Kodomo wa Wakatte Agenai

Dex-chan lover
Joined
Jan 21, 2018
Messages
1,990
Everyone should read this. Highly recommended. Translation quality is excellent.
 
Group Leader
Joined
Jan 28, 2018
Messages
66
Really nice read. And so is the interview at the end. I guess interesting people do write interesting manga.
 
Fed-Kun's army
Joined
Sep 6, 2018
Messages
155
I can't believe how good this translation work is. I really don't know what to say except thanks for all the hard work.

A great, unique, touching manga. I'll definitely read more from this author. And from now on I'll check out anything translated by One Snowshoe, too.
 
Dex-chan lover
Joined
Dec 5, 2018
Messages
4,786
Great read, I love calms and serene stories like these, especially which feel realistic but not boring, characters are likeable, the artstyle is something I like, translation work was excellent. I especially liked the sibling banter among the two cast members, rarely do you see realistic sibling talk in manga. 10/10 for me.
 
Joined
Jan 19, 2020
Messages
39
This is the first manga I have given a 10/10 on this site. Wow, I think this is great.

The pacing is strong, the characters are well-developed, the relationships are grounded, the plot is interesting, and the art is clean and clear.

It came as no surprise to me when the author explains (in an interview) that she drafted all 20 chapters in advance before publishing. Character development is grounded and continuous, and plot details utilized early on remain relevant until the end. That self-consistency is already a major accomplishment that is lost on massive, 100+ chapter serialized manga. In this way the author rewards the reader for paying attention to the words and the art in each panel; She makes even the little things matter, just like real life. By rewarding my attention, I naturally was incentivized to pay closer attention to each page.

The overall tone of the story is light and jovial, but the author isn't afraid to engage with dramatic and philosophical themes. I think the reason I love this so much is because it's real life, with all of its diverse emotions, given the expressiveness of manga.

This is not to say the series is without flaws. Certain plot points are a little too convenient, and some characters and subplots could use more development to reach the points they do. But all the other aspects of the series are so consistently good that I barely even noticed these (arguably not even) issues. I wanted to overlook them. That's what sets this apart from the 9/10s, the consistent greatness, as opposed to those series with spans of excellence interrupted by issues too noticeable to overlook.

Moving away from the story, significant credit for my enjoyment of this series is due to the translator. Wow! They (vhirx) clearly have an excellent understanding of not only Japanese and English, but also the cultural environment of each. The notes that he/she left on the end of each chapter not only helped me understand the abundant Japanese pop-culture references within this series, but also helped me notice details within the art I hadn't before, as well as provided background on what they intended to express and their justifications for translation decisions. The post-chapter notes gave me significant confidence that the translation I was reading was an accurate rendition of the original author's intent.
(If you're reading this, I want to sincerely thank you! And also to say this: I believe the gender pronoun issue was handled and explained with great maturity, respect and purpose. When Moji explained why he referred to his brother as such I unconsciously teared up a little haha. The sentiment got through to me, even though the way he addressed his sibling initially struck me as off-putting.)

Heck, this series might not have been a 10/10 in my eyes were it not for this excellent translator.

For those considering this series, try out the first chapter. I think you'll be able to get the general vibe from the art-style and the dialogue.
 
Double-page supporter
Joined
Jan 27, 2018
Messages
771
This is sooo good, gonna re-read it at least 2 more times! :3
 
Joined
Aug 12, 2018
Messages
1
I really enjoyed how realistic some of the drama and conflict felt like akis troubles with family and even the family coming to realise she's still the same person just more true to herself and even though I was surprised the mind reading was true it was a nice addition. I enjoyed how non one dimensional the characters were.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top