Japanese Light Novel Book Club discussion
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No Game No Life, Vol. 1
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No Game No Life, Vol. 1 Group Read
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Selena wrote: "I'll post a proper reading schedule once my copy comes in from the library. :) Sorry for the delay, guys"No worries. Delays happen.
By the way, I can still comment even though I've already read and reviewed this volume, right?
Nek0 Neha wrote: "Totally, just make sure to tag your spoilers. :)""I'll try to be as spoiler free has possible, but I'll make sure to tag any spoilers that I do have.
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Has anyone started reading this now that the dates have been selected? What do you all think of it so far?
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I can see why there are complaints about the writing style. So far, it works for me, since I'm not sure I can picture this being written like a normal novel.
I liked the urban legends explanations.
Cindy III wrote: "I liked the urban legends explanations."I do think the explanation of urban legends is well done. I had some trouble with most of the writing, but I still find the story itself enjoyable.
I think what I enjoy the most about this series are the characters. Shiro and Sora are probably the most eccentrics characters I've ever read about. They're crazy. That said, the writing itself is off-putting to me. I feel like there's a lot of incomplete sentences, and that's annoying.
Brandon wrote: "I think what I enjoy the most about this series are the characters. Shiro and Sora are probably the most eccentrics characters I've ever read about. They're crazy. That said, the writing itself is ..."It's probably because this is the author's first novel after years of being a mangaka...?
It could also be that the Japanese punctuation was kept. It can distract when a sentence ends in a fragment. Mostly I'm trying to ignore it or change it so it makes sense in my mind. Sometimes I do have to reread to understand.Don't know if I like the characters yet because I have only read the prologue. However, I found myself identifying with them as a fellow outsider. Not as being too smart or great video game player or even reading peoples intentions just that I'm shy when I first meet people.
Shelly wrote: "It's probably because this is the author's first novel after years of being a mangaka...? "I didn't know this. Do you know what manga he's created or worked on?
Cindy III wrote: "It could also be that the Japanese punctuation was kept. It can distract when a sentence ends in a fragment. Mostly I'm trying to ignore it or change it so it makes sense in my mind. Sometimes I do..."I actually want to try reading it in Japanese, but I can't buy a copy right now, and my Japanese is still not that good.
Brandon wrote: "Shelly wrote: "It's probably because this is the author's first novel after years of being a mangaka...? "
I didn't know this. Do you know what manga he's created or worked on?"
Greed Packet Unlimited and E.A.r.T.h, and according to the afterword in this book, he did say that he stopped because of health-related issues.
Shelly wrote: "Greed Packet Unlimited and E.A.r.T.h, and according to the afterword in this book, he did say that he stopped because of health-related issues."That probably means they're not finished, huh? Well, I might look them up. I'm curious to see what kinds of manga he's created.
Nek0 Neha wrote: "I agree, they are definitely eccentric and nuts; that's what makes them so appealing to me as well."
That's what I like about them, too. And yeah, the choppiness of the sentences makes it hard to focus. I think if they reserved those choppy, incomplete sentences for specific moments, such as during intense action sequences where the story would benefit from choppiness, it could be fine. However, almost every paragraph in this volume is like that.
Still, I can't deny that the story is really interesting. I know the "sent to another world" has been done a lot, but the idea of a world in which everything is settled through games is really intriguing. I also like how that affects even politics.
Does anyone else find the idea of a world where everything is resolved through games intriguing?
Nek0 Neha wrote: "One of the parts that I really love about it is that the games are always different, and occasionally they are things that I never would have thought of."I think I really like how unusually educational this is. I've heard of a lot of these games, but the way they're described in here makes me realize that there is more to them than I thought possible. I also like how Blank goes about winning the games. While some of it is really out there, I feel like some of their methods could be applied to real games.
Brandon wrote: "Does anyone else find the idea of a world where everything is resolved through games intriguing?"I think it's pretty nice since violence is actually prohibited in that world. You don't have to worry about theft and and other crimes, so it's a safe world. It makes you wish the real world was like this.
