Any spoilers, for the current chapters must be behind spoilers or detail curtains. When we get further in you don’t need to hide details that were revealed in previous chapters.
Always mention where you are in the book when discussing, ideally by chapter so people reading different versions have a clear point of reference.
Feel free to read ahead if it’s exciting! But please refrain from spoiling ahead of the appropriate week
If you have a question about grammar, vocab, cultural things, etc - ask! That can be part of the discussion too and I’m sure some folks would be happy to help.
Even if you don’t read the chapter(s) in time, you are still encouraged to post in the thread for that reading once you have finished it. I advise not reading ahead in the threads as you may see spoilers.
I didn’t think anything about it; is there some kind of racist stereotype I’m not aware of?
In other news, I got a moment of confusion, using the audiobook only, when the possessed guy started speaking in tongues. Then the comment came that it was other world language and I remembered how it was rendered in the book.
Having watched far too many Japanese cop shows, it’s something of a trope for all other Asians, but particularly South East Asians and the Chinese to be cast as villains only. “If they’re in Japan it’s to cause trouble and sell drugs” vibe. It’s prevalent enough that an subverting trope has emerged where the bad guy pretends to be SE Asian because the prejudices of people wanting to think it’s the Evil Foreigners will stop people looking too deep.
I finished this week’s reading. I’m digging the hardboiled vibes a lot. I am struggling a bit with the fantasy vocab - my brain seems to have a lot more trouble remembering made up katakana names and keeping straight which is which and who is who.
Also mildly interesting that the author seems to really like the word ‘うすのろ’ which I don’t even know if I’ve seen before, but certainly not enough to have it learned before this.
Yeah, as cat said.
It’s a bit like Hollywood making organized crime ppl be Germans and Russians and BIPOC people drug dealers. Japan is not particularly fond of their SE Asian immigrants. The book seems to be set in the US, so they could just have gone with a generic white person or Japanese. Making them a different Asian nationality and SE Asian at that is a deliberate choice, as well as continuously reminding us that they are Filipino. Maybe there is a point to this within the story that has not been made clear yet (i.e. calling out racism, etc.), but atm it gives me racist vibes.
I struggle with names in general, but Japanese names are particularly hard for me. I usually don’t remember the Japanese names of characters (e.g. even while reading 告白 I recognized who was who, but I would not have been able to tell you a single name), but I remember Rick Fury (I assume that’s what his name is spelled like in English ). I need to get better at names.
Not? I thought it might be California, maybe Mexico. San Teresa sounds like a place that would be situated in that area, to me. (and Rick Fury is such an American name XD)
It’s briefly mentioned towards the end of chapter 1, but due to the way the place came to be, it’s more of an international (or interdimensional) area.
Unrelated, but the first time I read this part, I was extremely happy to see an older main character who can kick ass (and is also attractive).
I am always happy to see decent older characters. Probably the media I consume, but older men are much more common than decent older female characters, I think. I am over all the highschool girls or highschool adjacent women. Unfortunately, I think the woman on the cover falls into that category. I hope we don’t get a romance between those two. (Please, do not tell me either way.)
Older main characters are just uncommon in general in the light novels I have seen so far. Even when they are not in high school, they are in their mid twenties top. I can’t think of any other light novel I have read where the main character is 30+. I have read stuff where the character is some centuries old immortal, but still 20s (or even 10s) coded.
ah, yeah. I was mostly thinking about manga, and I have read quite a few with older characters. But I guess, since LN is kinda considered YA, it makes sense that you don’t get older characters.
Quick question for you all - a page or two before Chapter 1 begins properly, there’s a two-page spread with a city skyline at night with text on both pages. What does that text say/is it important? Since it’s an image it’s completely unreadable for my on my Kindle.
If you open it in Kindle app and long press on it, it will come into focus, and then you can pinch zoom, or possibly double tap zoom, or however else you might do that. It was a bit unintuitive, but Perhaps the Kindle can do the same.
Oh, it looks like I actually can do that. It’s fuzzy, but legible. Thanks for the tip!
Thank you so much as well cat! I’ll probably refer to your text version; easier to look up any words I don’t know, haha.
Anyhow, I finished up the little prologue piece. It had some great vibes; I’m really looking forward to see this world-building the author’s teasing. Very noir so far. I’m just hoping that the future female knight partner meshes will with マトバ’s vibes.
I’m especially intrigued by the guy who looks like he’s being set up to be the story’s villain: some old acquaintance of マトバ’s who he thought had died long ago… Excellent.
I understood this as him seeing a look in the man’s face that he hadn’t seen since the war and that he did not expect to see in the face of your average small fry criminal.
Man, Japanese is hard.
will stop people looking too deep.
). 
I need to get better at names. 
I’ll probably refer to your text version; easier to look up any words I don’t know, haha.
can you elaborate, who you mean, please? 
