Got a few more pages in on my lunch and am pretty happy with the amount of lookups per page I am doing with Re:Zero. I have been wanting to read this series for so long, and its so cool I am comfortable reading it (even with a few look ups). I think watching the anime and reading other light novels prepared me a lot for this series. The anime helped me the most but that was still a challenging show on some days (I was watching 5 episodes at a time roughly). My hope is this book will push me to that next level I have been hoping to reach reading wise. I want to have that confidence of getting a book that looks interesting and not fearing if I can comprehend it or not. It seems like this just might get me there.
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January 16th
What did I read?: 魔女と猫の話
How much did I read?: 9 pages
(Started 1st Story)
How long did it take me?: 1 h
The next manga I will be reading is 魔女と猫の話 by 四宮しの!
It’s another short story collection, this time all about witches and their cats~ I love how the cats are drawn in this manga! They’re the perfect blend of realism and manga-style! When I was checking out the preview while figuring out whether to buy it or not, I looked at the title page and was instantly smitten!
The first story so far is about the witch Suzu summoning her cat on her 13th birthday. While she was hoping for a pitch black, intelligent, kind cat like her grandmother’s, the one she ends up summoning is… this one:
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Oh, that’s totally fine! Amazon Japan shipping can definitely get pretty crazy! And you still bought さめない街の喫茶店, which I’ll be getting around to reading at some point! 
Thank you to all of you for the congratulations! I think that reading alongside everyone and posting in this community have really helped motivate me to stay on track!
And congraultaions to all the other first manga/book achievers! Sorry I can’t mention you specifically, but there were so many (an excellent “problem” to have! 
), and I wouldn’t want to miss one of you. So generic group congratulations it is!
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Got the 半落ち reading done today. Really loving the story, there’s already hints being dropped at multiple plot lines and I am here for it. Give me complicated relationships 
Tomorrow I should hopefully have time for チュベローズ finally, and then Wednesday is all-day-travel-day so definitely time for it then. I’m somewhat dreading February as I’ll have 半落ち, この本を盗む者は (starting Feb 4), 七回死んだ男 and レベル７* all while traveling for work (which means limited free time after work officially ends as I must 
socialize ) 
* @Belerith how do you feel about postponing that start date til ~Feb 20? 
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Day 16: January 16th 
シャドーハウス Volume 4 (71% ➨ 76%)
👵🏻 ××でも魔法少女になれますか? Volume 1 (31% ➨ 39%)
Somehow or other, the villain turned out to not be as bad as he was made out to seem in the prior chapter. (I suspected as much based on some of his actions, but he had very questionable dialogue.) As with the first villain, he’s given an understandable and innocent reason to have become an evil demon baddie.
I sort of expected to make more reading progress over a third-day weekend…
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softlyraining’s snowy book stack 
January 13th ・ January 14th ・ January 15th ・ January 16th
授乳 (29% → 31%)
The past several days have consisted of VERY tiny reads. Not ideal, but sometimes that’s how things go. Looking to get through bigger chunks by the end of the week. 
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January 16 Home Post
Read some more 花子くん today! The last few chapters were a bit more dense both language-wise and plot-wise so it was somewhat slower going, but oh the drama 
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Sure! I’ll also have more time after that date, so that would work out perfectly. 
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That would suit me too – I ordered the book from cdjapan on Dec 26th but they have still not shipped the order (I have just emailed their customer service to find out why…)
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Finished the first Sub-chapter of Re:Zero 16. I’m glad they have the same chapter setup as 青ブタ so I can manage my time the same way.
Finished 2 chapters of volume 2 of Steel Ball Run. Really having fun reading it. But again it’s on the side of “shut off brain” fun. So I plan to read that after I finish a subchapter of Re:Zero.
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Hehe, I’m a full-fledged durtle now! 
strikes a pose, cape flutters in the wind behind me
You have no idea how much I laughed after reading the small text 
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January 17th
Card Captor Sakura volume 6 – progress report
Yesterday:Continued up to page 158
Today: Continued up to page 175
Mizuki-sensei came to the rescue, Sakura got a new staff and now the trial is over with Yue recognising Sakura as his new master. However, the explanations keep coming even until last few pages of this volume, so I called it a day. I’m fine with finishing the volume tomorrow instead of today – I may even start a tiny bit of volume 7 tomorrow, who knows. 
