Participating bears the risk that fun changes into work; that‘s at least what I‘d fear for myself.
6 Likes
What level of Chinese are you?
2 Likes
About HSK3ish? 
I’ve got a stack of graded readers I could go through, but I started the 撒野 (Saye/Run Wild) novel a while ago and found it manageable so I’ll probably continue with that. 
4 Likes
I’m late to the party, but I saw your name pop up in the forum updates on my dashboard - welcome back!
5 Likes
A little update on all my anime watching! 
The first series I watched since being back from hiatus, and it was wonderful! Generally for me manga>>>>>>>>anime, but I felt this adaption was really good - Hikaru especially was totally adorable! I really hope there’ll be another season. 
I may have to reread the manga, buy the volumes (and djs) I don’t already own, listen to the drama CD, and just generally bask in the sweetness. 
Having a look through BL anime, it seems like most shows are just barely BL (relationship only hinted at/minor characters/not really part of the plot), or 18+ with little to no plot. If anyone has recs for unambiguous BL anime that isn’t just bonking, please let me know! 
I’m almost finished this, which is devastating because it is incredibly adorable! 
The kids! Their cuteness is just overflowing!!! And my heart feels like it’s tearing to pieces when any of them cry. 
One thing that bothers me though is Kamitani hitting his little brother in every episode - I guess it’s supposed to be funny, but… 
I’ll probably start on the manga as soon as I’m done with the anime, because I need more of these kids’ super cute hijinks.
I’m not sure I’d be enjoying this as much if I wasn’t already familiar with the manga, but it’s fun. I read the series back when Tokyopop was publishing the books years ago, but I’m not sure I ever finished it? Probably another manga I’ll get to soonish, as it would be nice to see more of Tamaki sulking in his corner. 
It’s basically and ad and I don’t even care! Cute boys + cute toys is a winning combination! And now I want a Pompompurin plushie like the MC has.
I also have the partially-read manga lying around somewhere, just begging to be finished. 
I went into this thinking it was going to be a cute comedy/slice of life with dogs; I was not expecting to be educated. But after watching a whole episode on neutering, I now feel informed to make the right choice… For my non-existent dog. 
I am kinda surprised that it seems to be 5% story and 95% dog facts so far, but I am enjoying it. It’s nice that when the dog trainer is explaining something, there are always illustrations demonstrating the dog behaviours he is talking about, which makes it much easier to follow. I am interested to see if it continues along these lines or if there’s more story - I’m hoping we get to know the characters a bit better.
I got the first manga volume free on bookwalker a while ago, but whether I’ll get around to reading it soon depends on how the rest of the anime turns out…
Nostalgia! I feel like I have a lot of questions about the characters, and if they don’t get answered in the anime, I’ll have to turn to the novels (in Korean - I attempted reading the first volume along with the audiobook, but there was so much flowery descriptive language… 
But I’ll give it another go).
Another Sanrio! 
This is an incredibly cute show that’s very easy to understand.
I don’t have anything else to add. I just like it. 
You’ll notice that most of the media I consume is pretty cute, funny, happy, and sweet. But sometimes you just want an anime to make you feel like you’ve been punched in the gut.
Every.
Single.
Episode.
So I’m watching Wolf’s Rain. 
I watched this series maybe 15 years ago? And it destroyed me. 
I never rewatched it, but I’ve though about it a lot over the years. I guess I felt it was time to let my heart be used as a punching bag once more. 
It’s a strange one, because I don’t know if I can even say I enjoy watching it, but it keeps pulling me back, even though I’m dreading everything that’s coming, especially the ending. No spoilers, it just made an impact.
Sidenote: Lord Darcia is a hottie.
6 Likes
I do, 世界一初恋 S1 | L28, with caveats I laid out in my review.
There’s also 抱かれたい男1位に脅されています。 S1 | L30??, which iirc is less problematic than 世界一初恋.
If you want more problematic, there’s 純情ロマンチカ S1 | L30?? by the same mangaka (there are a few very loose connections between the two shows). 純情ロマンチカ has all of the problems of 世界一初恋, but with two uncomfortable (but legal, and not just in Japan) age gaps.
Finally there’s LOVE STAGE!! S1 | L30??, which I haven’t seen in a really long time and don’t remember that much other than I really like the way that eyes are colored (and I feel like that’s maybe a plot point even? ).
