Goals & Plans 2025 + Review 2024

Different things here.

薬屋のひとりごと goal: For LNs I’m very comfortable up to ~L26, pretty comfortable with ~L29 (but more lookups than I’d like), and relatively comfortable up to ~L33 (many more lookups than I like, audiobooks are helpful, comprehension is acceptable or good).

薬屋のひとりごと is a huge stretch for me both for vocab and comprehension. Last time I tried it, in May 2024, I had to check the translation for almost every sentence, and there was a lot of confusing grammar. This time around I’ll pre-study, and it will probably still be fairly uncomfortable, but I suspect/hope I won’t have to check as much (or ideally at all)

L27+ Manga goal: With manga I’m very comfortable casually picking up anything up to L26 (and do so regularly), but almost all the L27+ stuff I’ve picked up is fantasy, or involves a lot of domain specific stuff (like 私の百合はお仕事です! | L27 or 陰キャギャルでもイキがりたい! | L29). So my challenge there is that the proportion of lookups is really high, and sometimes I’m lost on the grammar, plus some manga are just not that easy to understand b/c of stuff like font, art style, unclear who the speaker is, etc. Update: tho I’m rereading わたゆり rn, and it actually feels on the easier side (tho still occasional translation checks)

L30s fantasy LNs actually feel easier to me, bc the lookups are a smaller proportion of the page, and they often have audiobooks. When I’m lost in say Fate/kaleid liner プリズマ☆イリヤ ドライ!! | L27 I’m totally lost. Otoh if I get lost in 転生王女と天才令嬢の魔法革命 | L32 or ソードアート・オンライン | L33 I can get back on track soon enough

So I’d like to get to a point where I’ve read through enough L27+ fantasy/sci-fi manga that it doesn’t feel intimidating, or like it’s gonna be exhausting to pick up.

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