Dear Brother Chapter 4 Summary

I'm getting more and more confused about the development of this series...because I see a definite spark between Sougo and Momo, which is troublesome since they're brother and sister.  Unless some deus ex machina occurs later on to prove that they're not true blood siblings...I don't know if I can take it.  There have been many series of the brother falling in love with his sister (like boku wa imouto ni koi suru) that have floated around...but the premise of incest is too disturbing for me to look at.  Gin's reactions are very telling, and I think he knows something about Sougo that Aoba doesn't (or probably is too young to remember).  I don't know if this is merely his suspicion about the way Sougo acts or if it's some sort of secret he's hiding.  I'm hoping for the first (since secrets are so cliche and it's already been done so many times in Hapi Mari I'm getting tired of it).

Anyhow, I'll just go on with the summary and let you guys decide what to think of it.

Momo is sent to a branch office as punishment for her last incident, but she's optimistic about it.  After all, it's a place to start afresh and she wouldn't have to see her ex-fiance anymore.  Her coworkers are friendly, and she meets a woman named Sakura Honda.

She comes home to see Aoba eating one of her last popsicles and gets into an argument over it.  Angry, she decides to use the bathroom first and slams over the door, only to walk in on Sougo when he's changing.

Dear Brother Chapter 3 Summary

I'm so glad that they didn't have the December issue of Petit Comic in Kinokuniya when my friend helped me check...because I just saw it online today, read it...and...well, honestly I don't know where the story is going.  It's a bit contrived, and while we do focus more on Sougo...I don't see a progressive setup of the story.  It's a lot of pointless arguing again, and while I see that there are difficulties in restoring a sibling relationship such as one they had in the past...well...we're not moving anywhere!  Hapi Mari was quick to set up the plot and only later on did it start to drag.  It was chop chop chop.  Hopefully the next chapter will redeem itself....but anyways, on to the summary!

Again, I'm working off Chinese scans because that's all they have.  There are some lines I don't completely understand because well...it's translated into four-character idioms that are a bit obscure to me.  Anyhow, if you want to follow the images, please click here.

This chapter opens with Momo arguing with Gin and Aoba whether to make their omelettes sweet or salty.  While both brothers prefer salty, Momo insists on sweet since it was what their mother used to make.  Sougo walks into the kitchen wondering what all the fuss is about, having apparently moved in with the rest of the siblings since that night.

Flashing back...

What is with this wait?!

I've been checking daily for scans of Dear Brother chapter 3 online...and I don't think I can take it anymore.  So I've asked my friend to help me check if there are any issues of the December and possibly January issue of the magazine at the bookstore.  No guarantees on anything...usually Kinokuniya either sells out pretty fast (because I can never see that month's issue in the month I'm in), or they just don't stock it anymore.  I think they ship their stuff by sea, which is why although January issue is supposed to come out in December, I never see it until January.

On Food Blog

Hi guys!  Long time no see~  I've been checking frequently for raws of Dear Brother online, but haven't had the luck to find the chapter 3 ones yet.  I'm not sure if Shmook is still going to plan out for purchases of Petit or not, so until then, I'll just check online.

On the other hand, I've joined a food blog with two of my friends, basically for restaurant and food reviews.  All our initial posts will be about food/restaurants in US because that's where we're based, but given the chance, we'll write about travel and food overseas too.

Since it's a new blog, a lot of it is bare and incomplete right now, especially on the About page.  I wasn't able to write good mini-bios for the others, but that will be fixed later!  Cookies for those who can guess correctly which name I write under there!

Come visit us if you're interested!  You can find us at

Matcha Dipped Baguette

これからそちらもよろしくお願いしますね！

Dear Brother Chapter 2 Summary

So I’ve been checking almost daily to see if the second chapter of Dear Brother has been released in Chinese scans yet…and after a prompting from Minchi today, checked again.  And the good news is they’ve finally released it!  So I’m able to provide a detailed summary.  Here goes nothing!

Momo wakes up in the morning, reflecting on what has happened so far regarding her brothers and the exposure of her fiancé as a fake swindler.  As Momo changes, Gin (her oldest brother) opens the door on her to inform her that breakfast is ready.

“What you’re awake already?  I thought you were still lazing around in your bed,” he says exasperatedly, completely oblivious to the fact that Momo is half-naked.

“How many times have I told you to knock before you enter my room, Gin-niichan?” Momo yells as she hits him.

“Wah…don’t throw the alarm clock!  The clock…”

Momo goes off to shower, silently reprimanding her eldest brother.  They’re hardly kids anymore, and it’s inappropriate.  Of course, this is when Aoba (the youngest brother) opens the door on her thinking that Gin was inside.  Naturally she throws a bucket of water on him.  As for Sougo (the middle brother Hokuto lookalike), he had declined to move in.  Gin and Aoba reasoned that while they were worried for her at first, they wanted to move in so they could repair their sibling relationship.  Momo naturally couldn’t decline with such a reason, and so Aoba and Gin decided to settle it with rock-paper-scissors.  Remembering that Sougo had taught her to do paper first in order to win, Momo puts paper…except Gin and Aoba uses scissors.  The two are overjoyed that they had won and that Momo was so naïve while Sougo just observed remotely.

Anyways, a few days have passed where Momo continually bullied her brothers (probably for walking in on her).  Gin and Aoba comically complain to their mother in front of the altar.

“Can’t we use another method to ‘repair’ our relationship?” Momo sighs.

Hi again

This is more like a status update, but I just checked Aerandria...and they already translated the first chapter of Dear Brother!  Ok, well they've translated it a while ago...so it may be old news for those that check their website regularly.  But here's the link!

Dear Brother Chapter 1 Summary

So I was browsing online to see if I can find any images of the new series since it's been a while since it's been out (18 days to be exact).  And I found the Chinese scans!!

So here's the chapter 1 summary!!!  It's not super detailed as usual (because I read it in Chinese), so I didn't want to translate the dialogue just in case I didn't get the same nuances in Chinese.

Momo is separated from her three older brothers when her father died when she was little.  Her relatives and other close friends took pity on Momo's mother and adopted the 3 boys since she doesn't have the financial power nor is physically well enough to care for all 4 children.  Ever since that time, Momo has not seen her brothers for 15 yearrs.

The chapter opens with Momo praying to her mom.  Her fiance is coming over to meet her today, and for some reason, her brothers have also asked to meet up with her fiance.  She thinks it's a bit weird since they haven't contacted each other for 15 years, but agrees to the meeting.  Momo goes out to the convenience store to pick up so beer, when she bumps into her second eldest brother (but she doesn't recognize him).  They both reach for the 6-pack, and her second eldest brother (sorry I'm not sure about the reading of the name in Japanese since it's in Chinese right now...and you know how there are multiple ways of reading a single name) suddenly decides to play rock-paper-scissors with her to see who gets it.  Her brother wins naturally and tells Momo that she'll lose if she does rock first.  She should have done paper instead.  Momo is frustrated by this stranger spewing nonsense, since she has never asked for his opinion on rock-paper-scissors.

