I’m just gonna say as a last thing that Steins;Gate takes really long to unveil what it really is about. It seems quite weird and actually a little boring (?) for the first 10 episodes or so. But in the end it turned out to be one of the most mysterious and touching shows I probably ever watched. Although it doesn’t really use any new concepts in terms of its plot but the implementation is just great. It’s just not something for everyone I think.
I will definitely also read Happiness on my own when this book club is done! But I don’t want to spoil the fun for myself by reading ahead because I really like talking about the current chapter in this small group here in the book club; it’s a really nice dynamic to just talk every Friday about the next chapter of the book. I hope the other book clubs will be like this as well!
That was my first book club. I’m reading it on my own and getting 3/4 of the meanings myself It’s amazing! Thank you all for the sentences in the google document and for the insides and explanations in the forum.
But there are things that are more “culture” than “grammar”. The girl finger’s movement for example, does it mean something? Anybody with a “japanese friend” can ask him/her about it? We are just curious
Also the relationship between all students are so “weird” from an “western” point of view.
If you attack a girl and she puts your head in her chest to calm you … that’s mostly she likes you in my culture. Nothing like “calm boy, I’m a good person, I would do that for anyone who needs help”.
So many things “lost in translation” … but still I enjoy the story and I will probably read the next volumes -since they were 1-3 free when we started the bookclub-.
So, uh, I fell off the wagon hard in March, which is why I haven’t been around since Week 2. Over the last couple of days I’ve caught up, especially thanks to the people still asking and answering questions in these threads. Just in time to hopefully be an active participant in Week 8!
I haven’t heard of this show before, but I’ve put it on my list to watch next. I consider the praise of someone who’s never seen anime before to be especially high.
Tbh, I think Gosho would be a weird character to a non-otaku Japanese person too. She does seem very much like wish fulfilment for readers who are like Okazaki, not that I’m complaining.
Same! I think it’s the first time we’ve got a detailed close-up of an object rather than a person.
Without being too crude, I think 五所さん’s finger rubbing gesture withすらすら is referring to the activity on pg.19 – explaining her saying: ムラムラのほうは…もうおさまったっすか? It’s an American euphemism too, but not that gesture AFAIK. It looks too close to the “show me the money” gesture here in the States. I guess it goes to show how easy it can be to misunderstand someone’s gestures across cultures.
In previous scenes she talks about Okazaki being so sexually aroused that he can’t do nothing but jumping over her. Okazaki was apologizing for that but she wants to tease him, like making him “hot” because he is so shy that she finds it amusing to tease him like that. And she says something like “I prefer the horny Okazaki” … then that finger movement and onomatopeya is NSFW because she is saying with that gesture that she is becoming “wet”, in a sexual context.
