Read another subchapter. Things are really ramping up and I read ahead because I am not sure if I will be able to read tomorrow. T-T
15 Likes
➳ January 21st.
What: 風のクロノア
Pages: ?
Time: 105 minutes
Woops, haven’t checked in for the last couple of days. I’ve been doing tiny reads ever since Wednesday when I gave up on the world, lol. I’m recharging now that the weekend is here and feeling better already. Decided to pick up the Klonoa remaster because I’ve been wanting it for a while and it’s got Japanese language as an alternative. It’s not very difficult, and all the scenes are nicely spaced out with action in between. The only issue is that the text boxes auto advance. 
I’m still a slow reader so it’s going a little too fast for my liking. Hopefully I can get used to it.
Oh yeah!! Yesterday my packages finally arrived. I ordered Genki (for the Japanese class) and a Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar 
I’m gonna get those grammar gains this year… I must
Oh no! I hope you feel better soon.
29 Likes
1 月 21 日
からかい上手の高木さん Volume 1 Chapter ３ 
So I have been chipping away at this chapter for the last week on top of the episodes of Kona’s big adventure that I’ve been reading and I think I’m finally satisfied with my understanding of it today. I read it a total of three times. Once just to read through without looking up stuff. And then a second time to read through it side by side with the handy dandy notes from the ABBC thread and vocab from the excel sheet. This was the one that took me a few days since there was so much content on the thread. And then finally, one more read through with the information that stuck with me from the second time. Just like the last chapter, this was a little bit tough for me with so much vocab and grammar to take in. But I’m still enjoying myself!
Finally, I really just wanted to thank the ABBC contributors for all the effort put in asking and responding to questions and providing the vocab list.
Feeling a bit guilty cause I feel like I’m basically cheating my way through my first manga. 
Replies
Thanks @MissDagger for the follow up response about the random katakana sprinkled in manga and books depending on the author. Just gonna have to get used to it then!
@nyxqueenofshadows jesus christ… those lines in katakana! 
I wanna ask why but I know now there’s really no point in asking… I really need to up my katakana game now to be able to get ready for those.
@Greya do take your time. I’m in no rush. Btw, I love the cat drawings you shared from the manga! I’m even more tempted to buy it…
28 Likes
21st jan
finally finished カノカメ, definitely not gonna be continuing but it passed the time well enough. it was published in 2012, which explains a lot but also makes a line where the main character is like there are still people who bully people based on sexuality? very very out of place for me.
that means i need to pick something new for tomorrow, hmmmmmm
reply
ngl this was basically my response 
i saw it, had a little breakdown, turned to talk to someone, and then looked back and immediately got it. so don’t worry! like other people have said, you’ll get used to it after a while. at least ヲ or ヌ weren’t in there, they’re my two katana demons (even if ヲ almost never turns up)
25 Likes
Home 
January 21st
ジョジョの奇妙な冒険7
-
ララの結婚
start - 152
Ooop it’s 1:30 am… No wonder I’m sleepy lmao
I’ll probably finish this volume during the day and maybe read more JoJo afterwards.
24 Likes
Jan 21, Sat of Week 4 of Winter Q1 2023 
- Death Note Vol.6 Ch.48
Actually, I want to finish 第三のキラ of the volume, but it’s also that I can’t read well enough. (Rather than just club’s pace.) (Or I am just getting dizzy.)
Though, almost no lookup.
- はたらく細胞 Black Vol.3 Ch.14
Interesting words
- ニューキノロン = new quinolone (what’s that?). Turns out to be simply fluoroquinolone, or quinolone group excluding 1st generation.
- 化合物 = chemical compound
- 活性酸素 = reactive oxygen species. 活性化 is activation.
-
急性腎盂腎炎 = acute pyelonephritis
- 腎盂 is renal pelvis. The second Kanji seems to be mostly used in just this word, meaning bowl-like.
- 名案 = a smart plan = 優れた案
- 抜駆け = getting a head start; secretly acting before others. Also, 抜け駆け.
