Week 6 俺物語! ・ My Love Story! 🍰 (Absolute Beginner Book Club)

Welcome to Week 6 of 俺物語!! ・ My Love Story!! :shortcake:

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Week 6 October 11 2025
Start page 44
End page 56
End phrase 「ないた赤鬼」って話で
Last week Week 5
Next week Week 7
Home Thread 俺物語!!

Page numbers may differ between digital and physical copies.

Last panel

Vocabulary

Vocabulary list (Google sheets)

Please read the guidelines on the first page before adding any words.

Discussion Guidelines

Everybody should feel free to post and ask questions–it’s what makes book clubs fun! But please do not post until you are familiar with Spoiler Courtesy!

Spoiler Courtesy

Please follow these rules to avoid inadvertent ネタバレ. If you’re unsure whether something should have a spoiler tag, err on the side of using one.

  1. Any potential spoiler for the current week’s reading need only be covered by a spoiler tag. Predictions and conjecture made by somebody who has not read ahead still falls into this category.

  2. Any potential spoilers for external sources need to be covered by a spoiler tag and include a label (outside of the spoiler tag) of what might be spoiled. These include but are not limited to: other book club picks, other books, games, movies, anime, etc. I recommend also tagging the severity of the spoiler (for example, I may still look at minor spoilers for something that I don’t intend to read soon).

  3. Any information from later in the book than the current week’s reading (including trigger warnings that haven’t yet manifested) needs to be hidden by spoiler tags and labeled as coming from later sections.

Instructions for Spoiler Tags

Click the cog above the text box and use either the “Hide Details” or “Blur Spoiler” options. The text which says “This text will be hidden” should be replaced with what you are wishing to write. In the case of “Hide Details”, the section in the brackets that is labelled “Summary” can be replaced with whatever you like also (i.e, [details=”Chapter 1, Pg. 1”]).

Hide Details results in the dropdown box like below:

Example

The “Blur Spoiler” option will simply blur the text it surrounds.

This is an example of the “Blur Spoiler” option.

Posting Advice
  • When asking for help, please mention the page number, and check before posting that your question hasn’t already been asked. As the threads get longer, it becomes more convenient to use the Search function, which is located in the upper right corner of the forum. It is the magnifying glass which is near your profile picture! The best way to search is usually to type part of the sentence you are confused about, and select “in this topic”. This will show you all posts within the current thread which has that string of text.

  • Be sure to join the conversation! It’s fun, and it’s what keeps these book clubs lively! There’s no such thing as a stupid question! We are all learning here, and if the question has crossed your mind, there’s a very good chance it has crossed somebody else’s also! Asking and answering questions is a great learning opportunity for everyone involved, so never hesitate to do so!

Proper Nouns

Name Reading Image Notes
剛田 猛男 ごうだ たけお Main character
大和 凛子 やまと りんこ Main character’s love interest
砂川 誠 すなかわ まこと Main character’s best friend

Discussion Questions

What surprised you about the reading this week?

Participation

Will you be reading along with us this week?
  • I’m reading along
  • I have finished this part
  • I’m still reading the book but I haven’t reached this part yet
  • I’m reading this book after the club has finished
  • I’m no longer reading the book
0 voters
6 Likes

It’s a waiting game of how long until the misunderstanding on Takeo’s part is cleared up. Surely they resolve this by the end of the book? At least I’d hope lol.

Grammar question about a line on page 53

Yamato asks Takeo if she can just call him “Takeo-kun.” The next message, which I am assuming is written by Takeo based on the use of オレ and the :+1:, is written as “ではオレも大和と呼ばせてもらう.” I’m confused because, based on 呼ぶ being in the causative form, and the use of てもらう, it sounds like hes saying “I’ll also get you the gift of me calling you Yamato” or something like that. I was initially thinking he said “I’ll also have you call me Yamato” but that doesn’t make any sense lol. I assume he’s saying “then I’ll call you Yamato in return” but I’m wondering why its worded like that in Japanese.

5 Likes
page 53

Could be wrong, but here’s my understanding:

So in all, I think it’s more like Takeo is saying that he is receiving the act of Yamato letting him call her Yamato (like, without using an honorific, I guess?).

7 Likes

The anime is available on Netflix (at least where I live) if you want to continue and if the book does not cover it by the way!

5 Likes

Heyo! Just a heads up I decided that I will just post my progress and grammar encounters weekly now, I think posting at every session felt a bit like an effort to me, and I always go with the least amount of effort :slight_smile: as a learning doctrine.

I am enjoying using Chatgpt a lot (sadly), it’s been very good to me to dissect things, that ichimoe and yomitan are clueless about (especially shortening of words for exemple) and it’s giving me exemples and explanations in my native language, which is hard to find online. I have been building up a library of contractions, particles, expressions, it’s been very useful and things are starting to click after seeing なんだ EVERYWHERE.

I will still post the most interesting points I found weekly :slight_smile: .
It will also make me able to focus more, read better, a bit faster, and use the time gained to reread if necessary the chapter.