Off the top of my head, those are the anime that I can think of that definitely feature men in relationships together but aren’t just pure smutt.
3 Likes
This is my rec too. It’s bonking (well nothing is shown because tv) but with a plot!
Edit to add that it still is problematic though
3 Likes
Thanks for the recs, I’ll definitely try them out!
2 Likes
I remember watching some episodes of that with a friend like 20 years ago. I do remember some problematic moments
3 Likes
Listening for October so far: 39 hours
Still averaging 3h/day!
I’ve been doing a bit of reading in Japanese lately, and just like with anime, I’ve been bouncing around lots of different titles (and levels). I’d love to be able to just methodically work through books by level but my pinball-like attention won’t let me… Not that it’s such a bad thing - I get a nice variety - I’ll just have to accept that it will take me longer to finish things.
Something I’ve noticed that when I don’t understand something, I subconsciously enlarge the font (reading) or turn up the volume (listening). Even though the problem isn’t being able to hear/read, it’s like my brain isn’t used to not understanding things so it assumes that will solve the problem. Silly brain! 
Another thing getting back into languages triggers is that pesky book-buying habit… It’s not enough that I have hundreds of unread Japanese books at home, because there are just so many more interesting-looking books that I need to buy. Mandarake’s 10 yen LN/manga and Surugaya’s free shipping are too tempting, so of course I’ve ordered a whole bunch of Japanese books (and a handful of Korean and Chinese, just for good measure)… 
Reading
I started reading the web novel and I’ve ordered the physical book, which I also plan to read to i) see if there are any differences, and ii) see how much I can remember without the aid of yomitan. I may also read the corresponding manga (and voice comic) chapters afterwards to consolidate - the art is so precious!
It sounds like a heartwarming slice of life story, and although it’s fantasy, hopefully there won’t be too much unusual vocab. I like that the chapters are short (so far, anyway), which makes reading easier, and there’s plenty of material (1700+ chapters and counting). And apparently when the MC grows up, there’s even some BL in store!
Just working my way through these stories by level to get back into extensive reading. Surprised to see that this has become a paid site, but ¥500/month isn’t bad - I just cancelled the subscription as soon as I set it up so I’ll just read as much as I can over the next month and renew in the future if I want to read more (basically the way I use every subscription service ).
I’m not a completionist with everything, but a graded reader series checks the mental box of things my brain feels like it needs to finish. Several lower-level books have been added since I last looked at the series, so I’ve been picking at the low-hanging fruit.
Watching
Another series I read (in English) back in the day (and didn’t finish… there’s a pattern here ). I’m a bit surprised at how much I’m enjoying the anime - it’s more atmospheric than I had expected. And of course it’s making me want to read the manga…
For someone who’s not a cat person, I sure do love Kanata Konami’s works! I finished the manga a while ago, and was so sad that it ended - it’s one of those series I could enjoy reading indefinitely, watching Chi grow up and get into all kinds of mischief… But I’ll have to make do with just watching the anime instead. This is a great adaption; it retains all of the cuteness of the manga, and it’s a fun and easy watch.
I can see why it’s popular from a language-learning perspective, but for me the entertainment aspect is “meh” - I don’t see why people rave about it. There are a lot of eps, so maybe it’ll grow on me as I watch more.
At just over half an hour, this is a quick watch, but the concept of various creatures(?) picking out high school boys to be their wives just didn’t do it for me. If you can get over the basic premise you might enjoy it, though.
7 Likes
I’d say it’s because of the humour, like a panda having to work at the zoo to earn money. And him trying to get another job before, I actually lol-ed, even now when I remember him at the telefon.
AIso, the animals are extremely well drawn.
4 Likes
I felt similar at the beginning but the characters somehow grow on you, like you start to feel like a regular at Shirokuma’s cafe, listening in to what silly new shenanigans they’re up to again.
It’s very slice of life (with a bit of that iyashikei feeling), and even though I love SoL for me it varies a lot from episode to episode whether I enjoy it or not. Some episodes I just didn’t vibe at all, some I cried tears laughing.
I kinda like the episodic format because I can just slip in an episode or two (or even take a break halfway since every episode is two in one).
3 Likes
Do you know of a way to search for books that way? I’ve snagged a few when I noticed that they were that cheap, but I haven’t found a way to filter specifically by ¥10 books.
