius to take a look at his stories. He is considered to be the man with a thousand faces in Bande Desine (Comic Books) for he could draw in numerous stiles (and his stories were the sh*t).
Cheers and much magic,
ELi
That looks amazing. I really shouldn’t get it since I have a huge pile of unread manga sitting in a cupboard (more back in England too, but I couldn’t bring all of that with me) but this looks so awesome.
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Picked up Haruki Murakami’s latest yesterday. Doesn’t have very good reviews on Japanese Amazon so far (although, as the old saying goes: never judge a book by it’s Amazon rating). I’ve only read the prologue so far since I have other things to finish first. First time I’ve tried reading him in Japanese and it’s funny how his style somehow is identifiable just from reading his other books in English.
Anyone else reading this? Probably a year I’d guess before it’s available in translation. Had a pretty huge release in Japan (midnight openings and all that) and the fronts of bookshops are still absolutely stacked with copies.
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Finally getting round to starting the third and final part of Ramez Naam’s Nexus trilogy. Picked up the first one on a whim (think it was a Kindle 99p deal) and was hooked almost instantly. Not the most amazing writer in the world, but very solid and far better than your average tech thriller (or any thriller) writer.
Always annoys me that, for the most part, you have to make a choice: do I want something well-written OR do I want something with a fast and exciting plot? Very rare to get both.
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli. Willl be useful after revolution when i shall begin my ultimate rule of Europe. Obey the Prince BUahahahahaa.
I’m re-reading The Name of the Wind.
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As soon as we have even an inkling of a released date on Book 3, I’ll be rereading both novels to refresh everything for The Doors of Stone.
So friggin’ excited about that series, wow.
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@FelixNemis you have sexy thumbs.
…I shouldn’t post when I’m this tired…
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I’m reading Long Riders! after watching a bit of the anime and getting hooked.
I’m a bit of a cycling fanatic, and even used to race and such, so having a slice of like manga about someone just starting out is just lovely. They did a box set of volumes 1-7 just recently to coincide with the anime adaptation, and that ended up being so much cheaper per volume after including shipping/handling, that yeah. I can’t say I understand everything, but it has furigana for everything, which definitely helps.
Anyway, there’s so much there that shows what every cyclist goes through that it makes me reminisce a lot. It’s lovely and heart warming and I love it a lot.
English: just finished ‘Red Seas under Red Skies’ by Scott Lynch. It’s the second of a trilogy (so far) and I’m planning on buying the third as soon as I can. Really enjoyable if you like not so shiny heroes as main characters. The MC are basically thiefs. And actors. Very good ones. But Lynch is pretty rough with them, they have difficult lives and not necessarily a happy ending…
Japanese: 大どろぼう ホッツェンプロッツ though until now, I don’t understand more than the first two sentences. Maybe I’ll understand more in a week, or in two weeks, or in a month… We’ll see.
I’m reading both Name of the Wind and Dragons of a Winter Night in parallel. Both are re-reads.
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Going to try to start reading 君の名は。(the 角川つばさ文庫 version)…
I dream that one day we’ll finally have the last book of the Kingkiller Chronicles … I’ll probably hit level 60 before that though 
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You are expecting the Door of Stone that soon?
On a serious note though, what are all of your predictions for the release date? Anytime soon? [Soon is counted in years here for all of those not familiar, not in days/months]
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On the pessimist side : Never, as he’ll probably die of an unknown and incurable illness or end up in a car/moto accident (RIP Pierre Bottero a french author that made my childhood. Though I don’t know whether his work was ever translated).
On the bright side : Probably before Half-life 3 
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