Got to chapter 4… I wanna quit.
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Replies
Echoing the others in that the first one stands alone and the second one belly flops.
From what I remember of the TV show (didn’t read the manga) there were a ton of tantalizing hints but no clean resolution. At least in the drama her memory issues aren’t fixed but there’s an overarching romance that basically ends with well, I’ll just convince you I’m lovable every day we meet which I found kinda…depressing. It was 1 season running in 2015 - it looks like the book series started in 2014 and is ongoing, the manga ran from 2015 to 2017. It’s possible either the manga or the book series give a more satisfying ending to her memory loss.
I tried searching for a ネタバレ but only got the one for the show unfortunately.
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Chapter 4 of re:zero or something else?
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January 30 
Home Post
Finally had some time to chill and play some BU$TAFELLOWS! Don’t think I’m super far into the chapter yet but it’s a good time as always, some interesting events already 
Yay! Haha I was thinking of BU$TAFELLOWS recommending it, definitely some similarly chaotic characters and dynamics and pretty boys never hurt 
That one caught my eye too somehow, probably because the 山猫 I’m currently on has ウロボロス in the title? Convenient timing, I supposed that could be where you’ve “seen it mentioned” 
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Re:Zero. I blame my short attention span on this one. I am trying my best but I think I am gonna be an Anime-Only Re:Zero fan from now on.
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I read The Housekeeper and the Professor in translation so many years ago that I wouldn’t trust me on any kind of details, but I wouldn’t call the book a romance at all (or I wouldn’t have read it). If I remember correctly (and I very well may not) it was a quiet story about the slowly developing human relationship of an aging professor with mainly his housekeeper’s son, and by extension the housekeeper herself. The English title is unfortunate and hints more at romance, the Japanese title less so. It was more about how so different people in age, profession, education, interests, can ultimately connect in a meaningful way. It was touching at times, but never devastating or even dramatic. It was a good book, but I read it directly after The Diving Pool which I loved for its haunting atmosphere, so I was a little disappointed in how “normal” it felt. It had a very different feel.
So yeah, I think you were describing it just fine! 
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Finished blue period volume 1. Will probably just watch the anime from here. Next I need to finish steel ball run before Thursday because it’s a rental.
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1 月 31 日
コナの大冒険 第35話 
Oh no! Somebody got hurt! It wasn’t Kona but I’m still sad about any animal getting hurt. It was one of the wolves in the pack who was hunting them.
New vocab
- 諦める [あきらめる] to give up, to abandon, to resign oneself
- 馬鹿にする [ばかにする] to make fun of
- ますます increasingly, more and more; decreasingly, less and less
- 片目 [かため] one of one’s eye
- つぶれる to collapse, to cease functioning,
- 襲う [おそう] to attack, to assail
- 洞穴 [ほらあな] cave, den
- 方がいい [ほうがいい] had better, had better not (after negative verb)
- 態度 [たいど] attitude, manner, behavior
- 慌てる [あわてる] to be flustered, to panic, to hurry
- がくぜん [愕然] astonishment, shock, amazement, terror
First month is over and I only missed 2 out of 31 days! Yayyyy! I mostly read on Satorireader and it has definitely spoiled me. 
But hey I gotta start somewhere! I’m 10 more episodes away from finishing my first series on Satorireader!
And just to say congratulations to everyone else doing this challenge! Whether you’ve done only 2 days or 31! 頑張ってね！
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好きな子がめがねを忘れた Volume 10 (15% ➨ 27%)Officially dropped Re:Zero. Started 夜は短し歩けよ乙女 but plan to use it to study on my lunch, not really trying to reading it for pleasure per se.
Gonna read manga on my commute for a bit. I went to hard on reading Re:Zero and even showed down but it was just a chore too read because nothing was happening.
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31st jan
chapter two completed! someone please, please give ginko a break, the poor guy deserves it 
some of the specifics of this one went over my head but i got the broad strokes. this chapter featured some very long constructions and some more dialectal speech, which was a struggle, but i got there in the end.
words that stuck out: 方方 (ほうぼう, here and there, everywhere), 文献 (ぶんけん, literature, reference books), 絶縁 (ぜつえん, breaking off relations with someone), and tho they didn’t go into anki i have to mention 十中八九 (じゅうちゅうはっく, in 8 or 9 cases out of every ten, in all likelihood) and 村八分 (ostracism, esp. of a household) cos they’re quite fun
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January 30
Feels weird not to have a book I’m reading. Won’t last long though considering the ABC is starting a new book this week and I’ll be at the very least reading the free sample.