Shelly wrote: "I think it's pretty nice since violence is actually prohibited in that world. You don't have to worry about theft and and other crimes, so it's a safe world. It makes you wish the real world was like this. "I don't know if I would call this world safe. I mean, people can't kill you, but your life is now decided by games. Your land, your money, your body, all of it could become the property of someone else if you bet it and lost. Actually, if you bet your existence on a game and lost, then whoever owned your existence would be able to erase you as if you had never existed. The difference is that your essentially gambling your life yourself instead of someone committing random acts of violence on you.
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Jokes aside, yeah, I think this would be a horrifying world to live it when you think about it, especially if you're human.
Brandon wrote: "Shelly wrote: "I think it's pretty nice since violence is actually prohibited in that world. You don't have to worry about theft and and other crimes, so it's a safe world. It makes you wish the re..."Well, there's that. But at the very least, you would know what's coming and you have a chance of redeeming yourself, unless you really suck at games.
Selena wrote: "I would challenge everyone to Pokemon Puzzle League or DDR and be rich. 8-)Jokes aside, yeah, I think this would be a horrifying world to live it when you think about it, especially if you're human."
I think so, too. It's an intriguing concept, but unless you excel at numerous games, you're probably not going to get anywhere. You'd have to be like Shiro and Sora to make it in that world.
Shelly wrote: "Well, there's that. But at the very least, you would know what's coming and you have a chance of redeeming yourself, unless you really suck at games. "
Not always. I can't give much away because of spoilers, but if you were to give away your rights as a sentient being in a game, you'd essentially become property. You wouldn't even be considered an exceed, and since you're no longer exceed, you don't have any rights. That means you can't play a game unless your master allowed it. Even then, you don't fall under the rules of the covenant. Your master, if they desired, could kill you because you no longer have any rights. When thought in that light, this world is actually pretty horrifying.
Of course, most people aren't going to bet their rights as a human being, or an exceed, so it's not like this would happen often. I'm mostly being hypothetical.
Brandon wrote: "Selena wrote: "I would challenge everyone to Pokemon Puzzle League or DDR and be rich. 8-)Jokes aside, yeah, I think this would be a horrifying world to live it when you think about it, especiall..."
I don't know if this is considered a spoiler, but aren't the rules limited when it comes to fulfilling things like that? I still don't have a clear understanding on its limitations.
Shelly wrote: I don't know if this is considered a spoiler, but aren't the rules limited when it comes to fulfilling things like that? I still don't have a clear understanding on its limitations."Don't know if you've seen the anime, but in episode 1, Sora bets the livelihood of himself and his sister. Since the game was played, this implies that it's not against the rules. I think that, since Sora was the one who made that bet, the 10 covenants accepted it and allowed it to happen. If Sora had lost, then he and his sister would have become slaves, their very rights stripped of them. The 10 covenants would not have protected them from that.
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3. In games, each player will bet something that they agree is of equal value.
4. As long as it doesn't violate pledge three, anything may be bet, and any game may be played.
Basically, if both parties agree your life is worth 20 gold pieces, then your life is worth 20 gold pieces.
Selena wrote: "The anime made the rules a lot more clear early on:3. In games, each player will bet something that they agree is of equal value.
4. As long as it doesn't violate pledge three, anything may be be..."
Brandon wrote: "Shelly wrote: I don't know if this is considered a spoiler, but aren't the rules limited when it comes to fulfilling things like that? I still don't have a clear understanding on its limitations."
..."
I still have not watched the anime, but thanks for the explanations.
Selena did a much better job of explaining than me.
Hello. I borrowed a copy (a Japanese version) and finished the chapter 3.I am interested to hear you all were talking about choppy sentences. As a Japanese, I feel that the book has many choppy sentences than other books but do not feel strange.
I think if our world were like this book, at least people would not be killed suddenly by terrorists. A little safe than the actual world.
Fanta wrote: "Hello. I borrowed a copy (a Japanese version) and finished the chapter 3.I am interested to hear you all were talking about choppy sentences. As a Japanese, I feel that the book has many choppy se..."
I think choppy sentences might flow more smoothly when they're written in kanji. Don't quote me on this, though. I can only read a little bit of kanji.
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OK, I don't quote you guys but think you guys are right.Well, how were they chopped in English for example? Does it have just its subject? Does it have its subordinate clause alone?
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Well, how were they chopped in English for example? Does it have just its subject? Does it have its subordinate clause alone?"
