The BookWalker Freebies Thread

Japanese Language Reading
1185

本好き still moves around, which is kinda terrifying. My understanding is that it’s more the nature of an ELO system than a problem with the actual gradings themselves, but one of the most read series on the site should be pretty fixed in its grading. A CI might be a good fix for this, honestly. Although, the dev over there has been taking an extended break from the site so it’s mostly in matienence mode these days.

tbh the 本好き series should probably be broken into arcs that are graded separately from each other from what people say about the later books difficulty compared to the beginning..

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1186

In the end the actual difficulty of a book has a significantly subjective component that’s always going to add a degree of inaccuracy to crowdsourced ratings. You can add as many certainty intervals as you want, I’ll still think that Dungeon Meshi is easier to read than Nana even though Natively claims otherwise.

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1187

私はその逆……

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1188

My point exactly!

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1189

So much this. What genre is the reviewer used to vs the book being rated? Do they normally read prose vs manga? Are the ratings prose vs manga, how comfortable is person x with kanji or person y with adult speech, or person z with slang or kansai-ben? I still think Natively levels are really helpful, we just shouldn’t expect more precision than is possible.

And this is before even mentioning how the book is being read: digital vs paper, extensively vs intensively. It’s hard to rate books on an even playing field even relative to myself with these variables!

For me, relying on Natively ratings up to level 24 was a big help to get started and find those rare gems that were eg level 16-18 and still interesting. Beyond that, now I use it as a rough guide but reading the preview pages myself is an absolute must.

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1190

Exactly. And as someone for whom the Natively levels never really worked except maybe as a really rough guide, the more detailed reviews on the site are often more helpful to me than the actual ratings.

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1191

As someone who spent literal decades trying to read in Japanese before I found Natively, I think that people take what it gives for granted a bit.

I don’t think it’s perfect, but it helps you to build a stepping stone path between where you are and where you’re going to go.

But like, if I had known that it wasn’t anything wrong with me, I’m not going to be able to read 涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱 at my Japanese level but there are thousands of books that I can read to get me to there, I may have been reading a long time before I actually started. Looking on the internet at the time the suggestions for “easy” novels were 魔女の宅急便 (L25), キノの旅 (L29) and ゼロの使い魔 (L30). My first finished novel is graded at L22, and there’s so much that’s even lower than that.

For a little while I used the Natively levels as a prescriptive guide about what I should and shouldn’t read next, but I’ve since learned that not only are some things subjective, but also that interest will get you really far.

I guess I’m not saying that Natively does what it does as best that it could, but that I’d rather have a world where it exists than one that it doesn’t.

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1192

Honestly this subjectivity is why I’ve never really put much stock in Natively levels at all - I just try reading a bit and if it feels ok I keep going. Otherwise, I don’t - and maybe I’ll go back to it later to try again. Personally I much prefer it like this. Preview pages are the most useful thing for sure

I’m sure Natively has helped plenty of people, but I think it’s worth pointing out that the ratings are pretty much just vibes based and your mileage may vary based on your personal learning journey

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1193

Oh yeah, I didn’t mean to say that Natively isn’t a good thing, I do think it’s a very good idea. I just feel like it gives the illusion of accuracy by having such granular grades and also that it should probably wait until it gets more ratings from more people before it removes the “?” from ratings.

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1194

I will freely admit that trying to read 星界の紋章 (L40) as my first book and then 薬屋のひとりごと (L37) soon after wasn’t the easiest route to getting to read real Japanese books. Maybe my ambition sabotaged me a bit?

But having a rough idea of what to expect at the supposed “end” of my journey (being able to read sci-fi in Japanese) has helped me so much to persevere through the mountain of video games I’ve been playing on the side and manga that I zoom by. None of them are as challenging as these two, not even Death Stranding, but each time I read one more chapter of either series it just gets easier and easier. I use these two series as my progress indicator.

I’m happy there is a number involved here, even if it is a rough estimate. Having these as guideposts and still being able to read them (albeit slowly) is the fuel I needed to finish WaniKani (training wheels) and get serious about vocabulary and kanji outside of the list. It made me realize how early on this journey “mastering 2000 kanji” really is.

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1195

I also think that the more you have to grade against, the better your individual gradings are. There are a lot of things that come up to grade that I block because I either don’t remember them well, or I read so long ago I don’t really have a good idea of how hard it is anymore. I mostly try to skip gradings unless I really clearly have a feeling of one harder than the other (or they’re so similar to click about the same). Obviously, everyone grades things differently, but I think the law of large numbers means that things (kinda) settle eventually. Just that we need more people reading and grading :face_savoring_food:

fwiw, I’m also on Team Nana is easier than Dungeon Meshi :squinting_face_with_tongue:

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1196

Natively is a rough guide and that’s completely fine. I think it’s totally usable in general chunks of ranges where eg I know a manga at 17 i can probably get through comfortably in a day vs two days for a Lvl 21 and sustained study required for a LVL 27 and above.

