Daily Tasks and Consistency
My reading fell behind quite a bit the past couple of months.
The problem is I would read more on one day, and be left with nothing required to read the next day.
It’s easier to do something consistently daily than it is to do consistently every few days.
I’ve been really bad at doing WaniKani lessons, but since forcing myself to do at least one per day, I’m up to 84 days in a row that I’ve done lessons. My prior most days in a row doing lessons was something like five or 11 days.
My review consistency looks even better. I’ve done WaniKani reviews for 726 days in a row. Over at iKnow, I’ve missed three days in the past couple of years, so I’m currently sitting at having done reviews for 300 days in a row (with my prior best being 583 days).
As I’ve been reading extra to play catch-up, and to try to finish most of the volumes I’m currently reading by the month’s end, I’m asking myself, “Why not aim for reading manga every day in 2021?”
I don’t know how it’ll turn out. Will I make it several months, then miss a day due to circumstances beyond my control? Or will I start slacking one month in? I won’t know until I try, and I for certain won’t accomplish it unless I try.
Manga Reading Plans for 2021
I’ve decided to aim for one chapter per day. Depending on the manga, this can range anywhere from about 18 pages to over 45 pages. I’m sure I’ll make adjustments to my schedule along the way to account for this, but I’m not worrying over it just yet.
Following is my currently planned 2021 manga reading schedule.
Mondays
・アオハライド
If I read one chapter every Monday, that fits each of the last four volumes nicely into the book club’s pace of one volume per month, except that I’ll be starting the final volume a couple of days early.
・三ツ星カラーズ
There should be one volume coming out in 2021. If it releases by mid April, it’ll become my Monday manga. However, this series is often a mix between short chapters and very short chapters, so I may instead add it to a day that already has another series with short chapters.
Tuesdays
・アリア
This will be my every Tuesday in 2021. By the end of the year, I’ll be starting the final volume.
Wednesdays
・ポケットモンスター SPECIAL
I planned to read this one in English, but I haven’t continued it yet. May as well go with Japanese!
The main issue with the Japanese digital release is the first 13 volumes scans are smaller image size.
Chapters are fairly short, so reading one chapter per week would only get me through five volumes. I may double up and read two chapters in a day, or pair this series with another short-chapter series to read in the same day. Reading two chapters a week would almost barely get me through the small-print volumes by the end of the year!
Thursdays
・俺物語!!
I finished volume 7 in English back in April. Of 2019. That’s around when I starting up reading manga in Japanese, and my English manga reading mostly dropped off.
I semi-struggled with the first two volumes in Japanese later in 2019. Since then, my grammar’s improved a lot, so I plan to continue the series in Japanese (from volume 3). I should be able to finish it by November, leaving an almost two-month opening for another series on Thursdays.
Fridays
・美少女戦士セーラームーン
I’m down to the last two volumes. Since the book club pace is already one chapter per week, I’ll be able to fit this in as my Friday reading. And since it’s the final story arc, I don’t have to worry about a 65-page chapter like a couple of prior story arcs started out with.
・ふらいんぐうぃっち（第１１巻）
The rest of the year is open for Fridays. Likely I’ll try to fit volume 11 of this series into Fridays, but it’s hard to say since I don’t know when it’ll release, and I don’t know what I’ll be reading Fridays after セーラームーン.
Saturdays
・ふらいんぐうぃっち（第１０巻）
The final volume currently available. Since the book club pace is already one chapter per week, it fits nicely into my 2021 schedule.
But the rest of my Saturdays are left open after the first week in February…
Sundays
Nothing planned out yet.
Unplanned
I have planned out 194 days out of a 365 day year. That leaves me with 171 days to fill.
・おじさまと猫
I may follow the book club pace on this one. Chapters are typically a few pages, so maybe I’ll read a chapter on my ポケモン day.
・それでも歩は寄せてくる
This one came up in my Kobo recommendations a lot. Looks like it should be easy enough to read, and the premise seems interesting enough. It’s 5 volumes long, but ongoing. I tend to avoid ongoing series, but may give it a go, especially if toward the end of the year.
・からかい上手の高木さん
Another that Kobo keeps recommending. Seems easy enough. It’s 14 volumes and seems to be ongoing. Same thing applies about preferring to avoid ongoing series, but may try it out.
・orange
Yet another that Kobo recommends a lot. People here on the forums who’ve seen the anime sound positive toward it. And it seems to be complete at 6 volumes. I don’t recall if this is the series with characters that look similar to アオハライド, but if so, I’ll want to start this after finishing that. I should be able to fit both into 2021.
I might also want to start another series by the author of アオハライド (Kobo’s recommending them more and more), so I’ll have to ensure I’m not reading two series with similar looking characters.
・現代魔女の就職事情
Still one volume of ふらいんぐうぃっち left, and already I’m looking for a replacement witch manga! This series seems to be complete at 5 volumes.
・ちいさな森のオオカミちゃん
I don’t recall where I happened upon this one. It looks like it may be a fairly simple one. There’s one volume which came out a year ago, so if it’s ongoing there should be another volume in the next year. If I end up with a spot for just one volume, this could be it.
・耳をすませば
I’m a fan of Studio Ghibli’s animated film, so I’m interested in reading the original material. Looks like it’s only one volume long.