Instead, I played BU$TAFELLOWS for a bit over an hour since I want to catch up (I seem to always be just a little behind, hoping to stop that soon).
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Jan 31, Tue of Week 6 of Winter Q1 2023 
- はたらく細胞 Black Vol.6 Ch.35-36 (end volume) + Vol.7 Ch.37
Drug mechanism, and end of stress. Then, new arc.
- うたわれるもの
Words of the day
- ～といえど = as it may (happen). From ～と (particle) + 言え + ど.
- いけず = being mean. Kanji form is 行けず.
- おもむろに = composedly; calmly. Seems to be used as “abruptly” as well, but JJ said wrong usage. Kanji form is 徐に or 徐ろに.
- 独りごちる = to mutter to oneself
- 主になる = to take a lead in doing
- 燻す = to smoke out. Has Furigana in context.
- 黒ずみ = darkening; discoloration. Verb form is 黒ずむ.
- 琥珀 = an amber. 琥珀色 = amber-colored.
- 楊枝 = toothpick. Has Furigana, though I believe I have seen without Furigana before.
- 業務 = duty; service; business
- 適量 = proper amount. Opposites are 過剰 or オーバードーズ (overdose).
- 便秘 = constipation
- 遵守 = observance of laws (obeying to the rules)
- 挺身 = offering oneself
- 按配 = seasoning (taste) / condition. Probably I have seen an alternate form = 塩梅.
- 手中 = in one’s control
- 面持ち = facial expression
- 頓挫 = deadlock. Has Furigana in context.
- 木べら = wooden spatula
- 上澄み = clear fluid at the top of the mixture; supernatant fluid
- 沈殿 = precipitation at the bottom of the mixture
- 賽の目 = small cube (of food). 賽 is a dice (サイコロ).
- 湯煎 = warming something in a vessel placed in hot water
- 五体満足 = no physical defects; in good health
- 試行錯誤 = trial and error
SFX
- モチモチ = springy texture of food
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The Tanuki Kotatsu Reading Den
January 31st
新書太閣記 progress: 05.77% // Volume I: 66.87% 
Tried to read a bit more to try and play catch up to one volume a month since it’s the last day of the Jan, but became side-tracked from looking up so many new names. I don’t think I’ll try and catch up from here on, I’ll read at whatever pace I can, because that was pretty exhausting.
Words found under the kotatsu
厩「うまや」ー Stable; barn
膳所「ぜんしょ」ー Kitchen (archaic)
田螺「たにし」ー Pond snail
仔細「しさい」ー Reasons; circumstances; hindrance; obstruction
馬糞「ばふん」ー Horse poop
土用「どよう」ー Midsummer
斟酌「しんしゃく」ー Taking into consideration; making allowances for
梧桐「あおぎり」ー Chinese parasol tree; Japanese varnishtree
Forms
田圃 ＝ 田んぼ「たんぼ」(Paddy field; farm)
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 
Volume I: 1535 - 15??