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I’m glad that your current study plan is bearing fruit out despite being hefty and time-consuming – I hope it keeps being fruitful for a while. 
In a way, it’s retrocatively motivating for me to hear about other people and their study efforts coming to fruition.
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Word or expression of the day:
預ける - (あずける) - to leave (in someone’s keeping), to put (in someone’s care); to put (someone) in charge of
Honourable mention(s)
認める - (みとめる) - to recognise; to deem, to assess; to approve; to admit, to accept
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I’ve been following your progress and your comments. This is super cool that you take the time to write them (even if they’re not for me). It’s the first time I really create content that other people consume so I always a bit embarassed when I read them .
I have to say, providing a list of someone’s attributes may give me the momentary satisfaction of learning that ‘height’ is written as 身長, but it won’t help me actually learn these characters.
身長 is here for this momentary satisfaction. It’s not repeated afterwards but in the context it is transparent so why not use it ?
This one has a horribly garish red background, avert your eyes.
You’re actually not the first person making this type of comments about background colors. I’ll be more careful in the future. I just checked and it seems I can do it easily by adding some CSS.
Also I need to add the CSS pokemons are not from me. I have on my todo to write a ‘credits’ page.
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January 16-17
Home Post
BU$TAFELLOWS 
I read nothing yesterday (Jan 16), jetlag took its toll. I meant to read after dinner but after watching videos for a little while after dinner, I grew exhausted in no time, and went to bed instead. I’m also hoping to use this time zone change/jetlaggy period to change my go to bed time and wake up time to earlier than before. I will definitely have to get used to starting my evening activities earlier if I want to do them.
Anyway, decided to read BU$TAFELLOWS early today (17th) and hoped I could finish chapter one, but the end of the chapter did not appear yet. Will see if I can find more time to read this VN, or if I’ll settle for (English) novel reading. I want chapter 1 finished today or tomorrow, but since I don’t know how much is left… Who knows? I read a good chunk today for sure.
Woop woop! 
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January 16
I want to catch up with the BU$TAFELLOWS club so I’m prioritizing that over ユージニア for a bit. I feel like before I was better at reading several Japanese things in one day because I’d run out of stamina and want to change things up, but now that my stamina is better and I’m reading interesting things it’s kinda hard to stop reading one thing. Thus I read BU$TAFELLOWS for ~2h and then I figured I’d at least read a little ユージニア but it was already so late and I was so sleepy that soon I couldn’t understand anything I was reading so I stopped having read less than 1%. Hopefully next time I can balance them better.
25 Likes
17th jan
蟲師 continues to be very good fun, even if i was deceived by how simple this chapter would be the opening lines were a little tricky to parse (was in a poetic style) but then i flew through the next twenty pages or so, and then it got difficult again. it also doesn’t help that there were some slightly choppy timeskips in this one.
words that stuck out: 露骨 (ろこつ, open, undisguised), 暗示 (hint, suggestion), 破滅 (hint, ruin, destruction, fall)
a question
(first kanji of the bubble, apologies it’s a bit blurry) is this a font thing? an old version of the 父? something different entirely? what’s that extra stroke doing there? i did some googling around but couldn’t find anything. it’s not a mark on the page cos it turns up a few times and looks like that every time
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I’m not sure I read that fast in English and it’s my native language!
I’ve been a bit MIA last few days as I’ve been trying to fit in too much (which does include browsing various BookOff stores in the evening).
14/1 1 page 夜カフェ
15-16/1 missed due to busyness!
17/1 skimmed short mission 1 of Spy Family
I may properly read that section of Spy Family before bed, I was trying to read it in a ramen place and couldn’t concentrate.
I’ve picked up a fair number of manga plus a few books over the last week. Was tempted by a set earlier that I think is too heavy, but I could probably squeeze it in (Blood on the Tracks, 10 volumes for ¥3000). I was put off by the weight and the fact that I think it’s a 13 volume series, but I may go back tomorrow evening, it’s near my hotel. Anyone read it? I gather it’s a bit disturbing, but I enjoyed Happiness, if that’s the right term for that series.