I wish it would stop asking me to grade manga against prose though

Honestly it’s most useful for beginners so they can better gauge relative difficulty because at that level everything feels like a big ol wall of text

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1197
01 August 2025

Arrested Love (2019) - 68 - Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life
Tags: Shounen, Yakuza, Tsundere, Police, Primarily Adult Cast

Beating the Heroine at Her Own Game (2018) - 57 - Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Shoujo, Female Protagonist, Isekai, Reincarnation

Beating the Heroine at Her Own Game (2018) - 57 - Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Shoujo, Female Protagonist, Isekai, Reincarnation

Blackout: The Enigmatic Game (2014) - 51 - Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Tags:

Cafe Happiness: Food from Out of This World (2019) - 73 - Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Shoujo, Isekai, Female Protagonist, Restaurant

Go with a friend! (1995) - 50 - Comedy, Romance
Tags: Shoujo

Handsome Target Acquired (2019) - 65 - Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Female Protagonist, Isekai, Full Color, Heterosexual

Handsome Target Acquired (2019) - 65 - Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Female Protagonist, Isekai, Full Color, Heterosexual

Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four! (2019) - 66 - Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Tags: Economics, Isekai, Demons, Magic, Work, Politics, Male Protagonist, Archery, Elf

I’ve Reincarnated into a Handmaiden! (2019) - 64 - Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Slice of Life
Tags: Shoujo, Reincarnation, Female Protagonist, Maids, Isekai, Heterosexual

I’ve Reincarnated into a Handmaiden! (2019) - 64 - Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Slice of Life
Tags: Shoujo, Reincarnation, Female Protagonist, Maids, Isekai, Heterosexual

If This is the Thread of Fate, Then I Will Cut it For You (2020) - 59 - Fantasy, Romance
Tags:

I Love the Crown Prince Too Much To Be His Concubine (2020) - 50 - Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Shoujo, Heterosexual, Royal Affairs

I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World (2019) - 72 - Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Female Protagonist, Shoujo, Magic, Coming of Age, Work, Animals, School

Love Order 200X (1999) - 76 -
Tags: Josei

LOW TEEN BLUES (1974) - 75 - Psychological, Romance
Tags: Shounen

Marquess’s Daughter Plays the Perfect Pawn (2020) - 58 - Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Acting, Heterosexual, Foreign, Villainess, Maids

Marquess’s Daughter Plays the Perfect Pawn (2020) - 58 - Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Acting, Heterosexual, Foreign, Villainess, Maids

My Contract With the Apothecary Monster (2022) - 76 - Fantasy, Romance
Tags:

My Death Flags Show No Sign of Ending (2020) - 74 - Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
Tags: Anti-Hero, Male Protagonist, Isekai, Conspiracy, Magic, Video Games, Swordplay

One Half of a Married Couple (2019) - 68 - Drama, Romance, Slice of Life
Tags: Josei, Heterosexual, Marriage, Primarily Adult Cast, Female Protagonist

Reborn into a World of Yanderes?! (2018) - 65 - Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Isekai, Reincarnation, Female Protagonist, School, Yandere, Male Harem, Magic, Shoujo, Heterosexual

Reborn into a World of Yanderes?! (2018) - 65 - Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Isekai, Reincarnation, Female Protagonist, School, Yandere, Male Harem, Magic, Shoujo, Heterosexual

Rock’n爆音 (1998) - 70 - Action, Comedy
Tags: Shounen, Delinquents, School

Rosemarie Reincarnated: Fixing bad suitors and getting her beloved. (2018) - 63 - Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Ojou-sama, Male Harem, Female Protagonist, Reincarnation, Isekai, Yandere, Shoujo, Heterosexual

Rosemarie Reincarnated: Fixing bad suitors and getting her beloved. (2018) - 63 - Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Ojou-sama, Male Harem, Female Protagonist, Reincarnation, Isekai, Yandere, Shoujo, Heterosexual

Shinjuku DxD (2014) - 68 - Action, Psychological, Thriller
Tags: Police, Crime, Male Protagonist, Primarily Adult Cast, Female Protagonist, Yakuza, Drugs, Guns

Tawara Cat (2014) - 65 - Comedy, Slice of Life
Tags: Shounen, Animals

The 6th Loop: I’m Finally Free of Auto Mode in this Otome Game (2020) - 64 - Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Reincarnation, Male Harem, Isekai, Villainess, Female Protagonist, Shoujo, Time Loop

