Happiness Week 8 - Absolute Beginner Book Club

Japanese Language Book Clubs
1

Happiness Book Club - Week 8

Chapter 4 (part 2) ・ Pages 141-158

Start Date: April 23rd
Last week: Week 7
Next week: Week 9
Home: Link

We’re reading volume 1 of this manga as part of the Absolute Beginner Book Club.

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Vocabulary Sheet

Building the vocab spreadsheet for the book is a joint project and everyone is welcome to contribute. Please read the instructions on the first page if you are doing this for the first time.

Discussion Guidelines
  • Please blur / hide any major events in the current week’s pages (however early they occur), like so: texthere
  • When asking for help, please mention the page number, and check before posting that your question hasn’t already been asked
  • Join the conversation — it’s fun!
Page numbers for ebook readers

The page numbers quoted by ebook readers often don’t match the print version of the book. This is usually because they count the front cover and inside front cover as pages 1 and 2.

We’ll be using the original page numbering from the print version. These will be found on the bottom corner of some (but not all) pages in the digital version.

Often subtracting 2 from the “ebook reader page” will give the equivalent “print version page” but you’ll need to check your edition.

Participation poll

  • I’m reading along
  • I’m still reading but I haven’t reached this part yet
  • I’m dropping this book

0 voters

If you’ve read it before but will join in the discussion, please select ‘yes’!

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Oho! How the turntables have turned! I am first!

I really want to try my hand at translating. Gotta look up half the grammar parts because they love to just pile them on and make verbs 3 times as long and half will probably be wrong, but here we go.

Summary

pg. 141
Gosho: “Thanks. I’ll start eating.”

pg. 142
Okazaki: "Uhm… Gosho-san. Uhm… really, thanks for yesterday. If you hadn’t saved me in that situation I… I don’t know what I would have become [?] maybe something dangerous [?]

pg. 143
Gosho: "Okazaki-kun, do you have siblings?
Okazaki: “Huh? Uh… I have an older brother… How about you?”
Gosho: “You remind me of my little brother.”
Okazaki: “Ah, so you have a little brother.”

pg. 144
Gosho: “Even though you are timid and indecisive you resemble him. [?] Here, this spot…” [her weird talking quirk is gonna make me crazy]
Okazaki: “Huh?”
Gosho: “Because people don’t come here, I always watch the sky here during breaks.”

pg. 145
Gosho: “When I’m feeling confused, I intently watch the sky and relax. I recommend it.”
Okazaki: “Yeah, thanks I’ll do that.”

pg. 146
Gosho: “YeAh, ThAnKs I’lL dO tHaT.”
Okazaki: “Err…”
Gosho: “YeAh, ThAnKs I’lL dO tHaT.”
Okazaki: “Uhm… Are you copying me? Staaaahp”
Gosho: “It was just a prank bro. Ah, Okazaki-kun Will you give me your LINE? [japanese instant messaging thingy]”

pg. 147
Okazaki: “…I…”

pg. 148
Okazaki: “Am I really okay? But today didn’t turn weird [?]”
Memory-Gosho: “When I’m feeling confused, I intently watch the sky and relax.”

pg. 150
Okazaki’s mom: “Makoto!? Makoto! Where are you going?”
Okazaki: “Ah, I’m going to the Video Store for a bit.”
Okazaki’s mom: “Makoto…!”

pg. 151
[pedalling intensifies]
Okazaki: “Haha”

pg. 152
Okazaki: "I’m fine. I’m fine. Definitely. I lose something important [??? Might be a typo and was supposed to mean 大したことない = It’s not a big deal ?] After all I’m feeling fine. Gosho-San… it’s the first time I made friends with a girl…

pg. 153
Okazaki: “Ah.”

pg. 154
Okazaki: “Yuuki-kun…”

pg. 155
Okazaki. “What is going on… I got a bad feeling there. [approximately. “The mood was unpleasant”] I better take a different road on the way back.”

pg. 156
girl whose name I forgot: “Okazaki! Do you have a moment?”

pg. 157
Okazaki: “Eh…, ah…, huh?” [He’s great with words.]
Girl: “Somewhere… I want somewhere I can talk with you. Come. Quickly.”

Lots of places I’m unsure of.

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Awkward contexts aside, this chapter was a nice read. Felt like I recognized more of the kanji and could understand (or at least guess) the grammar before looking it up to confirm.

We’re so close to the end though! I wonder what will go on in that last chapter. Who will get attacked? It’d be bad for Okazaki if it happened now, in the middle of a public video store! As usual with bullies, it seems crap rolls down hill. Yuuki seems to be struggling with that particular issue now.