Finished reading

I've never finished a Japanese book so fast in my life.  I admit it's probably because I have nothing else to do while I commute on the train for 2 hrs everyday...but gosh, I'm done!!!  And then I bought another novel called Kafu wo machiwabite by Harada Maha, lol.  (This one is actually a novel novel, not  one based off manga and the writing is supposed to be beautiful and it even won a prize in 2006!)

Anyways, getting off track.  I don't remember much of the details except that they did get happily married.  Chiwa's mother didn't attend the wedding though (I think she had something to do or something...but I can't imagine what's more important than attending your daughter's wedding).  The reason why she didn't wasn't clearly stated either.  Hokuto actually told Chiwa she was beautiful and that he has fallen all over in love with her again as she walked out in the wedding dress, which Chiwa hadn't expected (since in Hokuto's dictionary, "not bad" really means "it looks great").

There were no other naughty scenes in the book to my surprise.  I guess the first one made up for it by being super naughty.  And wow, I'm done!  I know I still have to get through the vacation one sooner or later...but I'm not sure if I want to take up Hapi Mari so soon again.  I'm not a great judge of writing styles in foreign languages...but this book was a bit mediocre.  I'm hoping the first novel is better of course...but I recently  just started a new book called The Dovekeepers...and then my other novel "March" by Geraldine Brooks has arrived.  So for now Hapi Mari will have to sit back on my shelf.

By the way, I still haven't gotten the scans for the new Enjouji Maki series yet.  I did go to the bookstore a few times but I couldn't see Petit anywhere.  Either it's not been shipped to our bookstore yet or everyone has reserved it and it's placed behind the counters...

I'm 2/3 of the way finished with the book!

What can I say...thank goodness!  It turns out the secret of Hokuto's real father isn't that big of a deal to him at all.  The author doesn't give him a name, just a short description of who he was (a coworker of Hokuto's mother).  Hokuto still thinks that Seiji is more of his father than anyone else was.

On the other hand, the issue with Chiwa's mother hasn't been resolved yet.  She still doesn't like the idea of inviting her mother since her mother had ran away so readily when Chiwa's father fell into debt.  She had once told herself that it didn't matter, that she had neither the strength nor time to hate her mother for she thinks of her mother as just another stranger.  But in the end, the hate lingers.  I'm currently at the part where Hokuto is discussing with her about this.  Hokuto says it's really up to Chiwa to invite her or not, since it is their wedding and no one else's.  But he also reminds her that she had told him once that parents are parents, and there's nothing you can do to break the bond.  It was because of Chiwa's words that Hokuto started talking to Seiji again.

But I'm getting ahead of myself!  So before everything comes out in the open, Hokuto is worried about Chiwa's strange behavior (since he doesn't know she felt guilty for reading the envelope nor he did know about the mother issue).  He had called out his senpai one night to a bar to discuss, to which the senpai asked whether Chiwa may be getting cold feet, since most couples do when planning the wedding.  Hokuto thinks that's ridiculous, since they've been husband and wife for so long.  He later bumps into Misaki in the same bar (it turns out that they used to go to this bar all the time in the past when they're still dating).  Reluctantly, he tells her about his problems, hoping to get a more convincing answer than the doctor gave.  She asks him whether it isn't because he's being overbearing, since he did make a snap decision about the wedding.  He's never asked Chiwa about it, and the only reason he even thought about it was because he wanted to see her in a wedding dress.  Plus, the fact that he only gave themselves one month to plan before the ceremony just further reinforces that Hokuto is egotistic and overbearing.  You know, I really think Misaki is a super interesting character now.  She has a lot of potential, a lot of depth.  I wish she could have been developed further in the manga...sigh...

So there comes all of this brooding and worrying and having petty fights.  He even calls off the wedding in one scene (which of course doesn't succeed because Chiwa has stronger guts than to let him push her around all the time).  Oh, btw, all of this was told from Hokuto's point of view!  I was pretty surprised by it actually, since it was about 70 pages as compared to the super short 5-10 pages in the last novel (not that I've finished reading or anything so there may still be a switch somewhere in there.)

Anyways, I'm almost done~ yayay.  As for the comments from the previous post...I really doubt I have the time to translate the novel.  Work is unkind, and now that I'm not in school anymore, things such as winter and spring and summer break don't exist.  That, and I'm studying for the JLPT test...

So I've got the second book...

Without finishing reading the first one naturally...but I swear I'll get to that one!  Unfortunately I don't have the time anymore to translate page by page (or else I would have), and I'm mainly reading it in my super long commute to work.  Good thing no one understands Japanese here...or at least most people don't...because if they saw the text of that super steamy sex scene....

I would be so embarrassed!  I would never read it in public transport in Japan, lol.  Anyways, the story so far for this second novel...Hokuto and Chiwa are planning their wedding, and the first few pages detail their trip to try on wedding dresses.  They eventually end up with one that Hokuto picks because they have virtually no time (one month until the ceremony to be exact) although Chiwa wants to try on more.  Chiwa was hesitant about the one Hokuto picked at first because she would look fat in it, and while Hokuto tells her she doesn't need to lose weight, he would help her if it meant so much to her.

Chiwa proceeds to stuff herself at dinner that night regardless, to which Hokuto asks her, "Is this supposed to be the action of one who wanted to lose weight?"  He makes her exercise despite the fact that she has already showered.  Chiwa doesn't want to, though she reluctantly agrees after not knowing what was in store...

And well....ummm...then comes the sex scene!  God I was so red in the face when reading it...they basically have to be quiet when they do it because they live in Chiwa's house now (with her father).  And he was teasing her the whole time, being rough and naughty and making the bed shake and...and...well, you know what happens.

Anyways, I'm now at the part where Chiwa comes back late from work one night dead tired.  She notices that Hokuto is in the shower, and while going to the vanity desk to remove her make-up with some wipes, she sees a big envelope in the bin.  Hokuto had always told her to properly dispose of personal mail by shredding it, but he doesn't ever do it himself.  So Chiwa decides to take care of it when she spies the name of the sender.  It turns out to be an investigative report (what's with all these investigative reports dammnit!) and she reads it naturally.

Inside are contents about Hokuto's real father...which is when Hokuto comes out of the bathroom.  He doesn't catch her reading it though.  Hokuto tells her that grandpa and Souma brought it for him, but he had zero interest in it and disposed of it without even opening the envelope.  Chiwa then feels guilty about reading it...and lies to Hokuto when he asks if she read it.  

The next morning, Chiwa's father comes up to her as she's preparing breakfast and asks if he can invite Chiwa's mother to the wedding...to which Chiwa adamantly says no.

And that's it for now!  Until I've read more...that is!

OMG There's another one??!

