The kanji is the only reason I remember how to spell it, I used to think it was “takonbon” before I studied Japanese…
EDIT: counter-jinx
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Kanji are the best. They are like cheating for Japanese.
Wow you guys are so synced it’s scary.
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Chapter 15
Start Date: 2025-08-01T15:00:00Z
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I caught up with chapter 13 and finished chapter 14 this week. (I’m obviously much slower than some here who finish a chapter in an hour!) As usual, lots of looking up words and likely I misunderstood some things.
Two questions on chapter 13.
Page 41
ナナ says “来るんじゃなかった…” My first guess was “I didn’t come”, but that seem obviously wrong since she’s there. Is it “I came, didn’t I”?
Page 44
ヤス says (about レン): “あんな不器用で過酷な芸能界渡って行けんのかねぇ”. I get something like “Can he make it in the awkward(?) and harsh work of show business.” But the English translation has “But Ren is like that. I’m sure sensitivity doesn’t help in the world of major labels.” Is there actually anything about sensitivity the Japanese (there or in nearby balloons) that I’m missing?
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Ch 13
Yeah, that’s easy to get tripped up on. It helped me once I started paying attention to how the verb was conjugated. You’re right, “I came didn’t I?” is a good translation here.
I think (and someone else chime in if I’m wrong) that あんな不器用 is referring to how Ren is here. So it’s more like “with his 不器用, he’s able to make it in the harsh world of show business”.
I looked at a few Japanese definitions of 不器用 but couldn’t really find one that fits “sensitivity” but I can sorta see how you could get there from that sentence, maybe? Esp considering that they’re taking a fair bit of liberty there.
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I don’t have the manga here with me to check context, but I’d read that ‘I shouldn’t have come’.
Google brought me this stack exchange reply on the topic
Yeah, I don’t really think that fits either. It’s more a ‘lack of social skills’ or ‘inability to (assumably put on a front?)’. I can’t wait until I have my context back. 
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Yeah I interpreted it more as “I wonder if he can make it in the cruel world of showbusiness, not being cunning/scheming/shrewd like that”
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Yep, lol.
(I got じゃん and じゃない confused I think?)
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I think it’s mainly about the context, although I also wonder if a question tag “didn’t I” would ever be conjugated in the past in Japanese.
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The best is sentences ending in じゃないじゃない
I don’t think so? Like かもしれません、かもしれない, I don’t think it can be in the past
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Yeah I checked further and I don’t think there can be any other interpretation than “I shouldn’t have come” regardless of context. “I came, didn’t I?” would be something like “来たんじゃない？”.
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For some reason when I hear it spoken I have absolutely no question what it means. But when I read it, it’s an intricate puzzle to unwind
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Indeed, it’s easier when you have the tone. Same for な after an unconjugated verb, is it an interdiction or just a sentence-ending 〜な?
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Oh yes I hate those
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Thanks for the help, everyone!
Chapter 13
For ナナ, “I shouldn’t have come” definitely makes sense in context. Thanks for the pointer to the grammar, @Belerith.
For ヤス on レン, at first I was taking the で as combining two な adjectives, but having 不器用 modify 芸能界 doesn’t really make sense. Would thinking of it as a reason で make sense? Something like “Ren, because of his awkwardness, …”
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Without going back for the full context (I’m lazy ) that’s my read of it there.
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Chapter 15
Alright I’m an expert now
(2m video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpYF-xmNMew
(should have looked for a video in Japanese, but I got lazy :x )
This one is longer but explains a lot more of the rules:
(12 min video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow_Ws1re8pw
So Shin wins here because when he draws one tile it gives him 4 sets of 3 plus one pair
He even explains in the end what ツモ is, he won without taking tiles from other players, only with his own
６千オール has to do with the points, didn’t look much into that.
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Aggghh I can’t wait to post! I am getting back home from visiting family tomorrow and will catch up on everyone’s thoughts!
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I wasn’t able to comment on the story for this chapter, because I remember too much of what happens later. Looking forward to reading comments of first time readers though!
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I also had some of those problems. This is the part of the story that I very much remember
(That said, I definitely got some characters confused with others before and am still wondering if my memories are 100% right even here.. only time will tell..)
It was a good week this week though!
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