2 Likes
I just use the sort by price (low to high) option, but you can also narrow down by inputting the price range you want - they’re both in the filter options in the left column. 
3 Likes
Reading
I bought 요츠바랑! 1 | L11 for the upcoming Absolute Beginner Book Club - Get your book & choose your schedule read, and realised that I had quite a lot of Ridicash left in my account (a nice present from past me! ) so I ended up getting a whole bunch of translated manga. For some reason I had this idea that I should only read native Korean media in Korean, but I decided that that was a silly rule and I should read whatever I want!
Along those lines, rather than pushing myself to read more difficult things, I’m just reading whatever interests me. No doubt I’ll get back to a place where I want to improve and do some studying, but for now I’m happy just reading manga and other things at a comfortable level in Korean. Something I’ve noticed is that reading in another language seems to make a story more engaging - perhaps it’s due to reading at a slower pace and having to concentrate more, so I feel more invested, even when I’ve already read the work in English.
Having not read in Korean for a few months (or longer…? I’m scared to scroll back up and see when the last time was ) it’s nice to be able to read relatively easy stuff without looking up vocab all the time. It has also allowed me to reflect on my progress: I remember struggling to read my first sentence in Korean, how difficult it was trying to remember all the meanings of the words and the various bits of grammar and how everything fit together. It felt like my little brain was running at full capacity! 
So it’s satisfying to realise how far I’ve come, and I’m reading books and comics (up to a certain level) fairly easily now.
Anyway, here’s what I’ve read/started reading recently:
The first volume was free, and I didn’t realise it would pull me into the story the way it did… So I’ll be continuing series.
Adorable!!! I’ll definitely be reading the rest of the series.
I really enjoyed this! I love BL where the MCs have kids, so I made a list of the manga I know of that fit into this category:
When webtoon support is implemented, I’ll be able to make a Korean version of the list! 
I’m a bit late joining the book club, but this is another precious BL family story. I’ve almost finished, but I don’t want it to end…
I decided to pick this up because it’s incredibly popular and not too difficult (although the current level is definitely lower than it should be). Also the first volume is free on Ridi.
(Webtoon) A war photographer wakes up from a 5-year coma after being hurt on the job. He was cared for in a foreign country, and when he returns home, he discovers that everyone he knew thought he was dead, including his lover, who has moved on. Angst. I love it.
An appropriate choice for spooky month! 
(It’s part of those “publisher series”, so the blurb isn’t right - as you can see, the main characters are not vegetables - I’ve req’d it be split) Declining birthrates mean 로라’s school is going to be shut down, but as the Halloween party approaches, rumour has it that zombies are going to save the school…? The current level is too low, but it’s still a relatively easy read so far.
I just stumbled across this (
so not on Natively), and it sounds exactly my style: a parody magical boy LN! 
I shall be starting this posthaste.
Gotta watch this magical boy anime, too!
Watching
I haven’t been watching as much since I started reading again, but still have some updates!
A cute and funny dog anime that’s 90% JOYFUL SCREAMING!!! 
Based on a real dog and owner (who is indeed a glassblower)! The manga is great, too.
This, and the next anime, are adapted from manga series (added to my TBR!), and although I don’t really like watching things that are currently releasing, especially when they’re shorts (I love binge-watching 
), these stories seem too cute and hilarious to pass up!!!
UJ 보고서
@eefara I had a little look for info on this series, and here’s what I found:
- UJ 보고서 (UJ Report) - also published in print under the title 피스 브레이커 (Peace Breaker) in the early 00s - is written by 강소영 (Kang So-Yeoung).
- The author started posting it on a message board in 1999, and it’s still being published(!!!), although there have been
hiatusiihiatuses (I’m guessing it’s the “longest-running” as in the period of time it has been released, rather than the longest by word count, but I can’t be sure). - It’s an “urban fantasy BL”, although the fact that it’s BL isn’t obvious at first - apparently male readers of the two 피스 브레이커 books were shocked when the continuation under the new name turned out to be a BL!
- The series is split into two parts: part one consists of 12 ebook volumes, while part two (UJ 보고서: 불과 피 날, UJ Report: Day(s) of Fire and Blood) is currently being published weekly.