There's another novel!  And I'm still not done with the first one...not that I know when or how I can now ever since I started work.  But gosh, I need this one.  Even if I don't have time to read it, I need to have it on my bookshelf first!!!  And belatedly, on the right is the last volume of the series~  I hope there are special shorts at the end of the volume!

Wah, it's out!!!

I didn't remember that this month's issue already came out!  Well, then again, that's because I haven't received scans for it or anything...and then I didn't get my usual monthly email where Petit informs me that a new issue has just been released.

Anyways, click here if you want the wallpaper too!  The only thing I'm picky about with Enjouji Maki's works is that...there's ALWAYS a Hokuto-looking like character inside.  Actually, I'm not sure I want to call it Hokuto-looking, since he appears in virtually all of her previous works too.  I know she can draw, and draw well at that!  Can't she please draw us a new character?  Hokuto looks handsome, sure, but...iono, it would be more refreshing.

Edit: Just read on bxsmanga that Minchi needs help with the Petit subscription.  Apparently the shipping is really expensive and she has only been able to raise money that's equivalent to 20% of the total cost.  So if anyone can help out, or if anyone already subscribes to the magazine, please contact her on bxsmanga.  Technically I don't subscribe and the issue comes out the about one month after where I live (so October issue comes out in October and not in September), so I'm not of much help...

Going on temporary hiatus

So I'm going to be on a trip to Japan for a while...and while I believe I have internet in most places...there's just not going to be time for me to update on this blog.  So just in case you were wondering where I've disappeared to...

New series info

I always manage to see a Hokuto-like protagonist in each one of Enjouji Maki's series...which, well, I know drawing styles can only vary so much...but I wish she would draw a different character!

Anyways, the summary of the new series (to be released in September) goes like this:

1st Door "They're not my family"

Komatsu Momo is a plain OL at 23 years old.  Maybe too plan.  She's currently living by herself in the house her parents left behind for her...but!  She's actually going to get married soon.  And it's one of her co-workers too.  Finally, Momo's resolved to contact her "brothers"...??

OMG, what on earth?  Her brothers?  ........

And the fact that this finace of hers doesn't appear in that tiny image worries me...meaning he's not really the main character.  So unless this new manga is about family ties and only family relationships...I'm not sure how it would turn out.  *cross my fingers for the best*

Hapi Mari Booklet: Part 3

Alrighty, this is the last part of the booklet!  I hope you enjoy.  I do promise to update the novel when I have time.  Thank you for waiting so patiently!

One month before the wedding

H: What’re you writing?

C: The profile sheet for the MC.  Let’s see… “Place of proposal and the words used?”…

C: …it was more like an order from my boss inside the president’s office…

H: …..

C: And then…what about “Why you decided to marry?”

H: I was told I would be fired from my position as president if I didn’t marry.

C: Eh…

C: What’s up with this!  It’s not romantic at all!!!

H: It’s alright to tell a few white lies in our situation.

C: Alright, then this question!  “What do you like about your bride?”

H (painfully honest): Her idiotic side?

Hapi Mari Booklet: Part 2

Sorry for the delay!  This is the first comic strip (and the longest because it has 4 pages).  The last two only have two pages each.  My translation goes for each speech bubble and reads from right to left, then top to bottom.  So each line matches with each bubble, which is sometimes why you see that even if Chiwa keeps talking, it will be split into two lines to match the bubbles.  I haven't translated the "schedule" on the second page since it's pretty generic, like trying on dresses 6 months before, deciding on the invitations, having taste tests, rehearsals for dancing, deciding on the menu, deciding on the MC,  deciding on the program, the BGM, confirming guests, etc etc.  You get the gist.

Half a year before the ｗedding

H: Hey, speaking of which have you decided on the wedding invitations yet?

C: We still have time.  We hadn’t even had a meeting (with the wedding planner) yet .

H: Idiot!  I told you to decide by the first meeting!  Hurry and decide.

C: Eh, no way!  Really…

C: We still have half a year before the wedding, so we can take our time to decide~~

H: Ah…but I think the wedding planner is going to contact us soon.  She did say it would be about five months before the wedding.

C: Is that so…

H: You weren’t even listening back then were you…

Hapi Mari Booklet: Part 1

So...I finally got the booklet that came with the wedding magazine, and I must say, I'm not too impressed with the so-called extra illustrations and comic strips.  In fact, I feel a bit ripped off for paying so much for a magazine I don't need just for Hapi Mari...but oh well.  The magazine was ginormous (they should have said it was more like a phone book instead), and there were three separate issues on rings (ah, so sparkly), wedding venues, and hotels.  Anyways, I'll do the illustrations first (5 total), and the comic strips in a second post.

Hokuto: You know this is the 100th shot...
Chiwa: Ah...even the sheets look like a dress now♡  Take another, take another~♡

Chiwa: Which ones should we pick for the invitations~♪
Hokuto: Main products...?　Your list is full of mistakes.  (T/N: Chiwa typed the wrong kanji 主品 instead of 主賓, which is supposed to mean guest of honor)

Hapi Mari Chapter 40 Spoiler

I've JUST gotten the raws and read the first few pages (which is here).  Since this is the last chapter, I'm going to do an exact translation, so there really isn't any summarizing per say.  The italics are Chiwa's thoughts, and the rest are translated as usual.  I have only skimmed the chapter by quickly flipping through the pages, so I haven't really read it.  There is a wedding, a lot of silly fights and arguments, but no baby.  I think the fights are a little excessive and forced, almost turning it into a gag ending, but I'll have to actually read the speech bubbles before drawing my conclusion.  Since I haven't fully translated it yet, Minchi will NOT have the summary and will be UNABLE to post it on bxsmanga.  I have to go to a friend's graduation tomorrow, so I won't be able to get to the rest of it until Sunday.  So please no badgering her for updates!  I'll let you guys know when I've finished translating.  Have fun reading~

“Enough!!  I’m for sure not sleeping with you tonight!!” Chiwa says in defiance.

“You’ll probably be lonely…” Hokuto cheekily comments.

“I won’t!  Definitely won’t!!” Chiwa puffs.

Hello.  After Hokuto pulled out from the Mamiya registry and we’ve remarried, I became Miura Chiwa.  The flat we’ve been living in has been sold off after the divorce, so Hokuto and I are presently living at my house...but we’ve been fighting every day. 

“Why?!  Why didn’t you consult with me before buying it??  This is the umpteenth time!” Chiwa complains.

“Oh shut up.  Why do I need to report back to you for every single thing I buy.  I told you I’m not used to sleeping in a futon,” Hokuto retorts.

“But you didn’t have to go and buy a double king-sized bed.  It doesn’t even fit in the room!!” Chiwa argues back.

“You too said you liked wide beds in the past.  It’s useful for doing stuff,” Hokuto comments.

