What are you reading today?

[GolyBidoof]

@暁のルナ

Anyway the a story itself was fine. Afaict it’s about a doll who’s seemingly in love with her owner. Yet it manages to not feel creepy (I was momentarily worried it would be a trashy オネエロリ story - which is not a genre I read).

Yeah you got me to read this one today xddd
I was curious about this volume and wanted to strike the iron when it’s still hot ^^

I thought this story was actually pretty adorable, the big shoujo eyes completed the illusion, and I liked the specific word choices with the doll, this felt like a story about one sister missing the other more than a lovers’ story, something like Toy Story 2 with Jessie ^^

As for the 140-word stories, there have been a few sweeter ones, ２人の帰宅部 or 私に無いもの for example, but i read 双子, the 百合研賞 one and I was like “huh” xddd

the prose, 私の林檎 is a continuation, so it might have been weird to read without the context of the previous story

but yeah, fun volume, thanks for tagging me and making me push myself to read it too xdd

[Fen]

I’m reading the Higurashi vn! I’m playing the Kizuna games on DS, I did still want to track on Natively so I used the novels as substitute and used the % to track, it’s working fine. Actually, since I need to use my phone camera with OCR too look things up, I was forced to try out extensive reading, while I generally look up EVERYTHING. I’m really enjoying it, it’s freeing and less tiring overall to give myself permission to infer meaning or leave seemingly irrelevant words alone sometimes, and seeing I ACTUALLY understand what’s going on and the vibe, is pretty reassuring. I don’t think I would’ve done it if I hadn’t been sort of forced to. That’s learning too ig hahaha

[暁のルナ]

@Fen

while I generally look up EVERYTHING. I’m really enjoying it, it’s freeing and less tiring overall to give myself permission to infer meaning or leave seemingly irrelevant words alone sometimes, and seeing I ACTUALLY understand what’s going on and the vibe, is pretty reassuring.

It’s pretty great doing that. My tendency is also to look everything up… but sometimes I’m just not in the mood

@Fen

I don’t think I would’ve done it if I hadn’t been sort of forced to

That’s how I got started with listening audio-only (no subs). Eventually I fell into the habit w/ manga too, b/c I’m lazy to constantly pull my phone up for OCR / it’s disruptive

[cloverff]

Finished おはなし・ねこあつめ | L20 and it’s a very cute collection of eight short stories about the cats from Neko Atsume. My thoughts on it haven’t changed much since I wrote about it a few days ago.

The final story is about Odd-san and Cream-san’s friendship. My two favorite cats! Together! (Sadly, no stories featuring Buchi-san, my other-other favorite cat, since he looks like one of my old cats.)

Next, I shall treat myself to finally finishing アラベスク 第1部 1 <完全版 I> | L24??

And next up on my kid’s chapter books list is ジゼルがくれた魔法の力 氷の上のプリンセス | L23

[暁のルナ]

よりによって I started reading あずまんが大王 1年生 | L24 … Except I seem to be reading a different edition that also has 4 volumes. The only difference I noticed (comparing to the preview of this volume) is that “double tap to zoom” doesn’t work on the version I’m reading on Kindle

Further investigation reveals that I’m reading the original 1999 version by 電撃コミックス, and that the one on here is the 2009 小学館 version with 3 extras chapters. Personally I don’t think I care enough to create a separate entry, but the original is only 100円 (next volumes are cheap too) vs 660円. So I added a link to book 1 pg.

Anyway story is pretty decent… Well idk if there’s enough of a plot to call it a story, but anyway I’m enjoying well enough. Humor is decent. I appreciate that 春日歩 (かすが あゆむ, more rudely nicknamed Osaka by the characters) is a bit of an understated ボケ (ie she’s spacey and kinda oblivious/off about certain things) - rather than the usual overstated, comedic or cutesy way 大阪人 characters are often portrayed. Her 大阪弁 is realistic as well (tho apparently she’s actually from 神戸 and then lived in 和歌山 for a bit… her dialect is definitely 大阪弁 tho)… One of the reviews mentioned finding her a bit hard to understand bc of dialect… Ironically for me, she’s probably the easiest to understand, cuz her thought patterns seem pretty normal. Also the teacher character is hilarious!! They’re my two favorite characters so far.

Anyway, it’s clear that a lot of stuff in here is parody or reference. I feel like I’m getting most of them, but I’m sure there’s a thing or two that went over my head - and one or two jokes I just didn’t get. I tried the anime, and gave up halfway into ep 1. I like the manga much better.