Everytime I read, especially this book, I am amazed at how much useful stuff there is to learn!

Page 48 currently :star:

3 Likes
Page 45

I’m having trouble with this bubble: おまえって手ぬぐいなのなー

Is this read as すな calling たけお a hand towel? But then I don’t understand why たけお would defend that by saying it’s his mom’s hobby…

4 Likes

I think Suna is slightly making fun of him for carrying around a handkerchief and Takeo is saying it’s her hobby to make them? or something like that

って can be a subject marker, so it’s like “As for you, why is there a hand towel?”

5 Likes
Answer

So I searched for the same thing yesterday, and it means: “so you brought a towel, uh”
The って is replacing “は” here. (another trick)

Litterally it is more like “So about you, A towel, uh ?”

(note that I am also an Absolute beginner)

From reading more about it, なの is a bit tricky to me, but I accept it here as used with a noun, as “commentary/funny/emphasis” tone. Definitely something that will need getting used to for me

4 Likes
pg44

返さなくていいから

It’s ok if you don’t reply

メアドだ!

My email address!

ありがとう!

Thanks!

pg45

そんなに好きなんだな!?

You really like me that much!?

ようし、決めた

Alright, it’s decided

オレが応援してやるからな

I’ll support you

協力してやるから

I’ll cooperate

おまえって手ぬぐいなのなー

You’re a hand towel, huh

心配すんな!

Don’t worry!

母ちゃんの趣味だ!

It’s mom’s hobby!

しかし

However…

pg46

砂川とは全く女子の話をしないので

I never talk about girls with Suna

知り合って10年以上になるが

We have known eachother for over 10 years

女子の好みが全くわからない

I don’t know what he likes in girls

砂川入るぞ!

I’m coming in, Suna!

pg47

勉強してんのかテスト前もないのに!

Are you studying when there’s no test?!

猛男…勉強っていうのは毎日するもんなんだよ

Takeo… I study every day you know

砂川、突然だが、おまえはどういう女性が好きなんだ?

Sunakawa, it’s sudden, but what kind of girl do you like?

本当に突然だな

It really is sudden

AKBなら誰推しだ?

If it’s AKB, who is your favorite? (What’s AKB? I’m guessing a group of celebrities by his response? Music group?)

ごめん、オレ芸能人わかんねぇ

Sorry, I don’t know about celebrities

じゃあ、セイラさんとフラウ・ボゥならどっちだ!?

Well then, between Seira or Frau Bow?

…アニメ?

…anime?

pg48

じゃあ、歌のお姉さんと体操のお姉さんならどっちだ!?

Well then, the singer or the gymnast?

え…体操かな

Umm… I guess the gymnast

まいんちゃんとスイちゃんならどっちだ!?

Main or Sui!?

誰それ?

Who are they?

体操のお姉ちゃんか…

The gymnasts…

やまとさんはどっちだ!?

Yamato??

なんでそういうまとめ方?

Why are you grouping them like that?

おまえわかりにくいんだよ!

You’re tough to understand, you know that?

おまえはわかりやすいよなタイプ

You’re the type that’s easy to understand

pg49

いけそーなやつなら誰でもいんだよな

Anyone who seems fun to date

ニコニコしてて愛想いーのが好きなんだよなかわいい感じの

Anyone who smiles a lot and I feel like they are cute

そうかもしれない

Maybe that is so

砂川、おまえは彼女いるのか?

Sunakawa, do you have a girlfriend?

いねーよ

Nope

なんでだ!? おまえモテるだろ!!

Why not!? You’re so popular!!

女子とつきあったりしたいと思わないのか!?

Why don’t you date any girls!?

pg50

なんだろ

What the heck

だるい

I’m tired

つきあって何すんのか考えるとだるい

Just thinking about dating makes me tired

考えたら楽しいの間違いだろうが!!

You mean thinking about it is fun right?!

おまえキンタマついてんのか?

Do you have balls or not?

ついてるよ

Yeah I do

pg51

じゃあ、なんで女子に興味ないんだ

Well then, why aren’t you interested in girls?

興味ないなんて言ってねーだろ

I didn’t say I wasn’t interested

興味あるんだな!?

You are interested, right?

まあ、ふつうに

Yeah, normally

よオオしわかった!

Alright, understood

おまえ女子がだるいのなら今後モテそうな行動をつつしめ!!

If you’re tired of girls then from now on stop doing things that make you popular

いいな!!

Got it!!

返事は!?

You going to reply?

ハーイ

Yeaaahhh

「ハイ」だ!

It’s “yes”

ハイィじゃねぇ

Not yeeeahhh

pg52

件名: こんにちは

Title: hello

大和です。ザッハトルテやきました。明日わたしに行ってもいい??

It’s Yamato. I baked sachretorte. Is it ok if I come by tomorrow?

なんだこのメールは

What the heck is this email

いつでもいい

Anytime is fine

送信

Send

pg53

うれしー!ありがとう。たけおくんて呼んでいい??

Yay! Thank you. Can I call you Takeo-kun?

ピコピコしている!!!