Hapi Mari News + Short Translation

I would like to thank you Rosamar3 for tipping me off on the new collaboration between Hapi Mari and wedding magazine Zexy.  The news and images are posted on PetitComic's own facebook webpage (which sometimes I forget exists after a while because I don't check regularly).  Anyways, the collaboration is essentially just a short booklet that comes with the magazine.  It has some original drawings in color and short comic strips that cannot be read anywhere else (or so it claims).  Judging from the title as it being a "support book to weddings", I think it also includes a checklist of wedding preparation stuff.  I may just run out to the bookstore to get it after the interview tomorrow!  It's across the street anyways.  I hope Kinokuniya still has the issue and that it wouldn't be marked up too much.  For those who are interested in purchasing online, you can find out more here.  Or you could just run to the local bookstore like I do.  Lastly, a small translation for my readers who've been patient about my lack of updates.  It's a message from the author on the Hapi Mari postcard you would get if you subscribed yearly to the magazine.

~Hapi Mari~

We’re finally at the last chapter.  Thank you for sticking to the series for the whole 3½ year run!  A lot of things happened for the characters during these 3½ years, but I’ve also experienced and thought about many things in the real world while drawing this, so the series was really meaningful to me.  The word “bonds” is used readily nowadays, but I would be happy if the reader can see how Chiwa and Hokuto’s “marriage” turns out.

Enjouji Maki

Off to interview preparation for tomorrow.  I think my jitters are coming back.

This month's cover and other rambling

OMG...is there a wedding in the last chapter?  Judging from the cover of this month's magazine on the left...and the monthly wallpaper available for download below, it seems highly likely!  I can't wait to read it!  Also, it seems that we'll be deprived of Enjouji-sensei's work until the October issue after Hapi Mari.  I wish she would do the side stories that other authors do for those small comics that comes attached with the magazine.  Sometimes I wonder if it's because she's such a big author that she can skip the short stories for the special furoku.  I remember buying the magazine just for her series...which seems kind of expensive (since Kinokuniya does mark up the magazine quite a bit over here).  I do flip through the other serializations, but the art doesn't really catch my eye.  Of course, art isn't everything, and sometimes the story is just so damn good that I read on anyways (ex. Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, which is BL btw).  But mostly I'm just a sucker for pretty pictures.  This month's cover looks so pretty, I may just buy the magazine even if I've already read it by the time it comes out here.

I apologize for the dearth of novel updates, something I hope to get to soon once the job-search craze is over.  But like always, I'll make a timely update for the last summary once I receive it.  Also, does anyone have good series to recommend?  Or just books in general?  I've read People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks lately, and it was amazing.  I bought it for a trip a while ago overseas to occupy myself during the plane ride...but since I brought like 7 books with me that time, I never got around to reading it.  I totally recommend this one though.  The writing is tight and concise, and the story is just magical.  It took me a while to get into it though.  I almost wanted to stop reading after the book suddenly switched stories (so it wasn't focusing on the main character anymore).  But I'm glad I didn't...and each successive story was more beautiful.  I took a look into Caleb's Crossing on Amazon...but I guess I'm still not ready for reading fiction that takes place in historic America.  American history has never really appealed to me for some reason, and the stories set in some period of it even less so.

I feel like I'm in college studying for exams again...

Meaning...I find every moment to procrastinate to keep myself from studying.  After hours of plowing through IP material (and I'm still in the middle of this one book), I still don't have a good grasp on it.  I've been reading through IP laws, IP valuation, intangible asset creation, IP laws in Japan, The Bayh-Dole Act, IP case studies in America, brand equity and IP relationships.   All these IP signs are floating in my mind, and I have to hurry and absorb and assimilate it by Monday to make it seem like I'm knowledgeable about IP and patents and rights for years and not just spewing out knowledge absorbed from reading nonstop about it for 3 days.  Ok, maybe 2 days...or 1 full day if I keep procrastinating like this.

I swear, all this job-hunting and preparing will have gained by 5 pounds by the time I'm done with it (and I hope to be done with it soon).  I have the tendency to eat nonstop while reading or studying anything remotely academic...and all of it is super fat food (like the 2lb bag of almonds I'm munching on right now).  Sometimes I wonder what I'm even doing.  I should really get back to reading soon; I have a feeling that if I go to sleep tonight, I'll dream about IP related stuff.  *shudders in horror*

So Mr. IP, you better get interesting fast and soon, and in a way simple enough for me to understand before I throw you out the door and head into the interview with absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.  I wish there were audio-books for these type of things.  Preferably done by a narrator who has a sexy voice...like Yusa Kouji or Hirakawa Daisuke.  Except they wouldn't be speaking to me in English, so that may be a problem since everything I'm reading about right now is so technical and difficult to understand already.  Ok, Hirakawa Daisuke lecturing it to me in English, even if it's in an adorkable Japanese accent...well, at least a girl can dream.  I think all seiyuu should start recording for textbooks.  It'll greatly enhance the learning process for students.  Imagine Luffy from One Piece reading to you!  Or Panda from Shirokuma Cafe.  Anyways, I guess I should stop writing this and go back to tackling IP.  Here I go!

Hapi Mari novel: Update 8

Not a terribly long update, but I figured it would be better for me to post it first instead of keeping it stuck in my computer for ages.  I had originally wanted to make sure it covered at least one chapter...but I guess it's not happening for a while since I'm stuck reading about IP valuation books for my next interview.  

Chirp, chirp, chirp—Ah, I can hear the twitters of the birds outside.  Is it already morning…?  I rub my half-closed eyes as I sluggishly get up.  The rays from the sun are so bright that they almost hurt my sleepy eyes.  Just what you would expect of the tropics.  I yawn and look at the neighboring bed to find it empty.  The sheets are messy, so Hokuto must have slept there last night.  The beds may have been twin-sized, but they were very wide.  I really wanted to sleep together with him.  I wonder where he went?  Perhaps the living room?  I move to get off the bed when I notice something out of place.

“..Eh?”

It’s my clothes.  Why am I wearing a bathrobe?  I’m sure this is the one the villa provided us with.  It’s amazingly comfortable, but why don’t I remember changing into it?  Wasn’t I wearing the new dress Hokuto bought for me…?  I begin to dig through my murky memories when I suddenly realize…I don’t remember any of it.  None of what happened after dinner…did I possibly…?

I run to the bathroom to look in the mirror.  Kyaa, my face!  My makeup has completely disintegrated, and I don’t know whether it’s because I rubbed my eyes earlier, but my mascara has turned runny and I look like a panda.  I knew it.  I didn’t take off my makeup nor showered before sleeping last night.  I remember all the events until drinking that delicious wine, so I must have been quite pissed after that.  Hnn?  That must mean Hokuto carried me back here and changed me out of the dress after.  I open my bathrobe to find that I’m wearing different underwear as well.

“Oh my god!”

I can’t believe I fell asleep in the middle of such a romantic evening!  And he even had to change my underwear for me!  Oh Hokuto, I wish you had slapped me awake instead of going all the way to do something so embarrassing.  I hate myself.  I instantly pale when his grumpy expression floats up to mind.  Did he get so exasperated by me that he went off somewhere by himself?

