Mine would’ve arrived yesterday but no-one was home, so I’ll have to get it at the post office today 
but yeah it was rather fast, pleasantly surprised
took a little over a week - though I used priority shipping (free) because I ordered some more manga
(to Switzerland)
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Absolute beginner (I should just be about done with the equivalent of Genki I when we start). I ordered a physical copy from Manga Republic and I couldn’t be happier with them. It arrived here, in the US, a few days ago (along with a couple of free gifts, which was kindly of them). Super looking forward to this. 
Oh, also, this is my first ever post in the forums, so, hi, nice to meet you all!
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Update for my order: they just shipped my physical copy with priority shipping, while I just asked for the free one. 
Can’t wait to receive it.
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Hello! I’ve read some manga volumes on my own before, but not very consistently and have never joined one of these book clubs here.
I’m thinking (hoping) taking part in this one will help motivate me to practice reading more!
But one question, after the first volume, do people usually continue reading the second and continuing volumes together? Will other topics be opened?
This manga seems interesting, but not really one I think I would choose to read on my own. But I usually only buy manga I plan to finish, so not sure if I should start this one or wait for a manga I am a little more interested in. If the book club was to continue for all of the volumes, I think that would give me more of a push.
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Discussing it with others will definitely help you to stay motivated. o/
I’m still quite new here and this is also my first book club but from what i see on this forum, there are various clubs which continue with next volumes !
For instance :
- 🧘 The Way of the House Husband, Volume 2, Chapter 10 - #2 by VikingSchism
- Teasing Master Takagi-san 😝 ・ Volume 4 Discussion Thread [Volume Complete]
- よつばと! Vol 13 Discussion Thread (Yotsuba&! Reading Club) - #32 by ChristopherFritz I mean, they’re discussing about the volume 13! So i might buy it already too!
I guess it just really depends on the fanbase. If there are people willing to continue the reading together, just open another topic, right ?
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It depends on how many people are interested in continuing. We’ve had some series that don’t spin off into their own reading club, but it seems that most do.
We even read volume 15 last year =D
On the Flying Witch side, we’re waiting for volume 11 to come out.
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Just ordered mine, I hope I’ll get it before March ! I really liked the style of the first few pages, soooo exited 
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You are right! I’ll give it a go! And if people want to keep reading together, we can open a side topic! 
Good to know!
Okay, I’ve just ordered the book! Excited to join a book club for the first time! I’ve never read along at the same time as someone else before! 
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Nice! I just also ordered to Germany. 
This will be my first japanese text whatsoever, apart from trying to read things on the internet or on text displays. I think I will look up grammar and that when I come across it… So I get a feeling for what is actually used (at least in this manga).
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It’s going to be really difficult and will feel more like deciphering than reading, but so long as you keep at it and don’t give up, you’ll find yourself steadily improving.
This is a good skill to develop. You can also ask questions in the weekly threads, and read the discussion when others ask questions, and you will also learn some grammar that way.
By the end of the volume, you’ll probably understand at least some of the most basic grammar (aside from anything you may already know).
Good luck!
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Yes, I think it will be more of a puzzle than reading, but I’m prepared for that. I know some common sentence structures and a bit here and there, so I think it will be fun (that’s what counts). ^^
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Just received my physical copy. Excited to read with everybody!
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I’m definitely going to join this club as well. I’ve had such a good experience in the Mitsuboshi Colors group (even if I only asked a few questions mysefl) that I want to keep joining the book clubs. Not sure just how much this manga will interest me yet. It’s such a departure from what I’ve been reading.
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My copy finally arrived yesterday and I’m really looking forward to read this with all of you! After a long break and a reset, I’m finally back to studying. It’s really nice to be back here and have another book club to be excited for. 
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I’m going back and forth on whether I should aim to participate – I had previously done WaniKani, and reached level 15 or so before losing the focus. I lost about a half year, and now I’ve come back at level one. Reading has never been a strong suit. Should I dive in now, or wait until the next book club starts in May or so?
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Reading is a skill, so the best way to improve at it is to do it, and with some consistency. (Book clubs help with consistency due to being on a schedule.)
Some relevant questions:
1) How good are you with Japanese grammar?
You’ve used Genki. How is it working out for you? Do you feel you’re making progress with it, or do you find you don’t use it? Reading through a chapter each one or two days can help set you up for a much easier time reading starting in March.
My personal preference is Cure Dolly’s subtitled video series for making grammar easy to understand. If you watched one video (typically about 15 minutes) every day for the next month, you would be in a good position to jump into reading in March.
Note that no matter what method you use for learning grammar (Genki, Cure Dolly, or otherwise), for most people the materially likely will not stick until they get into consumption of native material, such as by reading.
In that sense, you’re not really learning grammar, but rather you’re creating mental placeholders for the concepts until you encounter them (such as in reading), at which point you can really get to know them over time.
(Some people are really good at learning grammar from a textbook and example sentences alone. For those of us who aren’t, diving into reading is perhaps the next best thing.)
2) When you first start reading, you likely won’t be reading so much deciphering your way through sentences. The less grammar and fewer words you know, the slower this will be, and the less progress you’ll feel you are making.
This is where having that initial exposure to grammar helps. By simply being exposed to a concept (even if you don’t understand it initially), it’ll be a little easier to really start learning it once you’ve seen it in “reading”. But you still need to actually find resources to learn the grammar you encounter. There’s the next area where the book club helps, as asking questions can get you answers targetted to the material you’re reading.
And finally, the big one:
3) Does the premise of the upcoming manga sound interesting to you? Did you check the sample pages, and see if you feel it will be enjoyable to look at the art? Whether you enjoy the material or not will be a huge factor in whether you’re willing to spend time deciphering your way through it.
You can also pick a manga or book that was previously read in the club to read instead, although going along with the book club live, at the club’s reading pace, will give more motivation to keep up a consistent reading (deciphering) schedule.
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Thanks for this terrific response to someone’s question!
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I’ve added a link in the opening post to the vocab sheet for this book. Often we don’t start filling this in until week one, but sometimes kind people start filling this in ahead of the bookclub starting.
Just a word of caution - if you are reading a Japanese book for the first time it’s generally helpful not to try reading ahead. Once the bookclub starts you’ll have the benefit of the questions and answers in the threads for each week, and the vocab in the vocab sheet. Those trying to read ahead of the bookclub on their own have often got a bit disheartened…
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Think I’ll give this a try. I also had started WaniKani in 2014, reached level 17 or so and then life events got in the way. Thankfully my younger self was smart enough to purchase a lifetime membership
So resetting my account and dusting off my long neglected copy of Genki. It’s funny how many of the mnemonics are still kicking around in my brain from 8 years ago. See you all on the 5th.
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