Japanese Reading Report: 23 March 2025

- 2ちゃんねる化する世界 (190-236ページ)
- カードキャプターさくら (第46-66話)
- 真ゲッターロボ世界最後の日 (第1-3話)
- AX アックス (1-12ページ)
2ちゃんねる化する世界

I finally finished this book. I wish I had anything interesting
to say. I wish the book was more interesting. The final chapter
was about Hong Kong message board LIHKG. The chapter was partially
a history lesson tying a few social movements to LIHKG, and partially
a look at the demographics, behaviours, and other quirks of
the platform.
Ultimately I felt very disappointed with this book. I think each
section was pretty fine, but each section became less interesting
and less related to the topic that I was interested in the book
about. I think I was mostly a victim of my own expectations,
and I'm sure the book is pretty valuable if you're curious about
a Japanese perspective on the growing right-wing presence in
politics in the last 20 years.
The best part is the very cool cover art and typography...
カードキャプターさくら
I managed to accomplish my goal and totally reversed
my failure to keep up with anime which has been plaguing
me since returning to Australia in February.
This week of Card Captor Sakura was also just very
enjoyable. The episodes have started focusing on the
core plot points: Sakura's new threat, Yukito's whole
deal, and the romance between Sakura and Xiaolang.
My favourite episode of the week was episode 61 (used
in the weekly thumbnail). In that episode Sakura is
able to express her appreciation for her cards, and the
Mirror card is used as a conduit for us to see how
Touya really sees Sakura. It was very sweet, and the
ending tied everything together well.
真ゲッターロボ世界最後の日
This week I also started rewatching Getter Robo
Armageddon. This is sort of the last good
Getter Robo anime they ever made, aha... Getter
Robo has been on my mind a little bit in the last
week, so I just felt compelled to watch my favourite
one of those.
Armageddon sort of mashes concepts from all the
prior Getter Robo series — Original Series, G, and
Neo — to tell a fairly dark story right at the end
of the world. It's very metal, extremely well animated,
and the pinnacle of what makes Getter Robo cool,
though I still have a soft spot for the original series
for developing a world worth protecting.
AX アックス
It's so refreshing to return to the world of
伊坂幸太郎. I only read a handful
of pages last night so I don't have
too much to discuss, but I'll quickly go over
the first section.
The main character, Kabuto, sneaks into a house. The whole
scene is written so that it sounds like he might be burgling
committing a crime, but it turns out he was actually just
sneaking into his own home late at night.
Kabuto talks with his two friends, Lemon and Mikan, about
the best food to purchase from a convenience store to eat
at home so that you don't wake up your family. Kabuto
immediately rules out cup ramen, saying that the layers
of plastic would wake his wife (and that it even has the
times he tried). They go through some options, but Kabuto
eventually reveals his top pick: Fish sausage. He says
it stays in good condition all day (unlike fresh fruits
or onigiri), it's full of nutrients, and it's easy to
eat on the go.
A bunch of guys casually talking about something I'd never
ever think about... this is what I read Japanese for
(seriously).