“Hokuto?!”

Hapi Mari Chapter 39 Spoiler

Ok, I'm totally not done with translating, but it's late and since I am probably going to post something of a similar length of a spoiler anyways, I decided to go ahead and do it first.  Again, I'll only send out the full summary to Minchi for bxsmanga, because she's the one who sends me the raws every month.  I respect her for all the hard work she has done, and I feel lucky being able to read it first hand (I'm predominantly a fan, a translator second).  I will finish translating summary tomorrow, so it may take a little longer for Minchi to update it.  Remember, no badgering her!

Picking up from the last chapter, Hokuto enters the Mamiya household to save Chiwa from being dragged out.  He smiles down at her shocked expression and says, “Sheez, you’re reckless as usual.  I didn’t think I would see you here.  I’m glad you’re as peppy as ever.”

The Mamiya relatives, especially grandpa, are stunned by Hokuto’s appearance while Chiwa continues to look at Hokuto in disbelief.  “Is that really him?” she thinks.

Souma, who has appeared by Hokuto’s side, explains, “I’ve received contact from Hokuto-sama a few days ago, but I was told to keep quiet since he doesn’t want anyone to interfere with the events today.”

Hokuto calmly begins, “Well then, I really had wanted to take this slowly, but if I can’t just go home without realizing my goal.  My goal of finally settling the problem I’ve struggled with for twenty years.  What Chiwa said just now was the truth.  I wanted to find my mother’s murderer by climbing to the very top of the company.  And what’s irritating was that investigating from the outside was actually more effective to finding the answer than from inside the Mamiya family.  If the mastermind behind this only ran my mother over twenty years ago, I probably wouldn’t have found out.  But thanks to her also going after me and Chiwa, I’ve finally singled the perpetrator out.  The person who plotted everything behind this is present right now, but I have no intention of naming her here.”

Chiwa listens intently, still confused by Hokuto’s appearance.

“What the hell!!  Don’t screw around!” angry cousin butts in.  “There’s probably no such person to begin with!  Isn’t that right?  Who do you think you are?”

Satoru and his wife are also worried that even Hokuto is spouting such nonsense.

“Is it money?  Do you want to threaten us?” angry cousin asks.

“Threaten?  You’re wrong, it’s simply business.  I’ve gambled everything to pin down the perpetrator.  You’ve also staked your everything and come this far, haven’t you?  You also have something you don’t want to lose, right?  It’s the same for me.  I don’t want to lose Chiwa.  That’s why I ask you to back off from us.  I just want to live a normal life with her,” Hokuto states.

To read more, please click here

It amazes me how Hokuto is always so straightforward and ready with his proclamations of love for Chiwa.  I want a husband like that!  Ok, obviously not the leave-me-alone-for-6-months-without-telling-me-where-the-hell-you're-going-after-you-just-promised-to-be-with-me-forever qualities, but everything else seems alright.  And for those who can't take the suspense, the villan is Satoru's mother.  If anyone wants to hammer Enjouji Maki for tying this murder mystery that spanned 39 chapters with such a flat climax, I'm totally with you.  When I skimmed through it, I was like, "WTF??? (*&#@KJHASKDH@)#"  I haven't read her explanations yet, but no matter how good they are, I don't think it justifies anything!  Certainly not 39 chapters of angst all for a stupid unknown, unnamed villan!  

Just got HM raws

Report start.

Villan revealed? Check.
Ring? Check.
Proposal? Check.
Hot reunion sex? Check.

I am definitely going to squeeze the translations/summary into my schedule today after skimming them. Villan was a bit anti-climatic, but whatever. I can only tell you it's not Souma (thank goodness) or grandpa. Just someone we really haven't gotten to know or heard about in the big Mamiya family. Oh, and Hokuto changes his last name back to Miura...hmm Miura Hokuto...doesn't really stick right now, but I guess when I re-read the manga for the 50th time in the future, it might start to sound natural. The author also said that in the last chapter, the thing we (the readers) have been longing for will make an appearance...I wonder what that could be? Marriage ceremony? (I mean, its title IS Hapi Mari.). それとも...赤ちゃん？？？. Cannot wait for the great big sappy ending to tie up all the ends; the cheesy ones where everyone gets a happy ending and is all smiles and makes the viewer just feel like hugging a huge teddy bear with a sigh of relief. Oh come on, you know you want it too.

Report end.

Baby? Probably coming on the way.

News Update

I know I've been bad at updating lately... the aliens have infiltrated my life and taken over, my puppy demands that I spend an inordinate amount of time playing with him (ok, he's 11, so not really a puppy but that's what I call him anyways) and the evil documents known as resume and cover letters are killing me. How do people even write these things? I would rather write a 20 page exogesis disseminating the relationships of God and John that can be extracted from only two sentences in a passage rather than pen one word of any sentence in a resume or cover letter (and I'm not religious, so that's saying a lot. Exogesis papers are absolutely torturous too, I regretted taking that class. The professor should totally have written "Needs to read the Bible and a whole lot of other boring critiques" in the course description, not just "examine aspects of love in literature". Examine aspects of love, my ass). Anyhow back to what everyone wants to know. WHERE ARE THE NOVEL UPDATES? Soon, and I promise to do the chapter summaries on schedule, usually in two to three days after I receive the raws.

Hapi Mari is ending the issue after the one that just came out (on my birthday too!) and it will become the main cover page. I've never seen a series on the magazine cover twice in a year between such short periods of time... ok, maybe shonen jump or something, but that doesn't really count. Meanwhile I'll go back to tackling the evil monsters known as resume and cover letter as I listen to my new Honeymoon CD (Yusa Kouji, yum yum) and hopefully make one novel update before the end of the week.

Love,
whisperpuppies

Hapi Mari Video: Part 3

This is the last video to the promotional series, and so far there has been no word as to whether it will become a drama cd or not.  I haven't had time to work on the novel yet, but since these clips are so short and quick to do, I figure I might as well get it out of the way before people start asking.  Anyways, please enjoy.

If you've missed any of the beginning, the videos are also in my channel.

Part 1

Part 2

Hapi Mari Video: Part 2

Was it only me who was obsessively clicking on petitcomi's channel to check for the second part of Hapi Mari after knowing it would be out on April 17th, Japan time?  I think I checked at least ten times that day, and I'm positive that they're a day late...tsk tsk.  I think the first video was more fun to watch, but I liked this one too.  Anything is okay as long as I can hear Inoue Kazuhiko's sexy voice, haha.  I still hope that they make a drama cd out of this.  It's too much of a waste if they don't, since they had already asked such famous seiyuu to voice these shorts.  I have one note on translation.  In the beginning, Chiwa says, "Kurai, kurai Hokuto no yami."  It literally means, Hokuto's darkness/blackness is very dark, but you know, that doesn't really make sense in English, so I took the liberty to change it to Hokuto's past is dark.  Disclaimer again: I don't own any part of the following video except for my English translation.  All parts of it belong to its original uploader and publisher Petit Comic and other related parties.

