🐱 Week 3 | 黒猫ニャンゴの冒険 ✨

[Legato]

Week 3	June 7
Chapter	第一話 巣立ちの儀 (part 3/3)
End Percentage	13.56%
End Page	46
Read until	End of Chapter
Next week	Week 4
Previous week	Week 2
Home Thread	黒猫ニャンゴの冒険

We’re reading this book as part of the Beginner’s Light Novel Book Club.

Discussion Guidelines

• Please blur/hide any major events in the current week’s pages (however early they occur), like so: text here (that’s [spoiler]text here[/spoiler]).
• If you have a question about grammar, vocab, the story, cultural things or literally anything else related to the book — ask! There is really no need to be hesitant. If it’s something you are wondering about, chances are someone else will be thankful you asked first, lots of people enjoy answering questions, you learn something new, and the thread gets more lively. It’s a win-win on all fronts!
• Don’t forget to put on your club-supplied cat ears for a more immersive experience while reading. You will find them under your seat.

Participation Poll

• I’m reading along
• I have fallen behind and I’m planning to catch up later
• I’m reading this at my own pace
• I’m reading this book after the club has finished

[Legato]

Thoughts while reading

移動の間に使っているのは、「ケース」と名付けている魔法だ。
空気を固めてケースを作り、モリネズミを入れた袋を囲んである。
こうしておけば、血の臭いで他のモリネズミに警戒されずに済むからだ。

I wonder how exactly this works. Like… does it wrap airtight around his paw, or does it have some kind of handle? Can he make the hardened air physically moveable, or is it stationary and he has to move it by using magic?

「はぁ？ 何で俺よりも稼ぎの悪い連中の仲間にならなきゃいけないんだよ」
「何だと……お前、馬鹿にしてるのか？」
「馬鹿にされていると感じるのは、お前が毎日ダラダラ何の稼ぎもなく遊んでるからだろう」

And that’s, ladies and gentlemen, is what happens when you roll a critical failure in your diplomacy check.

どうやら俺を捕まえて、川に突き落とすつもりらしい。
二人とも大柄な人種なので力では敵わないし、籠を背負っているから正面突破は難しい。
川幅は十メートルも無いけれど水深は一メートルぐらいあり、中央付近まで突き落とされたら俺では頭まで潜ってしまう。
「ステップ」
俺は川面に向かって踏み出したが、足が水面に触れることはない。
空属性魔法の強度が上がって、体重を支えられる足場が作れるようになったのだ。
まだ作れる足場は三枚だけだし、集中が乱れれば壊れてしまうが、今は他に方法が無い。

Hum. I have to admit that I liked that sequence a bit better in the manga. There, stepping out into the river with an “I have to try it!” felt more like an act of desperation in a tense situation, and Nyango looked like he almost felt surprised that it worked.

And maybe it’s just me, but from that sequence it feels more like he confidently solves a situation that didn’t have many options and could’ve been dangerous, but that was still rather easy to solve for him.

Although I guess the book does have a bit more excitement following: The bit where they use him as magic target practice on the river was left out in the manga.

Also, at this point I have to wonder: How can such a useful magic element be considered “weak”? I find it a bit hard to believe that Nyango is the first to come up with these kinds of uses, and walking in the air and manifesting and moving invisible objects at arbitary positions seems quite useful. Maybe the other elements are flashier and more destructive? I guess we’ve barely seen what they can do, and Nyangos current fighting partners probably didn’t exactly train hard.

授業を受けるよりも楽しくなってきて、柔軟性や反発力を変えて素材作りに没頭した。

And yet another advantage: Unlike other kinds of magic you can practice them unseen in class!

[soggyboy]

Still reading this section but… is that…

Nyango himself participating in the bookclub?!

[snowwater]

Thoughts

@Legato

Also, at this point I have to wonder: How can such a useful magic element be considered “weak”? I find it a bit hard to believe that Nyango is the first to come up with these kinds of uses, and walking in the air and manifesting and moving invisible objects at arbitary positions seems quite useful. Maybe the other elements are flashier and more destructive? I guess we’ve barely seen what they can do, and Nyangos current fighting partners probably didn’t exactly train hard.

I feel like the author is trying to showcase that the thought process and creativity of Nyango on how to use his magic isn’t something commonplace in this world (perhaps a typical case of isekai where the character brings the wonders of modern/japanese mentality to the world). From what we have seen so far (though that is limited to the children’s magic), the spells seem quite straightforward without much thought on how to effectively use their elements for other uses apart from “creating some direct damage”.