- You can read both parts on Ridibooks, but you need age verification as it’s 18+ (Korea has a much lower threshold for labeling something as ‘adult’ than Japan or the west; apparently this story doesn’t really warrant it).
- The entirety of Part 1 may be available… elsewhere.
- It seems that there are at least a few “main” characters, and that different parts of the story are told from the viewpoint of different narrators.
- It’s described as an American police comedy set in an East/West fantasy mash-up. Make of that what you will.
Plot (Ridibooks)
Shining streets, imposing castles made of steel and glass, confident and beautiful people; and not far away, an alleyway full of shabby people weary of life, a place you can weave through the crowds at a brisk pace without bumping into anyone… A place where ordinary people and very strange people occasionally cross paths: Kugan City!
One day Yu Je-i, an ordinary detective protecting the city, hears the news that the serial killer he had fallen in love with has escaped prison… At the same time, incomprehensible incidents begin to occur in Kugan City…
That seems to be the intro to part 1, so hopefully it’s not spoilery. I guess the UJ in the title refers to the MC.
Characters
- 유제이 (Yu Jay, Yu Je-i, Yu Je-yi… I’m guessing this is in Korean name order of family name first) - A detective in the violent crimes unit, father is East Asian (presumably Korean), mother is Romani (“gypsy”). Handsome and cute, he’s attracted to every man he meets.
- 니콜라스 헤슬렘 (Nicholas Haslem) - A millionaire businessman and serial killer, also Jay’s ex-boyfriend.
- 루크 첸 (Luke Chen) - Leader of the Chinese mafia, pursuing Jay romantically.
These seem like the main ones, but of course there’s a lot of other characters.
Ngl, this little bit of research made me really interested in reading the series… 
Bonus Muco!!!
9 Likes
Oh my gosh!! Thank you so much for the thorough write-up! I had to ask since I’ve actually read the first couple of books in English, and…
My god, this series is the slowest burn I have ever read. @.@ I don’t even think MC and ML are even in the same room for the entire first book or so. @.@ I read almost 1000 pages of that series and was so miffed.
Most of the books so far have been, “wow! Look at at all these police incidents that pop up that slowly get more and more supernatural! Not that I believe in that stuff!!”
It’s not bad, and I’m awaiting the next book in English; we actually really just properly met 루크 첸 (Luke Chen), so I gotta see what he brings to the table…
Ah, and unrelated, but I needed to share my newest/first manhua obsession with someone: Villains are Destined to Die/ 만화 악역의 엔딩은 죽음뿐 시리즈 | L30?? !
It’s sooo good! I haven’t really found any Korean series that’ve really spoken to me for one reason or another, so it shocked me when I where up looking this one so much! Have you read it?
5 Likes
Ooh, didn’t realise it had been translated! The reviews make me want to read it even more…
Yeah, didn’t know if I should add that I saw mentions of aliens, wizards, vampires, unicorns…
I have not! Tbh there are so many romantic fantasy webtoons being pumped out it seems like a nightmare trying to find the good stuff in the midst of all the mass-produced garbage. I’ll have to have a look at that one, though.
Mostly I read BL (surprise, surprise ), but I also found this very cute:
3 Likes
Those reviews… I’m glad they like the series, but I have no idea what they were huffing when they praised the translation. It’s okay, it gets the job done, but it’s not going to win any awards anytime soon. I’m also wondering if these people reading the series for 20+ years have just forgotten how slow it is… Hopefully that means it’ll speed up in the future a bit.
%, I’m with you there. I don’t generally read in the villainess/otome genre, but I picked this one up on a whim, and it’s really paid off so far imo. Lots of great character development and perspective on the part of the heroine, and all the love interests are uniquely interesting. The OG novel has been translated into English, too, and while I’m tempted to read it, I’m a bit afraid of getting sucked in…
Ah, and thank you for the rec! I’ll check it out! Be sure to let me know if you find other good BL in general I’m not aware of. :3
4 Likes
I read ridiculous amounts of romance fantasy webtoons so I know Villains are Destined to Die haha. It was a little too dark for me since I prefer comedies, but if you liked that you might also like 하루만 네가 되고 싶어 or 시련의 꽃에서 탈출하겠다.
2 Likes
Oh! Do you know if they have English/Japanese/Spanish versions? I’m Korean-illiterate, unfortunately. 
2 Likes