23 Likes
January 21st
Card Captor Sakura volume 7 – progress report
Yesterday: Finished chapter 27 and chapter 28 , continued up to page 128.
Today: Read up to page 165, finished chapter 29.
Some more reveals about Eriol and his companions – as well as another ‘wholesome’ or rather eerie scene between Rika and Terada-sensei where she gifted him a teddy bear for his birthday and he proceeded to name said bear ‘Rika’, blegh. 
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Word or expression of the day:
前世 - (ぜんせ) - one’s previous life
Honourable mention(s):
両思い - (りょうおもい) - mutual love
26 Likes
The Tanuki Kotatsu Reading Den
January 21st
新書太閣記 progress: 03.25% // Volume I: 37.66% 
The pace has quickened in this chapter and lots of things have started happening, which gets a bit awkward reading because I start to try and read faster but then I can’t read faster so I start stumbling over all the words and then have to go back and re-read the sentence.
Words found under the kotatsu
甥御「おいご」ー Someone else’s nephew
炎天「えんてん」ー Blazing sun; scorching heat
樹々「きぎ」ー Many trees (also: 木々)
豹「ひょう」ー Leopard
脛当「すねあて」ー Shin guards (also: 脛当て)
差料「さしりょう」ー Sword worn on the hip
誅「ちゅう」ー Death penalty
Forms
弓箭 ＝ 弓矢「ゆみや」(bow and arrow)
It has kanji!
彼方「あちら／あっち」(that way/direction; over there; that (over there))
Character Name List
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
Hachisuka Clan
蜂須賀小六「はちすか ころく」(also 正勝 「まさかつ」) - Head of the Hachisuka clan
– Married to 松波「まつなみ」
– – 亀一「かめいち」ー Son
Retainers:
– – 稲田大炊助「いなだ おおいのすけ]
– – 青山新七「あおやま しんしち」
– – 長井半之丞「ながい はんのじょう」
– – 松原内匠「まつばら たくみ」
– 国吉「くによし」ー Gunsmith/blacksmith
– 渡辺天蔵「わたなべ てんぞう」- Deserter - Nobushi (Nephew to Koroku)
Oda Clan
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
Shiba Clan
斯波義統「しば よしむね」- Head of the Shiba clan, at Kiyosu castle
Others
今川義元「いまがわ よしもと」- Daimyo
Historical People
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阿倍仲麻呂「あべ の なかまろ」ー Japanese scholar & poet (700s)
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白楽天「はく きょい」ー Chinese poet (Bai Juyi / Bo Juyi) also known as: 白楽天「はく らくてん」in Japan. (Late 700s)
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道元「どうげん」(or 道元禅師「どうげん ぜんじ」ー Japanese Buddhist Priest, writer & poet (also known as 栄西禅師「えいさい ぜんじ」) (Early / mid 1200s)
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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 / early 800s)
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源頼政「みなもと の よりまさ」ー Prominent poet and warrior (1100s)
24 Likes
Day 20: January 20th 
からかい上手の(元)高木さん Volume 10 (73% ➨ 80%)
からかい上手の高木さん Volume 10 (43% ➨ 53%)
シャドーハウス Volume 4 (76% ➨ 80%)
27 Likes
January 21
Home Post
Novel in English
Last night, I did indeed end up reading in English as well, in fact I got totally caught up and read until 3 am. 
Good thing it was Friday…
Today I finished off the book. And while I would normally wait to post until I’d read something in Japanese, I’ve been meaning to post some pictures from my trip to the UK in December, and some new pictures of my kitten Kiro (six months old any day now). (And I don’t know that I’ll get to Japanese today…) Because I did see this: 
Kiro is still a keen snuggler, loving to lay between my body and the laptop when I do reviews. And always wanting to climb and lay on my chest when I’m half sitting up and trying to read VNs on my Switch. He was especially cuddly for the first 3-4 days after I came home from the US (he’d missed me 
), and have now settled back into his more usual amount.
Meaning we cuddle a LOT in the morning and whenever I sit down long enough on the couch in the afternoon (usually 20 mins or so until he moves somewhere else), and of course, for some time when I chillax in the evening. 