… Somehow out of all the things in reading, the least remarkable (most 普通) one, is the one I’ve had the most to say about recently

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Sorta reading ママレード・ボーイ 1 | L22 - more specifically, translating the lines into Kansai-ben in my lessons. Wow that is one crazy setup! Also this guy is a jerk, why on earth does she think he’s cool?!?!

[pm215]

@暁のルナ

よりによって I started reading あずまんが大王 1年生 | L24 … Except I seem to be reading a different edition that also has 4 volumes. The only difference I noticed (comparing to the preview of this volume) is that “double tap to zoom” doesn’t work on the version I’m reading on Kindle

The Natively series info looks to be messed up there – that looks like it has the 3 books of the new 3 volume version, plus book 4 of the old 4 volume dengeki version…

[暁のルナ]

Now that you mention it…

And for the 4 vol one, the Kindle & physical versions aren’t linked on Amazon

Idk I’m gonna just use it as is

[eefara]

Send even Natively knows you can’t have enough of Azumanga Daioh. (Excellent series, I hope you enjoy it @暁のルナ!)

[shitsurei]

@暁のルナ

Also this guy is a jerk, why on earth does she think he’s cool?!?!

Don’t you know, if a guy is nice and shares your interests, he’s boring and not at all worth being with. You want a guy that hates you. That clearly makes a good partner.

[Legato]

しかも、それだけではない。
巨大な本棚には、大小さまざまなサイズの本がならんでいるのだが。小さいサイズの本は、ともかくとして。いちばん大きいサイズのそれが、とんでもない大きさだった。
蛍子の背丈よりも大きい。ドアと同じくらいの、見たこともないサイズの本。
そんなものが、巨大な本棚の一角に、何冊もならんでいるのである。
「な……なんで、あんなに大きな本が!?」
「それはですね。ふつうのサイズの本は、文字が小さいからですよ」
店員は、あたりまえのことのように説明した。

Finally a solution to the tiny text in Japanese books! I bet you could even read the furigana without a magnifying glass.

(From: 世にも奇妙な商品カタログ 4 ひとつでふたつの飲み薬・文字起こしマーカー他 | L23)

[暁のルナ]

Finished

ラブ★コン | L25 - I enjoyed it all, but I’m glad the anime stopped where it did (end of vol 12 + graduation), cuz there were some really asinine parts that followed in the next 4 volumes. The final volume was their middle school stories (great) + an epilogue (ok), which is one of the only times I’ve actively enjoyed backstory. I’m a little annoyed that even Kohori got a proper romantic pairing, while Seiko did not. She deserved better.

https://learnnatively.com/book/f982f5ea5e/ - it was enjoyable enough, but definitely wasn’t interesting enough for me to continue reading the other volumes right now. 大阪 and the teacher were still the characters I liked most. Sakaki was cool too, even if I could never remember how to read her name. There were a few spots where I checked the translation… Sometimes it was a comprehension thing, but a lot of the time it was “oh the joke is that it’s incoherent”… Which would explain why it wasn’t making sense

[暁のルナ]

Finished 百合姫2025年11月号 | L24?? - I was honestly not in the mood for a lot of these series rn, but pushed myself to read anyway cuz I really wanna catch up

impressions (spoilers blurred)

Bold means it was a highlight for me

晴れた日のドレスコード - interesting start? We’ll see where it goes

僕らのアイは気持ち悪い - It was fine, I guess? But I’ve lost steam on this one. I’m terrible at telling the characters apart. Would be better if I wasn’t reading monthly

私だって青春したいですよ、本当は。- 3 chapters in and I’m really enjoying

マユノウタ - 3 chapters in, and I’m not 100% sure how I feel. It’s losing me a bit on the believability side, and idk if I’m really in the mood for this sort of toxic drama rn, こっちの問題やけど. I was surprised that the best friend confessed suddenly. I hope she isn’t like 心 from ぜんこわ (doesn’t seem like it, but too early to tell)… the timing is certainly weird

私の百合はお仕事です！ - it wasn’t where I originally wanted this to go, but it’s good writing, and probably for the better… still though 未満先生 - why must you torture me so??? Anyway, I think this opens up a lot in terms of character development, and I’m really curious for this month’s chapter!!