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A mere 2 weeks left, so let’s start this one as well, shall we?

Translations

p141:

Thanks
Let’s eat

p142:

Ah… Gosho-san

Thanks a lot (liberal translation)
For yesterday

Wouldn’t you have helped me…
I don’t know what would’ve happened to me.

It could’ve been really bad

p143:

Okazaki
Do you have a brother?

Eh?
Uhm… I have an older brother

And you?

You…
resemble my younger brother

Ah… your little brother

p144:

He’s a coward
and he’s quite indicisive

This…
is usually where I come (liberal translation)

Eh?

Nobody comes here
During breaks I always come here to look at the sky

p145:

When my mind is all over the place
I just look watch the sky without thinking and that comforts me

I recommend it

Yeah…
Thanks… a lot

p146:

Yeah
Thanks… a lot

Eh?

Yeah
Thanks a lot

Wa…
Are you imitating me? Stop

It was a joke

Ah, Okazaki-kun
Do you use LINE?

p147:

I…

p148:

I’ll
be fine

But…
I didn’t act strange today

When my mind is all over the place
I just look watch the sky and that comforts me (Okazaki missremembering the line from a page or two ago, smh)

p150:

Makoto!?

Makoto!
Where are you going?

Ah
Just to the video stroe

Makoto!

p151:

Haha

p152:

It’s alright
It’s going to be alright

This isn’t such a big thing

I’m feeling great

Gosho-san
You’re my first girl friend

p153:

Ah…

p154:

Yuuki-kun…

p155:

What was that?
What a bad atmosphere

I’ll take a different route home

p156:

Okazaki!

Can I talk to you?

p157:

Eh?
Ah… Eh?

Just… (liberal translation)

Just let’s talk somewhere
Come with me

Hurry

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Caught up again. I liked her face when she imitated him. That look made me laugh somehow ^^.

Not sure if the volume comes to a good stopping point. Not much material left and basically nothing happened for now :confused: . Wild speculation: It looked like his bully was bullied in front of the Konbini by the two dudes. And since nao came to get him maybe hes going to beat the bullys up in the next chapter?

It seems more like hes on a trip (drugs) every now and than rather than that he turns into a vampire to be honest XD.

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Still looking up a lot of words, but I found I could get the gist reasonably well. Seems to be a slow build-up, and some fleshing out of the characters. Okazaki kun seems to be a bit unbalanced, but no closer to slaking his first for blood - is that coming in Book 2 I wonder?

Enjoying it, really glad I decided to take the plunge and start reading; and especially to be doing it in this group :heart::pray:

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I liked the scenes with Gosho. It felt like they were really comfortable and Okazagi finally has (another) friend. Speaking of, he should really talk to Nunota. At the end Okazagi had a manic episode again though lol

@davepirat

My take on your questions

I think this could be better paraphrased as “What would have happened?”

Seems like she is talking about her brother first and then comparing him with Okazagi, so “In the way that my little brother is timid and indecisive you resemble him.” Sounds a bit weird haha.

I think you just have to replace the “su” with “desu” all the time and then it’s a little clearer. I think she says: “Here… this is my place.” The “da” (informal of “desu”) becomes “na” the “no” becomes just “n” and the “desu” becomes “su”. Quite a lot of contractions!

I really like to imagine Okazagi actually talking like this xD

I think this is the right translation given that he “turned weird” the day before when he tried to bite her. So: “But today I didn’t turn weird.”

Someone wrote in the vocab sheet that 大したこと無い means “trivial” in the sense “not amounting to much” (無い is just the kanji version of ない). In Jisho: Jisho.org: Japanese Dictionary

Ah, classic Okazagi moment.

My image of the week:

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I really like her expression. It just has this vibe of “yeah whatever”.

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Laughed when Goshu was mimicking Okazaki. Felt so uncalled for yet so hilarious. That was my favorite scene this week.

Your translation is chef’s kiss. Captures the tone perfectly :rofl:

For a moment I thought history was going to repeat itself when out of nowhere, Okazaki just decided to go out on his bicycle in the middle of the night again. Felt a bit sad when I realized it’s the first time since don’t know how long ago we’ve seen Okazaki smile like that. It disappeared rather quickly unfortunately.

Annnd we’re nearing the end of the book ahhhh

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Finished this weeks pages. Story is picking up steam for final chapter!

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I am starting to really like this story… The characters, the art, … Does anyone know if the other volumes are as easy to understand ? I would imagine that if the story picks up in pace, there will be more dialogues. (and maybe vampire related vocabulary ?? :star_struck: )

I didn’t catch this at my first read, but you’re 100% right. There is something fishy there.

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Final week’s thread is up!

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