(We would cuddle less if I didn’t work from home since he’s a cat and only want to lay on me for so long before he moves on.)
31 Likes
Happy Lunar New Year to anyone who celebrates it here. I only know of it because my friends were celebrating.
Day 20
The next manga I started reading is Tsugumomo vol.1. I already read some of it in english, it’s not that hard but some rarer vocabulary is used.
1777 pages read 18223 to go
20 Likes
January 16th-21st (Days 16-21) 
I got a little lazy and then ill, and I didn’t even realize a week has passed since I’ve last made an update! Oh boi… Where did all that time go? 
I’m not sure whether it’s just the illness, but I feel totally drained of both energy and enhusiasm - getting myself to read this week has been an absolute pain and a chore. It took a lot of self-convincing, but I read every day and slowly made my way through chapters 21-23 of チュベローズで待ってる AGE32. Ah…
Also, there are so many posts I now need to catch up with in this thread
26 Likes
I finished my first Japanese book of the challenge! After buying つぐみ 6 months ago for the book club and then deciding that it was too hard (especially as a physical copy of the book), I finally finished it and really enjoyed it! Here is my review on Natively if anyone is interested.
In other news, I finished 我能摸摸你的财神光环吗？in Mandarin last week (finally! it was decent but it took me like 2 months to finish haha) and decided to DNF La librería del señor Livingstone in Spanish after 100 pages because I wasn’t feeling it .
25 Likes
Home post // Jan 21
・ 封印再度 (42% → 52%)
Finally continuing Saikawa & Moe from where I left off last year. Somehow managed to finish week 5, so just 6, 7 and 8 left to catch up with book club.
Also totally random (I blame Millie Parfait 
), but I thought maybe the Tagalog course on Duolingo might be available now after waiting for years, but it wasn’t 
There was however an English course for Tagalog speakers instead, so I tried that I only know a handful of words, so I had to rely on google translate to understand anything at all, but it was very fun! Especially trying to repeat back the read-aloud by the google translate robot lady. What left the biggest impression on me was the intonation of words and sentences - it has a totally different feel from any other language I know. Would be fun to learn more Filipino when I’m not so busy.
28 Likes
Decided to give myself an extra week on the manga after how my first week went. I also decided since I was starting late to swap Jan and Febs books since Febs is a very short collection of short stories.
I also figured out why I wasn’t able to finish the first chapter of コンビニ人間 when I last tried to read it…it’s because it doesn’t have chapters at all lol.
Anyway finished 本好き 第一部 2! Onto V3.
As for the book…can’t say I’m the biggest fan is Soseki so far, but it’s easy enough to finish in time.
23 Likes
Day 21, 21st of January
I’ve been focusing on doing lots of listening, so only one story today. Here a fairy explains all the items you can use to protect yourself on a quest. These particular ones came from the treasure chest our adventurers found after fighting the dragon. Almost got tricked by the negative tense because I had that confusing experience with 危ない…
21 Likes
January 21 
チュベローズで待ってる AGE32 , 36-46%
I decided to persevere with this book a little longer, and it did in fact get better - hope it lasts.
26 Likes
Well I haven’t responded in the thread for a while now but I’m still following the challenge on the sidelines. I’ve kept reading a chapter per day of 宇崎ちゃん at the very least. I’ve finished the first volume and started the second one. It’s getting easier, less tiring and I’ve adjusted my setup so it helps a lot. I have a lot on my plate overall since the holidays ended but at least I try to carve out 30 minutes every day for it.
Hope everyone is having fun in their own way !
24 Likes
Wasn’t feeling super motivated yesterday so read some シャドーハウス
21/1 25 pages シャドーハウス (finished chapters 58+59)
I’m at the airport now and should be able to read quite a bit on the plane.
23 Likes
January 21st!
Today I finished Chapter 3 of Cells at Work.
I’m still finding it a very difficult read, but watching the anime has helped a lot since it helped me get the hang of some of the vocab, and also made the info boxes that explain things much less intimidating, since I now have a better understanding of the concepts they are explaining.
24 Likes