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Day 17, 17th of January
I like to make these comments to make sure I at least try and engage with the text more intesively. Sometimes I get confused by story logic. Sometimes I get to learn a new grammar point! None of my reactions or comments are supposes to be judgements of the quality of the content, so feel free to simply be amused by my silly notes.
That said, here are some more today. It seems in today’s story we’re talking about something near and dear to my heart: pixelart! Someone who wants to be a game designer shows us how to draw them. 猫 and the 描 appearing here are so similar, yet I haven’t had trouble with them? Some more usage of the と, this time two different functions in one sentence!
In the next story we’re greeted by three magic users. A lot of these Kanji I’ve already read in Kiki, though the 大鍋 only appeared in Hiragana - maybe because it was a pot and not a cauldron?
I wanted to get a preview of the next story and I met this guy!
Another CSS friend. He reminds me of something, but I don’t know what.
Wait.
There he is. They’re cousins!
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１月１７日 (Home Post Link)
Read:
- 夜カフェ pg 7 → 17 - GOD this is so melodramatic it’s hilarious. I love it so far, some parts my comprehension are a little iffy, but eventually context comes in and helps out. Lots of new words, some new grammar, but noticeably easier to read than when I did my test read at the end of december! Even just 2 weeks of reading magic treehouse made a huge difference. I saw 「残り少なくなった桜の花びらか涙のように舞い落ちてくる」 and couldn’t stop myself from laughing it’s so cheesy (in an endearing way)
- ホリミヤ ch 79, 80, 81, おまけ - volume 11 down!
Good Words
夜カフェ
埋める「うめる」ー to bury
あからさま ー plain, frank
音痴 「おんち」ー tone deaf
鈍い「にふい」ー dull, blunt
目立つ「めだつ」ー to stand out, to be conspicuous
塾「じゅく」ー cram school
舞い落ちる「まいおちる」ー to flutter down
掲示板「けいじばん」ー bulletin board
紺色「こんいろ」ー deep blue, navy blue
しぼむ ー to wither, to wilt
ニヤニヤ ー grinning, smirking
呪う「のろう」ー to curse
肉じゃが「にくじゃが」ー meat and potato stew
疎かにする「おろそかにする」ー to neglect
せめて ー at least
ホリミヤ
怪談「かいだん」ー ghost story
お団子頭 「おだんごあたま」ー bun (hairstyle)
いじる ー to tamper with, to mess around with (here, with someone’s hair)
崩れる「くずれる」ー to break down, to get out of shape
人災「じんさい」ー man made disaster
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The Tanuki Kotatsu Reading Den
January 17th
新書太閣記 progress: 02.42% // Volume I: 28.05% 
Finished the chapter, onto the next one:
… anddd managed to finish that one too!
Granted it was relatively short, but still, two chapters read today
Words found under the kotatsu
化石「かせき」ー Fossil; petrification; fossilisation
むざむざ ー Easily; helplessly; without regret; without resistance
半信半疑「はんしんはんぎ」ー Half in doubt; half convinced; dubious
血膿「ちうみ」ー Bloody pus
寒々「さむざむ」ー Wintry; very cold looking; bleak; desolate
野放図「のほうず」ー Wild; unruly; arrogant
煎薬「せんやく」ー Medical decoction; infusion
Forms
暢気 ＝ 呑気「のんき」(Carefree; optimistic; easygoing; careless)
呶鳴る ＝ 怒鳴る「どなる」(to shout; to yell)
Character Name List
for easy referencing later, because these will take some remembering
Also probably some spoilers, but this is a historic novel, so can spoilers really exist for things that have (for the most part) actually happened 
Main
Hideyoshi: 豊臣秀吉「とよとみ ひでよし」
– – – Childhood name: 日吉「ひよし」
– – – Childhood nickname: 猿「さる」
Volume I: 1535 - 15??