It’s beeping!

ではオレも大和と呼ばせてもらう

Well then, I’ll call you Yamato too

送信

Send

だから

So…

pg54

なんでオレも?

Why me too?

何も聞くな、おまえはおまえのままでいい…

Don’t ask any questions, just be yourself…

何の話してんの

what are you talking about?

オレにまかしとけ!!

Leave it to me

あ、こんにちは

Oh, hello

うまい!!

Well done!!

pg55

こんなにうまいチョコレートケーキ食ったことない

I’ve never had such a delicious chocolate cake!

よくそんなに食えるな太るぞ

Eating that much will make you fat

運動するからかまわん

I work out, so it’s ok

食って動いたらそれ力士だろ

Eat and move like a sumo wrestler

力士か…

A sumo wrestler?

オレなんか飲むもの買ってくるわ

I’ll go buy some drinks

あ!ごめん気がきかなくて

Oh! Sorry, I wasn’t thinking

何がいい?ついでに買ってくるけど

What do you want? I’ll buy one when I go

私もいっしょに…

I’ll go with you too…

さすが砂川…さりげない…

As expected Suna, so casual

pg56

砂川はかっこいいよな

Suna’s so cool, right?

そう思うよな?

You think so?

え、うん

Uh, yeah

そうだろうな

I see

3歳の時からだからもう10年以上のつきあいになるが

I’ve known him since we were 3 years old, over 10 years now

あいつは昔からいい男だった

He’s always been a good guy

幼稚園の時、俺は劇で主役だった

When we were in kindergarten, I was the lead in a play

「ないた赤鬼」って話で

“The Crying Red Demon” was the name of the story

2 Likes
p50

This one was / is really tricky for me to understand… Sometimes the sentence uses a lot of stuff I know (て form, のか etc.) and yet I still cant decipher it :'(.

EDIT : OMG I AM SO DUMB. I read のか as のだ.
It makes more sense now, he speaks 何する as a question.
I actually didnt know that のかcould be used like this, I have seen it before to emphasis a question.

Can のか meaning./ usage change depending on its position in the sentence ? I got the feeling a lot of things in japanese are very versatile in this way

3 Likes

Doesnt this mean

spoiler

If you think about it, that’s the fun (part) ?!

I am trying to understand たら

This page was sooo hard :cry: with the 何す which meant なんする, and now 楽しいの間違 who doesnt mean its literal translation (Yomitan failing me again… Maybe i trust it too much on it and it confuses me a lot when the word isnt correctly translated)

3 Likes

Hardest thing for me like in this sentence is how « inverted » japanese can feel sometimes, in terms of structure, compared to my native language. (It’s just so different).

I am just not good enough with japanese ofc, bc for exemple if I had isolated おまえ女子がだるいのなら, understood のな / to what it relates to better, or found the は (before おまえ)、it would have been easier. I just am not good at (yet) or certain where to stop the « ifs » and cut the different part of sentences. But I guess it will come with time.

For now, it feels hard to not read sentences as “one block”, which kinda misleads/confuses me a lot of times. Can anyone else relate ?

edit : it is interesting that in this sentence, for exemple, I could probably study it for an hour, and still find more and more grammar that I did not know. Reading stuff that isnt just 僕はいちごが好きです。 is tough, but it’s so rewarding.

3 Likes

:joy: (we discussed this earlier in the thread but って is a topic marker, so it’s “As for you, (you carry) a hand towel huh” )

4 Likes

Thanks! Found AKB on Spotify, was looking for some more Japanese music to add to the daily rotation.

The hand towel thing threw me off lol but the explanation makes a lot more sense
( ^∀^)

3 Likes

They are mentioned very often in media too lol

2 Likes

Also, if you’re wondering about the ‘hand towels:’

5 Likes

thanks for the lore!

3 Likes

I finally found it lmao

3 Likes
In page 56

I do not understand the “だからもう” > 3歳の時から だからもう 10年以上の つきあいに なるが.
It means “so, therefore” etc. But in my understand of the sentence it doesnt really fit anywhere, so I wanted to know how it was constructed in japanese:
Since I am 3 years old, だからもう it has become a friendship of more than 10 years

I also could use an alternative exemple if you have any

3 Likes

I feel the sentence is confusing because Takeo is kinds talking with the phrases is disorder.

This is how I’d break down of the sentence:
3歳 => 3 years old
3歳の時 => literally: “the time when (we) were 3 years old”
から => from, or starting.

3歳の時から => starting from when (we) were 3 years old.

What started when they were 3 years old is explained a bit later into the sentence.

だから => that’s why… or “for that reason”
もう => already
10年 => 10 years
10年以上 => more than 10 years

つきあい => to be associated, to be fellows with each other.
になるが => to become.

putting all this together:

3歳の時から だからもう 10年以上の つきあいに なるが.

Because it started when we were 3 years old, it’s become more than 10 years that we’ve known each other / been friends.

So basically, the だから is marking “3歳の時から” as the reason that explains what’s mentioned in the rest of the sentence.

5 Likes