無力聖女と無能王女～魔力ゼロで召喚された聖女の異世界救国記～ - it’s fine, but I really don’t care about the bitchy princess’s marriage that she’s trying to force on her saint. I feel bad for the saint though. Also that cliffhanger

キミが吠えるための歌を、This was nice. I’m enjoying the “slight ヤキモチ, while also getting closer to the person who’s causing it” thing, and it’s cool to see them making musical progress

ぜんぶ壊して地獄で愛して - there was some interesting stuff that went down, but I’ve also lost steam on this comic lately. Another one I think would be better if I wasn’t reading monthly

超深宇宙より愛をこめて - I don’t read this - though I keep thinking maybe I should give it a second chance

大室家 - I don’t read this

ゆるゆり - I don’t read this

平良深姉妹はどっちもヤんでる - I don’t read this

今日はカノジョがいないから - this was a highlight, though I gather it’s just heading for more drama next month. Author won’t let the poor characters be happy… still, seeing Yuni actually genuinely attempt to make things positive and go nice for once, plus meeting Nanase’s mother like that were both really cool.

春の光に呑まれても - whatever, it’s mildly interesting, but mostly just angsty. Another I think would probly be better for me if it wasn’t monthly

サボりなら保健室でどうぞ？- the sweet ending everyone wanted. I liked that it wasn’t a right after graduation thing, and how the former student (now a student teacher) had actually matured during the time skip. There wasn’t any “I’ll wait for you” at the end of the previous chapter or anything either. I’m amazed the teacher managed to stay employed at that school for 4 more years (or you know, the duration of the series). As student x teacher age gap stories go, this one wasn’t always the most realistic, but it was overall tasteful for this kind of thing. If anyone wants to explore this subgenre, this is probly a good starting point

彩純ちゃんはレズ風俗に興味があります！ - omg let’s go!!! Another one where the author is torturing me, and I’m loving every moment. I love that characters actually communicate in this story, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how everything involves… tho I am worried about ななお going forward

映しちゃダメな顔 - I don’t read this

現実世界でも幸せにしてくださいね？ - this was actually really nice. It was cool to see Olivia and the MC actually both confess their feelings honestly to each other - especially seeing the MC be that bluntly honest and firm about the situation. I feel like that’s pretty rare for harems. For a genre I dislike, this one’s doing pretty well (some chapters aside)

崖っぷち令嬢は黒騎士様を惚れさせたい！ Sad this is over, and I know the author hoped for it to go on longer… but it was a really fitting ending

小春と湊 - they hung more with the the lesbian couple they’re friends with - it was cute and nice No difficult vocab this time

Also the preview spread for next month is beautiful (somewhat NSFW/

Dropped 大阪 ぶらり古地図歩き 歴史探訪ガイド | L41?? bc it was both too hard and overly specific vocab that I just don’t have any use for rn - and almost certainly won’t for a long while

Picked up

大阪府謎解き散歩 (新人物文庫 は 12-1) | L30??

Which still requires me to look up about 20+ words per pg, but it’s tappable, and they’re much more normal/common words. It started off with two short essays, one about some incorrect stereotypes of 大阪人, and the other about all the food that Osaka has historically introduced or innovated… neither of which I particularly cared about (though it’s good they were there). It was a little weird reading せっかち (Tokyo word) instead of イラっち (Osaka word), in the first essay… they’re similar, but somewhat different nuance… anyway, now it’s onto 豊臣家 (Toyotomi household) - which I imagine will be about Toyotomi Hideyoshi

大阪豆ゴハン(1) | L24??

You can tell the mangaka really cared with this one, and she put a ton of effort into it. It’s very “by hand” - particularly all the text is handwritten, and she didn’t use the standard screentone technique. Anyway btwn the handwriting, occasional vocab, and humor this is a great mix of fun and challenge for me. Wouldn’t recommend for anyone not already familiar with Kansai-ben though

some pics (sry for the glare)

[Makochou]

I’m reading

真贋事件簿-京都寺町三条のホームズ 2 | L32

these days. A lot of specific vocabulary, but it’s fun

[urikk2npg]

Another update from me,
Just finished ババヤガの夜 | L31

I was seeing it everywhere in Japan, and figured I’d give it a go.

Very pulpy, lots of gansters giving very over-acted performances, lots of violence (somewhat Pulp Fiction-esque).
Over all was OK, main characters didn’t feel quite developed for me, and some bits felt forced.