(Currently 1554/5)
日吉「ひよし」- Hideyoshi (as child)
Nicknames: 猿「さる」/ 針売り「はりうり」
Family
木下弥右衛門「きのした やえもん」- Father
– – 乙若「おとわか」- Old friend
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
– 七内「なない」- Younger brother
– Married to 松波「まつなみ」
– – 亀一「かめいち」- 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」
Others:
国吉「くによし」- Gunsmith/blacksmith
渡辺天蔵「わたなべ てんぞう」- Deserter - Nobushi (Nephew to Koroku)
難波内記「なんば ないき」- Spy disguised as a Komuso
仁田彦十「にった ひこじゅう」- Subordinate
(蜂須賀正利「はちすか まさとし」- previous head of the Hachisuka clan)
Saito Clan
((questionable) Alliance with the Hachisuka clan)
斎藤 道三「さいとう どうさん」- Head of the Saito clan
– 斎藤義龍「さいとう よしたつ」(also: 高政「たかまさ」) - Son
明智 光秀「あけち みつひで」(common name: 十兵衛「じゅうべい」) - serves under Dosan
– 又市「またいち」- Underling / foot soldier
弥平治光春「やへいじ みつはら」- Retainer (cousin to Jyubei)
– 明智光安「あけち みつやす」- Father
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
Imagawa Clan
今川義元「いまがわ よしもと」- Daimyo
Retainers:
松下之綱「まつした ゆきつな」(common name: 加兵衛「かへい」)
飯尾豊前「いのお ぶぜん」
多賀能八郎「たがのう はしろう」(nickname: 能八「のうはち」)
Takeda Clan
太郎義信「たけだ よしのぶ」- Commander
(Married to the daughter of Imagawa Yoshimoto to tie the clans)
Non-affiliated
上泉 信綱「かみいずみ のぶつな」(also: 上泉 伊勢守「かみいずみ いせのかみ」) - Founder of the 新陰流「しんかげりゅう」school of Kenjutsu
– 疋田小伯「ひきた しょうはく」- Disciple
塚原 卜伝「つかはら ぼくでん」- Kensei; legendary swordsman
Historical People
-
阿倍仲麻呂「あべ の なかまろ」ー Japanese scholar & poet (700s)
-
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)
-
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)
-
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)
-
源頼政「みなもと の よりまさ」ー Prominent poet and warrior (1100s)
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January 31st
Aria: the masterpiece volume 3 – progress report
Yesterday: Read up to page 158.
Today: Continued up to page 163.
Didn’t sleep well last night, so only a tiny read today; especially with today’s pages being dedicated to an explanation about the custom of young men gifting those red roses on the day of the ‘Festa del Bocolo’.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Word or expression of the day:
自ら進んで - (みずからすすんで) - by choice, of one’s own free will, on one’s own initiative
Honourable mention(s):
戦友 - (せんゆう) - comrade in arms, war buddy, fellow soldier
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Day 31, 31st of January
Reading the first story of the Tile World Chronicles, I think I’m gonna go slowly and do one page at a time.
It seems the princess needs to be saved from the big bad wolves in the “blue-and-green-forest”. I was a bit confused by the を in the sentence, because I only learned it as indicating the object that something is done to, but apparently it’s different here. Using ichi.moe, を can indicate the following:
- indicates direct object of action
- indicates subject of causative expression
- indicates an area traversed
- indicates time (period) over which action takes place
- indicates point of departure or separation of action
- indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.
I think it is the latter because it seems to describe the big bad wolves. I’ll have to keep these six different points in mind because apart from the first I had no clue about them.
Edit: した is a past form of する, so it’s actually still an object indicator.
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You mean the one in 赤い目をした悪い狼 ? I think most people would think of that as the “direct object” を (the verb being する), and X目をした as an idiomatic expression for “X-eyed” ( 大きな目をした, 青い目をした, etc).
“Area traversed” and “point of departure” are a special use with movement verbs – there have been a couple of threads on that recently.
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lol seems like I didn’t clock した as a form of する, I think I straight up didn’t see it at all. Okay this makes more sense, thanks!
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Day 27-30 Progress:
スロー ループ - 48-53話 七巻完成!!!
魔法使いロゼの佐渡ライフ - 1-5話
Ah crap, I actually lost track of days between posting…
I finally caught up to Slow Loop… I even started buying individual issues of Manga Time Kirara Forward to catch up on the chapters not in tankoubons.
It felt kind of weird spending 550 yen a month on an entire magazine so I could read a single series so I also read 魔法使いロゼの佐渡ライフ, a fun new serialization about a witch who is ostracized in her own world so she isekais herself to Sado, Japan and lives a slow and peaceful life there instead. Only the beginning of the very first chapter took place in the fantasy world but I immediately got bombarded with more vocabulary than I could handle which kinda illustrates how I’ve mostly been reading SOL stuff
I also kinda see the appeal of buying actual manga magazines as well now: the anticipation of getting updates on a few series as well aimlessly flipping through and hoping to discover something new… unfortunately, my reading skills aren’t good enough to do that without being absolutely drained…
Anyway, next I’ll probably be going back to 天使様 after a while… and maybe start the であいもん manga as well.
Word of the Day:
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Home post // Jan 31
・ 封印再度 (91% → 92%)
Finished chapter 9 and thereby week 9 of book club. That means there is just one chapter and week left
It’s just Tuesday, right? I feel like it is Friday already. Speaking of distorted sense of time, this month has been so hectic I feel like I’ve aged 5 years so far just this year.
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