I hope you have as much fun watching this as I had fun subbing this.

Hapi Mari Chapter 38 update

As always, because I'm the first one with the summary, I'll post a spoiler and include a link to the full one when Minchi has the time to post it up as well.  For the reasons mentioned on previous posts, I'll not put the whole thing up since Minchi and Shmook have always been kind enough to send me the raws, saving me a trip to the bookstore.  The full summary should be read on bxsmanga, and I want to be respectful to Minchi as well.  She's a very busy person, so please do not pressure her to update!  I love posting spoilers for my readers, but if people badger her, I'll have to stop...and I really don't want to do that.  Anyways, enjoy~~

The cheeky doctor makes his entrance once again in this chapter.  Chiwa mopes at the beginning, mopes a little more in the middle, mopes until page 40 probably  and thankfully stops to gather the courage to confront the murderer issue herself before I throw the chapter down in frustration. (Ok, not throw, since I’m reading on a screen.) Harsh words are exchanged, angry cousins throw more tantrums, and in the end…a special person appears?  On with the summary!

Hokuto has disappeared from Chiwa’s life ever since leaving that morning.  Meanwhile Chiwa is back at her own home, scolding her father for not waking up despite it being the middle of the day.

“Don’t you have work?” he asks.

“Hmm, the company told me to rest since it seems I was going through a tough time.  Guess they’ve caught me out.  Everyone’s concerned,” Chiwa says sheepishly.

“Chiwa…” her father begins with a worried look on his face.

“Hm, what?” she flips around with a smile.

“Nevermind, it’s nothing,” he says.

“You sure?  Well since I’m free anyways, I’m going to weed the garden,” Chiwa replies.

Hapi Mari Video: Part 1

First off, I would like to thank Pandaranda for sharing this wonderful wonderful video with me from Petit Comic.  I never even knew they had a channel!  And once I watched it, I couldn't stop clicking the button on youtube.  Hokuto is voiced by Inoue Kazuhiko and Chiwa by Takayama Minami.  Both are relatively famous seiyuu, and gosh, Inoue Kazuhiko is one of my favorites!  His voice is so deep and smooth, yum yum.  Takayama Minami voices Conan from Detective Conan (absolutely a must-watch for mystery lovers).  I couldn't recognize it at first because I've never heard her voice such a girly role, or rather, I've never heard her from anything else besides Conan.  And by the time I've clicked repeat for the fifth time, I know I needed to sub it.  My urge to sub was just too great, despite all the other stuff I had to do...and tadaa!  Disclaimer again: I don't own any part of the video except for my English translation.  All of it belongs to its respective uploader/publisher petitcomic and other parties.

 Here it is!  It says the next short clip will become available on April 17th, so look forward to it!  Please enjoy!  I really hope they make a drama CD out of this.  I mean, they did one for Yoru Cafe, didn't they?  And that was only a short 3 volumes.  *cross my fingers for Inoue Kazuhiko agreeing to voice this*   Also...I've received the raws for the next chapter, so I'll get to them as soon as I can.

Hapi Mari 9th volume

The new cover is out on Petit's website for the ninth volume!  I swear, each successive cover looks sweeter and sweeter, although I would have to say that this is better suited for the novelized version.  The flowers in the bottom left corner look very tropical, perfect for that summer holiday feel of our favorite couple's island vacation.  I can't wait until it becomes available in Kinokuniya over here...I always find myself checking the bookstore's website when I know it probably won't be online in stock until one week after the release date, but hey a girl can hope.  Petit's website also says there's 2 more chapters until the climax for the next issue available in May.  Hmm...I wonder what that means?  Are we actually going to have 41 chapters?

I'm also thinking of whether I should ask for someone to edit my summaries.  Usually I'm too excited to share it once I've finished writing though, and my editor would have to be a really diligent and patient person who can bear with my antics at hurrying them to finish.  So now, I'm hoping really just for my readers to suggest places that can be changed if they catch any.  I am a native English speaker, but I always have moments where I know exactly what that word means, but there's no exact English translation for it to capture the same feel.  Ah, the inefficiencies of the English language... I already have plans to re-edit the whole document at the end to make it flow smoother for the pdf when I finally finish translating.  Yup, you heard right~  I love reading stories in one go really, so I've found myself copying and pasting completed fanfiction into one document like a nerd, saving it into a pdf, and importing it into my ipad so I can re-read things whenever I feel like it.  So I'll make a pdf complete with pictures (at the right places instead of just at the beginning of an update post) at the end.

We're going to be at the half point in the novel in roughly 20 pages (so probably 2 more updates since each chapter is about 10+ pages).  And it'll be back to Chiwa's point of view~  I haven't skimmed further than that to see if we see more of Hokuto's perspective (which, though harder to translate, is very refreshing).  The author considerably switches up her writing style, and it's more mature than Chiwa's thought processes.  I found that she's actually novelized for quite a few titles, including Bokura ga ita and Kyou koi ga hajimemasu.. I've never read either, but I've heard or seen the titles quite often in passing.

Enough blabbing, I wish everyone a Happy Easter!  (For those who celebrate, or just a super weekend~)   

      

Hapi Mari novel: Update 7

Surprise post!!  This only covers Hokuto's point of view, as the next chapter will be way longer than this.  I hope you have fun reading!


“Geez, what a troublesome wife you are,” I mutter as I lay Chiwa down on the canopy bed.  Chiwa looks as angelic as a child, breathing softly as she sleeps.  Does she usually pass out like this after drinking?  I take the small bottle of bourbon from the minibar and sit down on the neighboring bed.  As I down the drink, I look at Chiwa with an unexplained sense of reproach.  The streams of moonlight that steal into the room illuminate her openly outstretched limbs.  Her disheveled hair caresses her delicate collarbone and tangles with the necklace I gave her, flowing down to her gently rising and falling chest.  Her skin is tinged the lightest of pinks, her lips barely parted.  Whenever the curtains of the canopy ripple back and forth, her appearance wavers as if she was nothing but an apparition.

Hapi Mari novel: Update 6

After enjoying ourselves at the pool and taking an afternoon nap, we got ready for an early dinner.  It was possible for us to have dinner outside the villa, but we were persuaded by the staff to dine inside the hotel restaurant because of its spectacular view.  Since it was supposed to be a chic place, I changed into the classy dress Hokuto bought for me earlier that day.  I feel that I’ve become quite the lady when my dress flutters in the wind making the shades of pink and white lap and blend together.  Being the killjoy as usual, Hokuto says,

“You look like you slimmed down from exercising in the pool.”

“Don’t say things that ruin the mood.”