[暁のルナ]

@Makochou

真贋事件簿-京都寺町三条のホームズ 2 | L32

these days. A lot of specific vocabulary, but it’s fun

I finally started book 1. Will probably be slow going rn, since I’m still in the middle of other stuff. Hopefully 骨董 will stick soon… I keep looking it up lol. Still in that opening scene rn

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Btw Home Thread For 明日もまた勇者のとなり 1 | L26 - Starts Nov 9 starts this weekend for anyone who’s interested in a fantasy + yuri manga

[pm215]

I finished 図書館の魔女 第一巻 | L38 last night, so I can now confirm what the review says:

• it’s very good (at least, I liked it a lot)
• this volume feels very much like it’s largely setup; this is not a “drops you straight into the action” kind of story, and I think it’s likely to be quite slow paced generally
• the author uses a pretty wide vocabulary

I definitely want to read the rest of this, but I should probably wait until I’ve got at least a bit further through my to-read pile before buying more books.

Next up, I will either finally finish プロメテウスの乙女 | L28?? , or else start vampire book あの子とQ | L30?? …

[cloverff]

I finally, finally finished アラベスク 第1部 1 <完全版 I> | L26?? . Pros: Covered a topic I didn’t really know much about (ballet) and had gorgeous art. Cons: I felt like the plot really dragged at points, probably not aided by the fact that I had to do so many look ups.

Next up, going to try to finish シャンピニオンの魔女 2 | L26?? before the anime airs in January. I have five volumes to read in that time, so wish me luck. I started part of volume 2 last night and it felt so much easier after slogging my way through アラベスク.

Also wrapping up a few series that I only have a volume or two left to read so I don’t feel quite so overwhelmed by the number of unfinished manga series I have going. We’ll see how long that last before I get distracted by a new shiny series.

[bungakushoujo]

I have not posted here for a while! I am still reading though, just a little slowly…

I’ve been reading ビルマの竪琴 | L40?? for the last little while and enjoying it. I started it on a plane ride I had to take recently and got through about half of it and put it down again, but I have another plane ride coming up soon so hopefully I can get through the latter half! It is “children’s literature” (reads like middle grade) and very approachable. Recommended for anyone who wants to dip their toes into something older or wants to read something from the post war era, but isn’t at the point where they can read lvl 40 books yet (the default natively rating lies, it’s probably around ~30). It covers WWII but not necessarily in a depressing way - it’s an uplifting story about humanity and moving forward from the tragedies of war. I was inspired to buy it after watching the old black and white movie version directed by Ichikawa Kon, which I also recommend!

I also wrapped up 仮面の告白 | L46 a little while ago and it was a great read. No one writes like Mishima! I was completely captive for 200+ pages as this man talked about his sexuality and feelings, and I wanted more when it ended. I have a few other unread books from Mishima on myself but I’m going to pace myself and finish up some other things first.

[dorod]

@bungakushoujo

I also wrapped up 仮面の告白 | L46 a little while ago and it was a great read. No one writes like Mishima! I was completely captive for 200+ pages as this man talked about his sexuality and feelings, and I wanted more when it ended. I have a few other unread books from Mishima on myself but I’m going to pace myself and finish up some other things first.

I picked up a copy of this not too long ago, so I’m excited to start it at some point. Like you, I’m trying to pace myself though so who knows when I’ll get to it. There really is a certain enchanting, almost supernatural quality to his writing. Even though his characters are often far removed from my own experience, he renders their emotions and reasoning so vividly that their actions feel believable, if not inevitable. This phenomenon is not exclusive to Mishima, but he is one of the best at it.

[Vie]

I’ve started reading 入門 Kubernetes | L26?? because there is a new product at work that makes use of Kubernetes. I am starting to see unfamiliar terminology like pods and ingress service creep into the documents I have to read so I figured it would be a good idea to read an introduction to Kubernetes in Japanese to kill two birds with one stone. However, something that’s struck me is the overwhelming usage of 劇的, presumably translated from “dramatically” in the source text.

Examples:

信頼性を保ちながらソフトウェアをデプロイするスピードを劇的に速くします。

複数の完全なかたちの仮想マシン（VM）ではなく、少数のコンテナ単位でデプロイごとのコストを計算すると、テストにかかるコストは劇的に下がります。

I may be wrong but I have the impression that a native Japanese author would never use (or at least not at the same extent/frequency) 劇的. Whereas, “dramatically” certainly is commonplace in English writing. I presume the translator tried to be faithful to the source text by sticking as close as possible to the manner of speech but as a consequence, it gives away the fact that this is translated Japanese. It does not feel like original Japanese.

Once I’m done, I guess it could be interesting to compare my impressions with an originally Japanese technical book like this intermediate Kubernetes book that is so Japanese it even features an anime girl on the cover :