I certainly didn't expect Niemann to be... Son Goku!!? But no, there's probably an ulterior motive to her actions or Shino's mom would never have vanished...
Thursday, December 28, 2023
Shinohayu 111: World Champion
Sunday, December 17, 2023
Saki 269: Urgency
Lots of mahjong in this chapter but what's Nodoka's hand, I wonder...
Sunday, December 10, 2023
Sunday, December 3, 2023
Saki 268: Fierce
Saki took precedence as always but there is a Toki chapter awaiting translation. It should be ready by next weekend. So many chapters lately, no time for MakoMeshi....
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Shinohayu 110: Visit
When a western name appears in Shinohayu is usually written in katakana. There is more than one way to transcribe names from katakana into alphabet letters so we can never be completely sure of the exact spelling for such names (unless one day Ritz decides to write the name in romaji).
Still, I did my best to write the most likely spelling for that name. And even if that was not what Ritz had in mind, it can't be too different, just an alternate spelling of the same name.
On another note, I updated chapter 108 because I realized it had an error in page 28 when Shino's uncle is talking about the trip. Nothing too important but it comes up again in this chapter so I wanted to fix it.
Sunday, November 19, 2023
Saki 267: Youkai
Youkai is a generic term for all kinds of supernatural spirits and creatures in Japanese folklore. It's often translated as ghosts, demons, monsters, etc. In this particular chapter however, is used in the sense of 'someone who doesn't seem to age or ages very slowly'. So it would be more like fairies or elves.
Monday, November 6, 2023
Toki 71: Haircutting
I think most anime/manga fans out there know about Japanese pronouns like boku and ore. Both mean "I, me" and are mainly used by males and tomboys like Sera. Many boys use boku when they are young and then change to ore as they grow up (only when speaking casually). Sera does a similar thing in this series.
Sera must have started using ore some time after her life-changing defeat at the hands of Fujishiro Nanami. Toki is surprised to hear her use ore in chapter 40 but Sera also uses boku a few times in that same chapter and after, perhaps meaning she still isn't used to ore. In more recent chapters, Sera always or nearly always uses ore.
The climax to the match with Fujishiro, when she tells Hiroe what she's going to steal from her, was in chapter 43.
Friday, October 27, 2023
Shinohayu 109: Dashcam
We have both Shinohayu and Toki this month so Toki will be next.
The incident at the pedestrian crossing was in chapter 95, if anyone is curious.
Sunday, October 22, 2023
Saki 266: True Potential
Saki. Making progress into the vice-captains match. Get ready for Arata's dueling outfit...
Sunday, October 15, 2023
MakoMeshi 26: Cup Noodles - Aiming for the Summit
More MakoMeshi! This time, Mako goes mountain climbing. And how to make cup noodles taste better.
Sunday, October 8, 2023
Saki 265: Compatibility
Saki. The vice-captain match continues...
Saturday, September 30, 2023
Shinohayu 108: The Best in Japan
This chapter is pretty long and wordy (43 pages) so it took a bit longer than usual to complete. I do prefer longer chapters though. On the other hand, Toki wasn't released this month due to poor health from one of the authors. That's too bad but maybe we get a longer chapter next month like this Shinohayu.
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Saki 264: 3 Turns
One thing that's been hinted but not mentioned in these last two chapters is that Seiko and Awai seem to be very close. Probably knowing each other since before entering high school. This might explain why Awai is always kinda harsh when teasing Seiko. Especially since Awai is younger, she should be a bit more respectful but if they have known each other for a while then it's not so strange. It would also fit with Teru choosing players that get along well rather than the best 5.
Sunday, September 10, 2023
MakoMeshi 25: Senbei and Cinnamon Rolls
A new chapter of MakoMeshi. This one features Bundou from Kazekoshi and Tsuruga's Tsuyama. I think with this one every relevant Nagano character has been featured in at least one chapter.
Saturday, September 2, 2023
Saki 263: Firepower
Saki. The vice-captain match continues...
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
Toki 70: Teasing
No Shinohayu this month, only Toki. Apparently, Ritz was late in submitting the rough draft, probably meaning there was not enough time for Aguri to do the actual drawing. Too bad but at least we have this. Next, should be Saki but I also plan to do more MakoMeshi in September if all goes well.
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
Toki 69: Forgotten
Sera has finally found Fujishiro Nanami again. At the Middle School Tournament of all places. Time for a rematch?
Sunday, August 6, 2023
Saki 262: Fish Catch
I wanted to release Saki and Toki together but Saki was given priority and Toki is not ready yet. It should be ready in 2 or 3 days though.
Fishing in dangerous waters...
Friday, July 28, 2023
Shinohayu 107: Candidate
This month we have both Shinohayu and Toki. As usual, Shino goes first. Toki will be next.
Sunday, July 9, 2023
Saki 261: Yoshino
Saki is back. A little reminder of where we left off: the vice-captain match had just started. Nodoka went into flashback mode, remembering how she learned about mahjong from Mafuka but had no friends to play mahjong with. Then she moved to Yoshino...