日吉「ひよし」- Hideyoshi (as child)
Nickname: 猿「さる」
Family
木下弥右衛門「きのした やえもん」- Father
筑阿弥「ちくあみ」ー Step-father
大政所「おおまんどころ」// also お奈加「おなか」ー Mother
おつみ - Older sister
小竹「こちく」- Baby brother
加藤清正「かとう きよまさ」// also 弾正「だんじょう」- Ojisan (only distantly related (before marriage))
– Married to: おえつ (sister of お奈加)
Friends & Acquaintances
仁王「におう」- Big kid friend
於福「おふく」(Nickname - full name: 福太郎「ふくたろ」) // 楊景福「ようけいふく」(Chinese name/birth name) - Timid kid friend (older than Hideyoshi)
– 五郎大夫 「ごろ だゆう」// 祥瑞「しょうずい」(Chinese name) - Father
– 梨琴「りきん」- Mother
捨次郎「すてじろう」- Previous servant to 五郎, later the adoptive father of 於福, and owner of a tea ware shop - and employer of, and master to, Hideyoshi
Others
織田信秀「おだ のぶひで」- Daimyo
– 織田与三郎「おだ よさぶろう」- Younger brother
今川義元「いまがわ よしもと」- Daimyo
斯波義統「しば よしむね」- Daimyo (head of the Shiba clan) at Kiyosu castle
渡辺天蔵「わたなべ てんぞう」- Nobushi
Historical People
-
阿倍仲麻呂「あべ の なかまろ」ー Japanese scholar & poet (around 700AD)
-
白楽天「はく きょい」ー Late 700s Chinese poet (Bai Juyi / Bo Juyi) also known as: 白楽天「はく らくてん」in Japan.
-
道元「どうげん」(or 道元禅師「どうげん ぜんじ」ー Japanese Buddhist Priest, writer & poet (Early to mid 1200s) (also known as 栄西禅師「えいさい ぜんじ」)
-
空海「くうかい」ー The one and only Kukai or Kobo Daishi - a Buddhist monk. Posthumously given the title of: 弘法大師「こうぼう だいし」born as: 佐伯 眞魚「さえき の まお」(late 700s to early 800s)
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This is great to hear that your studying is going well!!
I also have this problem, I have hardly any free time anymore because of this 
Happy 4th Waniversary! 
That face
And congrats on your first manga!
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Jan 17, Tue of Week 4 of Winter Q1 2023 
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うたわれるもの
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Super Doctor K Vol.2 Ch.8-9 (end volume)
Too contrived and questionable, not only the medical part.
Interesting words
- たかが = merely. Also, 高が, but I don’t feel that Kanji form help much.
- ボロい = easy money / worn-out. From 襤褸 = rag; shredded clothes.
- かしましい = noisy = 姦しい. Similar to a meaning of 喧しい.
- 拓く = to clear up a land (bush, trees); to open a path. The Kanji is in Level 49.
- 魅入る = to entrance; to be in a trance. First Kanji is from 魅力.
- 抜き身 = naked sword. It’s actually 抜き身の刀 in context.
- お人好し = good-naturedness
- 同列 = same level; same rank
- 赤茶 = reddish brown color. Compare with 紅茶 (black tea) and 緑茶 (green tea), which are real tea, and use On readings.
- ヒ素 = arsenic (chemical element; poisonous). There is also Kanji form = 砒素.
- 豊富 = plentiful
- 殺到 = a lot people rushing in
- 外車 = imported car
- 円高 = appreciation of the Yen currency. Depreciation counterpart is 円安. Can also be other than Yen, e.g. ドル高.
- 窮状 = wretched condition; plight; distress
- 面会謝絶 = No Visitor Allowed. 謝絶 = politely refusing.
- 上流階級 = upper class of the society
- 口車に乗せる = to deceive with a smooth talk
- 音を上げる = to give up; to admit defeat. Use 根 in context.
SFX
- コリコリ = firm/crunchy texture when biting. Has a feel from teeth.
- ぼつぼつ = gradually / before long; soon
- きっかり = exactly (of time, amount) = かっきり
Looks like a font thing, and I have noticed this weirdness for a while. I can’t find the exact font, though.
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