They mostly have complete sentences, but they tend to be very short, choppy, or simplified. What stands out more to me is that a lot of paragraphs start out with a dash, making it seem more like an aside than a part of the story.
The ones that are cut short have dashes in them as well. Like, "What he wanted---." is the whole sentence.
This book strikes me as a lot like the stream of consciousness stuff I had to read in high school, but grammatically reversed. Those had endless run-on sentences, whereas this one has short, staccato phrases and paragraphs.
Fanta wrote: "OK, I don't quote you guys but think you guys are right.Well, how were they chopped in English for example? Does it have just its subject? Does it have its subordinate clause alone?"
There's also a lot of one word sentences. Those aren't so bad when used in moderation, but there are more than usual. Some of the paragraphs also felt like a single sentence that was broken into multiple fragments like: "Shiro stood there. Arms crossed. Knowing that he was awesome."
This is an easier to read method of the choppy writing in the English version. Oddly enough, as much as the English bothered me, I still really enjoyed the light novel. It was a very entertaining story.
When I heard examples you two gave, they seem to be translated literally. I wonder if the translator felt strange. Did he try to bring a tone of Japanese version? I think it's difficult because Japanese and English are very different.As for the chess battle, I enjoyed how the story goes while I was reading at first, but come to think of it, I feel like Sora and Shiro were too lucky. Sora gave a Shogi (Japanese chess) example, though, I think an amateur definitely wins even the strongest professional who has just pawns (歩, fu) and a king (王, ou).
When they met a really strong player, this series would be the most interesting.
I've been reading ahead, (view spoiler)Has anyone else finished this volume? If so, what did you think about it?
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I really liked that Shiro was able to learn the language so quickly. She seriously is a savant of some kind.
Shiro is pretty awesome. I like how half of the crazy stuff Blank does is her idea and not just Sora's. It gives her a strong presence.
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Agreed. She's quiet, but that doesn't mean she can't be zany as well. If anything, the crazy stuff is even more off the wall when it comes from her because it's unexpected.
Selena wrote: "BAgreed. She's quiet, but that doesn't mean she can't be zany as well. If anything, the crazy stuff is even more off the wall when it comes from her because it's unexpected."Since you've seen the anime, I don't have to worry about spoilers as much. Volume 2 is when she does really crazy stuff.
Brandon wrote: "Has anyone else finished this volume? If so, what did you think about it?"I'm in the end of chapter 3. What I felt is that the story looks like manga. Stephany (Stefany?) often knocks on a wall with her head. I think it's very manga-wise description, so those who haven't seen such description on manga (especially gag manga) might not understand why she does.
I finished.To be honest, I think the book has many dirty jokes.
I like the weak challenge the strong.
Fanta wrote: "I finished.To be honest, I think the book has many dirty jokes.
I like the weak challenge the strong."
The dirty jokes are even more prevalent in later volumes.
Brandon wrote: "The dirty jokes are even more prevalent in later volumes."I feel like the author quite enjoys writing them while I think sexual jokes may be the publisher's policy. In Japan, MF Bunko publishes these series, which is said to be famous for moe and erotic. (Looking at the publisher's homepage, I feel so.)
I think Sora and Shiro would go well even in the real world. They wouldn't admit their defeat even if it were a crappy game.
Fanta wrote: "Brandon wrote: "I think Sora and Shiro would go well even in the real world. They wouldn't admit their defeat even if it were a crappy game. "I don't know. Sora and Shiro are NEETs, and they don't do well in crowds. I don't think they'd survive in the real world.
Brandon wrote: "Sora and Shiro are NEETs, and they don't do well in crowds. I don't think they'd survive in the real world. "I don't think it's different between people in the real world and in another world. Both Sora and Shiro were courageous in public at the chess battle and in front of ministers. They have high abilities. I think they are alright when they're together.
They were proud of having won games. They didn't allow them to lose. They called the real life a crappy game, but I feel they wouldn't make excuses something like, "We lost the game because it's crappy." I meant they'd go well if they saw also the real life as a game they must win.
Discuss No Game No Life Volume 1 here!
Reading Schedule
5/1-5/14: Prologue & Chapter 1
5/15-5/28: Chapters 2 & 3
5/29-6/4: Chapter 4 & Epilogue