Monday, June 26, 2023
Shinohayu 106: Speed
Sunday, June 18, 2023
MakoMeshi 24: Waiting Takako and Kampachi Katsu
Katsu is short for katsuretsu which is the Japanese pronunciation of 'cutlet'. For this translation, katsu was left as katsu and katsuretsu was transcribed as cutlet. It's all the same though.
Kampachi is the fish called 'great amberjack' as already mentioned in last chapter.
That's all, enjoy the chapter!
KUBOOOO!!
Sunday, June 4, 2023
Toki 68: Rematch
Like Saki, Toki will skip next issue so the author can work on the revisions and extra material for the upcoming volume releases. Shinohayu doesn't skip any issues though, so we should have a new chapter at the end of the month.
Before that, I'd like to do another MakoMeshi chapter. Maybe not next week because I need a little break but the one after that.
Saturday, May 27, 2023
Shinohayu 105: Streaming
It's Shinohayu time! Short chapter but it continues next month unlike the other series.
Next release, Toki!
Sunday, May 21, 2023
MakoMeshi 23: Encouraging staff meal of all sorts of Kampachi dishes
Sunday, May 7, 2023
Toki 67: Survive
The struggle of Muroto-senpai against the fearsome Fujishiro Nanami. Forget winning, can she even survive this battle?
This one is 40 pages long so it took a while to finish. I wonder if this would have been split in two if there had been a chapter last month.
Thursday, April 27, 2023
Shinohayu 104: Against Japan's Best
You'll notice this chapter is the same number as the last one. That's because last chapter and the one before that were both given the number 103 in the magazine. That seems like a mistake (there's never been two chapters with the same number before) so I changed last chapter to 104, hoping that maybe the magazine would fix the numbering in the next issue. But that didn't happen so we have to roll with it. I could go back and change the previous chapter to 103 but there's no point since we are going to have two chapters with the same number anyway.
Sunday, April 23, 2023
Saki 260: Pupil 2 (+all folders update)
Like it says at the end of the chapter, Saki takes a break until July. This probably means there will be a new volume release in June and Ritz needs time for all the extra work that comes with it.
Next releases should be Shinohayu and Toki but then hopefully we can have a few more MakoMeshi chapters done during Saki's break.
Sunday, April 16, 2023
MakoMeshi 22: If Suga Made Tacos
An entire chapter dedicated to Kyoutarou!? Only in MakoMeshi...
Sunday, April 9, 2023
Saki 259: Pupil
When Nodoka first meets Shizuno and Ako in Achiga-hen, they all share an interest in mahjong and Nodoka is already pretty good at it. But how did Nodoka become interested in mahjong in the first place...?
Monday, March 27, 2023
Shinohayu 104: Coming 2
One of the Mekimeki duo hasn't been feeling well lately and it lasted longer than expected, so sadly Toki takes a break this month. But at least we have Shinohayu. Also, this should free enough time for at least one MakoMeshi chapter in April.
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Saki 258: Awakening
In case someone is left wondering after reading this chapter, who are the other three players who also played in last year's final? They should be Teru, Sumire and... Takami? This last one can only be deduced by process of elimination. It can't be another Rinkai because it was said, way back in chapter 56, that Megan is their only returning player. And Kiyosumi and Achiga are of course on their first participation.
Until now, it was not clear if Takami and/or Seiko were part of last year's team. Awai obviously couldn't be because she's a first year. Two of the players chosen by Teru during Shiraitodai's flashback (Unozawa Shiori and Tanahashi Natsuki) were 2nd years, so most likely they were still in the team, but the 5th member was not known. According to this, it must have been Shibuya Takami, while Matano Seiko is a new recruit.
EDIT: Alternatively, Ritz is including Satoha in last year's individual final. But that would mean forcing the meaning of the sentence. To say that there are 4 players playing in the final for second consecutive year and then it turns out one of them was in the individual final, not the team final...? It feels odd...
Thursday, March 9, 2023
Toki 66: Jailer
It's not clear what's the deal with "eyepatch girl". We don't even know her name. Some of her lines are rather cryptic, probably making reference to some dark past that hasn't been revealed yet. The chapter's title is also puzzling but maybe it has something to do with her too?
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Shinohayu 103: Coming
A bit of a long chapter. Took a while to finish. With cover and color pages down the middle.
What's the next stage for Shino?
Sunday, February 19, 2023
Saki 257: Inheritance
The lieutenant match has finished and now it's time for the vice-captains to shine.
Sunday, February 12, 2023
Toki 65: The Strong 4
It was mentioned in a Saki chapter that Teru played against Fujishiro Nanami during her first Interhigh. Teru won but ended the match so tired that it contributed to her defeat in the final against Kainou Yoshiko.
I thought "tired" simply meant that Teru had a long and difficult match but maybe there was more to it than that...
Sunday, February 5, 2023
Saki 256: Hospitalization
Saki got priority but Toki will be next, probably on the weekend.
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Shinohayu 102: Relaxation
Shino takes a well-deserved rest after the tournament...