There might also be something on magic power and destructiveness, indeed. I remember how Horacio, for example, had an almost 10x higher power than Nyango. I would guess that will play a role eventually.

[shitsurei]

replies

@Legato

And maybe it’s just me, but from that sequence it feels more like he confidently solves a situation that didn’t have many options and could’ve been dangerous, but that was still rather easy to solve for him.

@Legato

Also, at this point I have to wonder: How can such a useful magic element be considered “weak”? I find it a bit hard to believe that Nyango is the first to come up with these kinds of uses, and walking in the air and manifesting and moving invisible objects at arbitary positions seems quite useful.

I definitely had these two thoughts. I’m not sure if they’re complaints yet, lol, we’ll see where the rest of the story takes us.

@snowwater

I feel like the author is trying to showcase that the thought process and creativity of Nyango on how to use his magic isn’t something commonplace in this world

This is a good thought, and partly why I’m willing to give the story a pass for now. But I still think that someone else would have thought to use their 空 magic before. Especially since he’s doing training with it. Right now his power seems pretty weak, but it also seems like he’s leveling it up pretty quickly. I guess we will see™.

[Legato]

Replies

@snowwater

I feel like the author is trying to showcase that the thought process and creativity of Nyango on how to use his magic isn’t something commonplace in this world (perhaps a typical case of isekai where the character brings the wonders of modern/japanese mentality to the world)

I feel like if that’s what’s happening, the author isn’t doing a very good job showcasing the thought process. Until the school scene at the end we pretty much only saw the results of his training without knowing how he arrived there. We barely even heard that he was training.

And none of the stuff he’s so far doing seems particularly modern Japan-inspired. In fact, it all seems pretty basic? So I really agree with:

@shitsurei

But I still think that someone else would have thought to use their 空 magic before.

I definitely feel like Nyango is doing a good job coming up with those uses of his magic, but I’d love to see more of him actually coming up with it and working on it, and I really have to suspend my disbelief that he’s apparently the first (?) to come up with those rather basic but really useful applications.

[shitsurei]

more replies

@Legato

And none of the stuff he’s so far doing seems particularly modern Japan-inspired.

Yeah I was thinking about this since I’m also reading 本好き. While I still bristle at the idea that anything modern would be marveled at and/or people in the past wouldn’t have solutions to daily problems, I still can get behind the main character there bringing her past life experience to her current life. This, doesn’t feel like that at all

[soggyboy]

This section

@Legato

And maybe it’s just me, but from that sequence it feels more like he confidently solves a situation that didn’t have many options and could’ve been dangerous, but that was still rather easy to solve for him.

I agree with this. So far the character is a little too overpowered for my taste. Not overpowered in the sense that his magic is super damaging, it’s just that he’s instantly like ‘ah yes, i’ve done a bunch of practice offscreen and now I can confidently solve all these issues with no problems because I’m so great.’

@snowwater

I feel like the author is trying to showcase that the thought process and creativity of Nyango on how to use his magic isn’t something commonplace in this world

Yes, didn’t it say somewhere that other people don’t really ‘practice’ and try to improve their magic abilities or think of innovative ways to use them? So maybe most people just get their magic, it’s whatever level of strength, they think ‘meh, okay,’ then just carry on with their lives. That’s the impression I got.

I hope he sets off on the adventure soon, this section felt mostly like ‘at the hometown sticking it to the bullies.’

[Legato]

By the way, this is the sequence in the manga (taken from the free preview on Amazon.co.jp)

I feel like there’s a fair bit more tension there. It feels like he wasn’t prepared to do this… he had to do it, even if he wasn’t sure whether it would actually work. (And extra props for the forest rat breaking out of the cage, adding to the “he has some good ideas, but he’s not exactly powerful yet” impression.)

Me, when I realize the manga tells the story better:

[shitsurei]

@Legato

Me, when I realize the manga tells the story better:

[Legato]

It’s time to start the second chapter!

Week 4 | 黒猫ニャンゴの冒険

Week 4 June 14 Chapter 第二話 冒険者という生き方 (part 1/4) End Percentage 18.24% End Page ~61 (?) Read until 「そうか、そいつは良い話を聞いた。早速、明日にでも訪ねてみよう」(shortly after some tea was brewed) Next week Not posted yet Previous week Week 3 Home Thread 黒猫ニャンゴの冒険 We’re reading this book as part of the Beginner’s Light Novel Book Club. [815IfqmEJHS.SL1500] Discussion Guidelines Please blur/hide any major events in the current week’s pages (however early they occur), like so: (that’s [spoiler]text he…