Sunday 3 February 2013

Shalee lhaih 2013: Shiaghtin 05

Jerrey'n wheiggoo hiaghtin, as shoh ny lhiah mee yn çhiaghtin shoh chaie:

Bakuman y.l. 7 (Ōba Tsugumi, Obata Takeshi)

Va mee jerkal rish y skeeal son y chooid shoh, agh ren Ōba as Obata obbyr vie jeh. Va aase nyn giangley rish y reagheyder aeg jeant dy mie, as ghow mee ram soylley jeh streppey aignaghyn jeean ellynagh. By vie lhiam shilley bieau er Nakai boght myrgeddin. Shegin dou gra nagh vel mee lane sullyraignagh er y snaie-skeeallagh noa: Takagi (firrynagh) as Ko (bwoirrinagh) cooney lesh y cheilley dys screeu er y cheintys elley ny share. Eie mie dy liooar, agh s'baghtal ass credjue eh nagh vel eh cooie ny tushtagh da Takagi gyn insh da'n chaillin echey ny t'eh jannoo, as dy bee eh jannoo assee da'n chooish ghraih. Chammah's shen, t'eh loayrt rish Ko er fud ny h-oie, as eisht cur er e charrey breag y insh dy nee eshyn v'ayn; cre'n fa nagh dinsh eh firrinys? S'doillee dou eh staayney jee-chredjue er shen. Agh shoh treisht, t'ad er gooilleeney gialdyn derrey nish.

Suzunari y.l. 2 (Iwami Shoko)

Hoshiaght, shoh elefant shamyragh: ta'n skeeal shoh currit da cur stiagh blass cooish ghraih. As y skeeal shoh bentyn rish jeigeyryn as ad (bunnys) shuyraghyn... cha nel mee lane sonnysagh, ga dy vel ad shirrey aitt ass y chooish. Bwooise da Jee, cha row eh trome dy lioar y lane skeeal y villey. Va'n chaillin ro-ghraihagh ny kayt thie ayns cummey caillin, dy firrinagh, as va shen dy liooar dou goaill rish y chooish myr graih paitçhagh gyn loght; as va ny karracteyryn elley spotçhal er y chooish dy kinjagh. Myr shen, son y chooid smoo, cha ren eh cosney jonse jeem, as v'eh aitt ny keayrtyn. Ny yei shen, ta drogh-ourys orrym dy row mee lhaih noi'n 'troo, as y screeudeyr beaghey feddish ennagh... v'eh ny sloo quaagh 'syn Çhapaan, foddee? Cha s'ayms.

Agh mish, dod mee lhiggey harrish shen, as goaill soylley jeh aittys aashagh, karracteyryn gerjoil, as y metaskeeal, aashagh agh millish, ta Iwami er vidderaght stiagh 'sy daa lioar.

Journey Into The Deep (Rebecca L. Johnson)

Rere dean as cummey, she lioar phaitçhyn t'ayn. Agh t'eh cur orrym aachooinaghtyn er cre'n oyr ren mee studeyrys er bea-oaylleaght (er dy ren y trimmid er bea-chemmid, mynveaghoaylleeaght as fyshoaylleeaght mooghey yn eunys). T'ee dy leeideil dy meein trooid obbraghyn y Census of Marine Life, lesh soilshaghey shiartanse dy reih-chretooryn aalin as yindyssagh hooar ad 'syn çhalee. Ta Johnson er reih coraa slanjeant, er lhiam: t'ee soilshaghey yn çhalee gyn coayl aalid ny lioar; t'ee dty ghoaill stiagh myr co-oayllee 'sy ronsaghey gyn vlass ro-villish; as t'ee cur wheesh dy fys er dagh ghuillag dy hoilshaghey cooish ennagh, gyn jannoo boalley focklyn jeh ny brishey aalid ny caslyssyn. Ta mee jeant lane wooisal ec y yioot shoh (gura mie ayd, huyr vayrey!) as y ghraih 'oddeeaght t'ee er n'aaghoostey beggan.


The end of week five of the Reading Project, and here's what I've read this week:

Bakuman y.l. 7 (Ōba Tsugumi, Obata Takeshi)

Saw this coming, but it was well-handled nonetheless. Developments in relationship with editor were good and the clash of passionate temperaments pretty good stuff, as well as the brief glimpses of unlucky Nakai. Not hugely optimistic over the plotline with (male) Takagi and (female) Ko collaborating to improve each others' opposite-gender writing, though: you can see relationship tension coming a mile away and it's so blatantly dumb and insensitive for Takagi not to talk to his girlfriend about it - especially as Ko actually suggests that it's problematic - that I'm having a hard time with the SODisbelief for that one. Let alone him phoning Ko all night and getting his mate to cover for him, rather than explaining this perfectly innocent professional relationship to his girlfriend. Fingers crossed, though, they've done me right so far.

Suzunari y.l. 2 (Iwami Shoko)

So there's a room-elephant here, which is the story's fondness for adding a romance angle. Given that the two protags are young teenagers and are effectively sisters... yeah, it's a bit off to me, even though it's played for laughs. Clearly not the target market. Thankfully, for me it wasn't enough to ruin things. The lovey-dovey character actually being a transformed pet cat worked for me as a basis for a naive adoration, and the very jocular way other characters joke about their relationship was enough to make it mostly funny rather than cringeworthy. But I suspect I'm reading against the grain here, and the author was actually keen to play to some kind of fetish... Maybe it's less weird in Japan? I dunno.

Personally though, I was able to shrug it off as one of those things, and enjoy the fairly easy comedy, the cheerful characters, and the simple but sweet metaplot that's woven in across the two volumes.

Journey Into The Deep (Rebecca L. Johnson)

This is, technically speaking, a children's book. But it reminds me why I ended up studying biology, until the relentless focus on biochemistry, microbiology and physiology sapped the joy out the subject. It gently and lightly sketches a trail through the Census of Marine Life, highlighting a cross-section of the beautiful and wonderful creatures the project revealed. Johnson treads a skillful path of tone: explaining the project bit by bit without getting dry; putting the reader in the scientists' shoes without getting twee; and saying just enough to make each page revealing without turning it into a wall of text or distracting from the fascinating images. I am delighted with this one, and the nostalgic love of natural history that it stirred.

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