The Princess’ Post-Reincarnation Guide to Cooking and Leisure (2019) - 50 - Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Food, Shoujo, Isekai, Female Protagonist

The Simple Life of an Ex-Villainess (With a Fluffy Friend?!) (2020) - 66 - Fantasy, Romance, Slice of Life
Tags: Shoujo, Reincarnation, Villainess, Isekai, Female Protagonist

The Strongest Man, Born From Misfortune (2021) - 63 - Fantasy
Tags: Male Protagonist, Isekai, Magic

The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap (2017) - 76 - Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Isekai, Animals, Female Protagonist, Shoujo, Revenge, Shapeshifting, Dragons, Magic, Fairy

This Mage Desires Mediocrity (2017) - 65 - Action, Fantasy
Tags: Isekai, Shoujo, Reincarnation, Magic, Male Harem, Female Protagonist

This Mage Desires Mediocrity (2017) - 65 - Action, Fantasy
Tags: Isekai, Shoujo, Reincarnation, Magic, Male Harem, Female Protagonist

Villainess Harem Chronicles (2018) - 62 - Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Tags: Josei, Villainess, Politics

Villainess Harem Chronicles (2018) - 62 - Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Tags: Josei, Villainess, Politics

あおのたつき (2019) - 80 - Drama, Supernatural
Tags: Historical, Josei, Oiran

アオイホノオ (2008) - 70 - Drama, Psychological, Slice of Life
Tags: Otaku Culture, Autobiographical, Seinen

チョコっとちょこちゃん (1992) - 90 -
Tags: Kids, Magic

モブ同然の悪役令嬢は男装して攻略対象の座を狙う@COMIC (2022) - 76 - Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Crossdressing, Isekai, Villainess

土方さんは嘘だらけ (None) - 70 - Romance
Tags: School

妖精印の薬屋さん (2019) - 70 - Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Tags: Shoujo, Isekai, Fairy

次回のデスゲームにご期待ください!! (2018) - 70 - Comedy, Drama, Romance
Tags:

永遠のフランディア (2016) - 70 - Action, Drama, Fantasy
Tags: Male Protagonist

猫と竜 (2017) - 75 - Adventure, Fantasy
Tags: Ensemble Cast, Time Skip, Animals, Dragons

純情クレイジーフルーツ (1982) - 75 - Comedy, Romance
Tags: Primarily Female Cast, School, Delinquents, Shoujo, Female Protagonist

魔術を極めて旅に出た転生エルフ、持て余した寿命で生ける伝説となる (2023) - 72 - Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Tags: Reincarnation, Elf, Magic

Seems like a relatively large amount of somewhat complicated summer promotions involving coupons and coinback thresholds and whatnot but I’ll only bother to mention:

There’s a lot of manga from 竹書房 on sale for 11 yen post-tax, most famously I think Pop Team Epic and Made in Abyss. 8/3(日)23:59まで

And there’s a Kadokawa horror sale.

(Note: these are affiliate links)

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1198

Perhaps some other buy-now-read-later people can feel this with me… I apparently had Made in Abyss volume 1-7 already owned. Probably some previous version of the same campaign. I can’t recall buying them, but good for me. I’m waiting for some heart-rending stuff when I eventually get around to reading them.

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1199

The first two volumes of 海が走るエンドロール are free to read through 8/14. This series has gotten positive critical attention in Japan - it’s shown up on the このマンガがすごい! and Da Vinci rankings at least once or twice.

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1200

The full 30 book run of Tokimeki Tonight is on sale for 77 yen each, plus 40% coin back for the shojo manga promo that is also apparently running.

I’ve never read the manga, but the show is cute, in a very 70s way.

Affiliate link if I did it correctly :sweat_smile:

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1201

I just realized that I’m running out of volumes for our Dungeon Meshi club. Any idea when would be a good time to buy the rest of the volumes? I always find the format of the sales extremely confusing so I thought I’d ask the pros…

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1202

since you already have volumes, probably not worth waiting for a set deal (all vols at 20% off) - even combined with coinback it will probably not work out for you.

I would probably wait for a 50% coinback deal or 50% off deal on individual volumes. Luckily DanMeshi is a Harta/Kadokawa joint, who own Bookwalker, so it goes on sale more often than other publishers.

If you can wait long enough, I suspect there will be a Bookwalker anniversary campaign in September/October of some kind.

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1203

Thank you. We’re supposed to start the next volume mid-September, I’ll see if I’m lucky by then.

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1204

Kadokawa have a 50% off coupon for manga purchases over 1,000y, which I believe includes the Dungeon Meshi series. So if you pick up two or more vols it would probably be worth it. @simias It will invalidate coins though.

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