Hapi Mari: Chapter 37 update

Phew, just finished translating and proofread it and sent it to Minchi.  As always, a short spoiler for my readers who have been so nice and patient about updates.  For the same reasons mentioned on the last spoiler on chapter 36, I cannot post the entire summary (really more like a translation because I translate 99% of the text in the chapter every time) here.  I still believe it should be something that should be exclusive to Minchi's website because she's been so nice to provide me with the scans and save me a trip to the bookstore every month.  Lastly, please don't badger her with requests to post straight away.  She too has a busy life to tend to before updates, and I would appreciate it if you respected that too.  Will update with link to full summary later.  On with the spoiler then!

Chiwa takes a shallow knife wound in the arm for Hokuto and spills blood instead.  The disgruntled mugger runs away, having been unable to touch the real target.  Stunned, Hokuto holds onto Chiwa.  The events take him back to his mother’s accident and he drops to the floor with Chiwa.  They’re transported to the hospital later. 

The next day the police visits for a brief round of questions.  Chiwa has but taken a slight wound, and there doesn’t seem to be any negative prognostic symptoms, although she did have stitches.  After the detectives leave, Chiwa asks Hokuto what he would like to eat for lunch.  Since she was advised to rest at home, she suggests it’s probably better to take out delivery.  Hokuto doesn’t answer and spaces out, always back to his mother’s accident.  He blames himself for not being able to protect Chiwa, just like he wasn’t able to protect his mother.  Chiwa calls out once more.

“Hokuto!  I just want to say this.  Even if I’m injured now, I’ve never for once thought that it would have been better if he stabbed you.  I jumped out in front of you because I wanted to.  If I hadn’t, I would have blamed myself.  Anyways, let’s have lunch.  You have to go to work in the afternoon soon, right?”

Hokuto leans over Chiwa and takes her into his arms.

“I’ll never forgive myself, for letting you get injured by the likes of that guy.  I’ll never…”


To read more, please click here

東方神起 'STILL' Translation

It's been a while since I've listened properly to Tohoshinki's new songs more than once (so that they actually stick and I remember how to sing them, even without listening to the song).  I used to buy all their singles and albums, even if all of the songs were mostly repeats, and even if I already had them in my computer.  I still love them, but their recent album "Tone" wasn't spectacular, so I had let go of my chance to buy it when I was still in Japan.  Winter Rose was also not memorable, but recently I've listened to their new single "STILL".  While it will never beat "Stand By U", my absolute favorite of all time (mostly because all five of them sung it), it was a nice song to listen to.  I'm pretty sure the lyrics have been translated already and probably a lot of times, but I feel like putting up my own version up anyways because they sound so pretty in Japanese.

Go check their new song out if you've never listened to them before~  I guarantee you'll fall in love, especially with their older compositions and acapella versions.  Avex still doesn't have the full version out yet though.

Disclaimer: I only own my English translation of the song~

Translation

We were smiling so sweetly inside this photo
Never knowing that this day would come, we had even chosen the same tea
The terrace hasn't changed, and today
It still brings back fond memories
I'm crying once again because of you

Ask me out again, smile once more
If we can ever meet again in this place
I want to hold your hand and promise, that's right...

I cannot hear your voice nor call out your name
If I can at least meet you in my dreams
I will hold you tightly in my arms
But I cannot see you
Nor can I tell you that I love you
I was in a maddeningly sad, heartrending love

Ah...all I can do is cry
Ah...heartrending...heartrending love

Anyone else would be fine if I only wanted to cheat loneliness
But I always saw your shadows and became even lonelier
Someday I would turn around this corner
And find you before my eyes
That's the miracle I dream of

It can be by chance or necessity
If I can meet you on this road
I'll grab your hand and steal you away, that's right...

I want to lean on your shoulders, I want to gaze at you
If I can at least meet you in my dreams
I will properly kiss you
I will never forget you, I'll always stay the same
I was in a painfully tender, heartrending love

Hey, what are you doing now?
Are you happy?  no no no no no no
You are still staying forever in my heart
Even now...in my heart...in my heart

I want to hold your hand and vow "I love you"...

I cannot hear your voice nor call out your name
If I can at least meet you in my dreams
I will hold you tightly in my arms
But I cannot see you
Nor can I tell you that I love you
I was in a maddeningly sad, heartrending love

Ah...all I can do is cry
Ah...heartrending...heartrending love

I want you to stay in my heart
I need your love that brings tears to my eyes

Hapi Mari novel: Update 5

The villa we were escorted to lies in the deepest parts of the island.  Surrounded by the tropic lush greens, the two story building is constructed similarly to the entrance, with wooden pillars and stone steps.  It looks like a polished abode out of a tourism magazine.  I run up the steps and open the door, where a spacious interior welcomes me.  A table set rests in the middle of the vaulted open living room, decorated with a distinctive table cloth and a vase of sophisticated flowers. 

Hapi Mari Novel: Update 4

The place that Hokuto brings me to is an avenue that cuts through the heart of the island.  Designer shops line both sides of the road, making me feel as if I were in Beverly Hills.  There seems to be a lot of foreign tourists milling about.  While walking with Hokuto, I looked about my surroundings, only to find them devoid of local flavour.  The palm trees that set off against the blue skies seem exotic, but the ambience and names of the shops are those that I often see in Japan.  Though having said that, they are not shops that I frequent.  Seeing how I don't enter the shops, Hokuto gazes down at me curiously.

"What's wrong?"

A small favor

Hey guys,

I would like to thank you all for being such supportive and patient readers and visiting here at all.  I completely lost it the other day because...well, some bad things happened, but now it's been fixed.  I know that the majority of you are not like that.  Anyways, I just wanted to ask a favor.  I've realized that a lot of you comment as Anonymous, and I know that it's your choice.  But could you put a name/nickname next time you comment (you don't have to put in an url)? I just want to get to know who my regular visitors are, and it helps me to reply better too...since anonymous 1 and anonymous 2 may be very well the same person.  I know it's troublesome to sign into one account or another when I want to comment on someone else's blog too, which is why I've left my commenting options the most open.  Anyways, I would like to thank you once more again and I think you can expect to see the next update early next week.

-whisperpuppies  

Hapi Mari novel: Update 3

Phew, this is a refreshing change from the current storyline.  At least, that's how I feel.  No mysterious Mamiya family secrets, no strangely clothed men roaming the streets to stab Chiwa or Hokuto, just a dazzling day spent on a touristy island somewhere for vacation...anyways, on with the story!

Hokuto!

I'm so preplexed by his appearance I've momentarily gone mute.  Am I seeing a hallucination because of the heat?  Or is it because of the uneasiness of being by myself?  I rub my eyes and pinch my cheeks once more.

Once I've confirmed that the man before me still hasn't disappeared yet, I meekly call out.

"Hokuto...?"

"Who else would it be!  Don't tell me you don't recognize your husband's face!"

"How mean."

The horrible attitude towards his wife.  No doubt, it's Hokuto alright.  But...

