I’m reading vol. 1 of the manga series Mobile Suit Gundam Aggressor, and you are welcome to join me!
Why this book?
Because I enjoy watching Gundam and one of the reasons I study Japanese is to be able to enjoy it in its original language. So I thought it would be nice idea to read a Gundam manga, and as this particular book has not yet been translated into English, that makes it even more appealing to me.
What is this book?
From the Gundam.fandom page:
Mobile Suit Gundam Aggressor is a manga illustrated by Daichi Banjō that officially premiered in Shōnen Sunday Super on October 25th, 2014. The story follows the Aggressor unit, a “traitor” Federation unit of soldiers who defected from the Zeon side.
How difficult is this book?
I have to be honest, it is far too difficult for me! But there is furigana throughout and I’m doing just a little bit each a day. Every day I study at least one sentence and make my best guess at a translation. There are 184 pages, so if I average one page a day, that gives a finish date of July 2nd. So this is a long project at a slow pace. Oh, and if you’d like a preview of the manga, just click on the picture on the Amazon page.
But your translations are going to be awful! You’ll make a mess!
Yes, that’s right. I’m using Jisho and what little Japanese I’ve learnt so far to work on at least one sentence each day. I make mistakes and get things wrong, but I’m not setting out to be perfect and not claiming that my Japanese is anything but absolute beginner. However, the discipline of working on this manga each day is good and, who knows, perhaps there might be others that want to join in as well?
How do I join in?
Is a bookclub with just one member still a club? Does it matter? I’m committed to this reading and will be here, if all goes well, each and every day. But anybody is welcome to join in, just buy a copy of the book and watch the thread title to see which page we are on.
Where can I buy it?
At Amazon Japan, both physical and kindle.
What’s the pace?
The reading started on January the 1st, 2020, with page 4, the contents page. There are 184 pages and I hope to average one page a day, giving a target finish date of July 2nd. The day’s page is updated each day in the thread title. If the club consists of only me, I’ll probably keep everything on one thread. If other people join in then it would make sense to have a separate thread for each of the four chapters.
Is there a poll to click?
No. If you want to join in you are very welcome - just buy the book, and see you soon!
What about spoilers?
Please avoid them! If you have read ahead of the day’s page, please do not mention any future details from the story! No spoilers please! But, likewise, there is no need to blur out the details of anything up to and including that day’s page. If you are reading this in the future and don’t want to see spoilers, don’t read ahead!
WARNING
This manga contains images depicting acts of warfare and violence, some involving children, and one scene of nudity.
Jump to discussion:
Chapter one - link
Chapter two - link
Chapter three - link (to be added)
Chapter four - link (to be added)
Resources
-Gundam Aggressor on Gundam.fandom
-Gundam Aggressor on Wikipedia (jp)