"Why are you here, Hokuto?"

"Why are you here?"

Updated Chapter 36

Super short teaser for my readers~  I just sent the huge summary to Minchi, and she'll probably post it as soon as she gets it.  I wish I could include it all here, but since the scans are not mine, I'm obliged to respect it as something that should be made exclusive on her website.  Having said that, I'll re-edit and include a link to her page once she has it up.  I will also try to update the novel as soon as I can.

The chapter opens with Chiwa sitting on the couch reading Seiji's letter.  The contents of the letter are not fully revealed yet, but Seiji apologizes for pushing everything onto Chiwa out of selfishness.  What is revealed is that Hokuto's mother died covering for Hokuto, and that Seiji was unable to tell Hokuto the truth, since Hokuto will blame himself.  When Chiwa is about to disclose (to the readers) what will hurt Hokuto more than the fact that his mother was protecting him, she is interrupted by Hokuto's return.


H: It's so cold!  Even though it was sunny this afternoon...

C: Welcome back.  Finished with everything?

H: Yea.  Did anything happen during the day?

C: Not really...

Chiwa cannot bring herself to tell him about the letter, and decides never to.

H: By the way, we'll be going to the Mamiya house soon.

C: Eh?

H: The new year's party was canceled, right?  It's going to be a family meeting instead.  But don't worry, just relax.

To read the rest, click here

Cheers,
whisperpuppies

Hapi Mari novel: Update 2!

Without waiting for my reply, he untied the ribbon with his long fingers.  Resting inside the Christmas wrapping is a simple leather cellphone strap.  Everything Hokuto owns is outrageously expensive, so I figured that I'm relatively limited to what I can give.  However I don't think this is a bad gift.  It's not, right?  Or is it?

"Oh, it's nice."

At his words, I finally sigh in relief.  It took me quite a while to find this.  Hokuto isn't the type to call or send messages frequently, but I hope he will think of me when he sees the strap hanging on his phone.  And it'll be nice too if he calls me more because of this.  I suppose you can say I have an ulterior motive.

"I haven't picked out your present yet..."

"Nope, it's all right.  It'll count if you say you love me," I half-joke, expecting him to ignore me.

"I love you," Hokuto says in a serious voice, causing me to drop the fork I had just picked up.  My heart skipped a beat, and I'm faintly aware that my face is turning red.  Unwavering, Hokuto looks deep into my eyes and repeats, "I love you, Chiwa."

News: New series?

Not a novel update...but I just read that Enjouji Maki has a new series planned starting on the October issue of Petit Comic!  Which means Hapi Mari will probably end soon, up to chapter 42 if the author continues serializing it for each month.  Or up to chapter 40, if they're looking for a round number to each tankobon.  Personally I hope it continues to 42 because the art is so pretty, though the story is not as exciting as it was.  And that she'll just add some side stories to that last volume at the end.

I've already started translating the next part, but I want to try to go until the first illustration in the novel appears so that I can post that up here as well.  Also I haven't checked if Aerandria, the group currently scanlating the Hapi Mari, will post the extra two chapters that had appeared in Petit Comic Extra issues.  They're really short, I think like 4-5 pages each that weren't in the normal monthly issues but in the extra monthly issues (which are really thick).  They didn't appear in the normal tankobon, but they're at the back of my novel.  Maybe the publishers will include it in the future issues of the volumes?  Anyways, if Aerandria doesn't pick it up when the series is close to finishing, I'll post a short summary up here.  I can't do scanlations because I don't have the expertise to do typesetting, clearing the page, etc. etc. (All those people out there who do know are so awesome!)  I also don't debind books, so I can't give clean pretty scans either.  Anyways, they're shorts about Hokuto interacting with a cat and Chiwa interacting with a dog, your run-of-the-mill cute fluffy stuff.

I've been blabbing for too long...have to go back to translating~

-whisperpuppies  

Hapi Mari novel: Update 1 1/2!

In contrast to myself, Hokuto is, as usual, in business attire.  He's dressed in a custom-tailored suit with an expensive necktie, his smart black hair neatly parted to the right.  With a defined nose bridge set between immaculate eyebrows and eyes so cold that they look almost cruel, he's undisputably a handsome man.  But handsome isn't entirely the correct word.  He projects more of a flawless mature image.  Hokuto brushes the paper bits off his hair and briskly goes to his room.

"I'm going to change."

"...Then should I change as well?"

Absently, I sigh at his blunt attitude.  Upon hearing it, Hokuto stops and turns around.

"Why?"

"Well..."

"You dressed up for me, right?  If so, you can't change out of it without my permission."

Hapi Mari novel: Translation teaser (Update 1)

Written by Takase Yunoka           
Originally by Enjouji Maki


"No way, it's this late already?"

 Looking at the clock in the kitchen, I hurriedly took off my favorite apron.  Hokuto's going to be back soon.  Even though it's Sunday, he has to work from morning to evening.  But tonight he can finally have dinner at home.  He's always so busy.  Ahh...my apologies.  My name is Mamiya Chiwa, and I'm a super ordinary OL (office lady).  I've been married for two years now.

Hokuto is my beloved husband.  He's five years older than me, and is the president of Mamiya Business Affairs of the Mamiya Group, one of Japan's leading companies.  Before I switched jobs, I worked in the same company, so I know of his talent better than others.  Ever since he became president, company performance has been skyrocketing.  He's even been published in financial editorials.  So how did I get married to such a person?  Like a Cinderella story, he fell in love with me at first sight....not.  There were actually some special circumstances that brought us together.

Slight update

Hey guys, thanks for all the feedback.  It seems quite a bit of people would like to read it, so I'll make my first post in the next 3 days.  It'll be plain text though, and I won't be scanning any of it since...well, that's what the translation is for, isn't it?  And I don't like bending my books to put them in the scanner (I'm super careful with all my books).  There are only a few loose drawings scattered throughout, so when it gets to that part, I guess I'll take a picture?

Anyways, it'll be coming soon.  I don't know how long the first post will be (since I haven't checked how many chapters there are and how long each one is...), but please look forward to it.

~whisperpuppies

Hapi Mari novel

As many of you know...well, at least those who follow bxsmanga for updates, I summarize hapi mari. I've recently gotten my hands on the novel, which is written by another author, but I think it has input from Enjouji Maki. So what I want to know is whether it is worth translating. Mind you guys, this is a novel, and not manga, so it is text-laden. I want to know how many people are interested in this first. If there's enough comments back, I may start translating. If not, well, I'll just skim through the novel and post a small synopsis (more detailed than the summaries on the back of books of course). It takes a lot of work and time to translate...and I'm not going to post the whole thing at once. Think more along the lines of summaries and that length. I'm not sure I can make any timely commitments too...it all depends on my schedule. I would like to make the postings available here only too.

With that said, please drop a few words if you're interested.

Thanks,

whisperpuppies