Every Beginning Has an End

After much work over the past few days, the much-anticipated end of Kakukaku Shikajika is finally here with chapters 33 and 34. Also included are a few bonus pages of Higashimura's final thoughts. This marks the third series we've completed this year, with still one more upcoming (Stop!! Hibari-kun!).

This series has never been easy. From the very first chapter, it was definitely one of the hardest manga we've scanlated to date, but now that it's over, it's left us wanting more stories of Hidaka-sensei and the unique relationship he shared with Higashimura and his other students. Higashimura has left us with an incredible tale of the powerful influence Hidaka-sensei had on her life, which we believe anyone reading it can relate to on some level no matter what stage of your life you're in. You could even read it at one stage of your life, and then re-read it 5 or 10 years later and get something completely different out of it.

That's why this could very well be a modern classic that is accessible to everyone because of how easy it is to relate to Higashimura through her countless moments of regret. It has been an honor to have worked on a masterpiece such as this, and we are grateful to have had the privilege to provide an English translation so more people can experience this story. We're thankful to Higashimura for sharing this story with all of us, and we're also thankful to Hidaka-sensei for all that he did for Higashimura, and the effect that he still has on her to this day. We will never forget this series, and we hope the same will go for you as well.

Below is an actual photo of Hidaka-sensei included on the last page of the volume (presented slightly larger here for better viewing):

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 33: Mediafire, Dropbox
Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 34: Mediafire, Dropbox

Time Waits for No One

It took us a little longer than expected, but here are chapters 31 and 32 of Kakukaku Shikajika. We had wanted to get this out a couple days ago, but for various reasons, it got pushed back to the end of the week. This leaves just two chapters left in the series, which we will get to as soon as we get a couple more chapters of Stop!! Hibari-kun! done.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 31: Mediafire, Dropbox
Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 32: Mediafire, Dropbox

We Are Nothing Without Our Past

After seven months since we last worked on this, Kakukaku Shikajika returns with chapters 29 and 30 at the start of the fifth and final volume. As we mentioned already a couple times before, this series just recently won the Manga Taisho award, so we hope that the extra exposure will draw more people into reading this stunning series.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 29: Mediafire, Dropbox
Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 30: Mediafire, Dropbox

In This Life We've Walked Together

Finally, after a lot of work over the past month, we've finished Kakukaku Shikajika volume 4 with the release of chapter 28. This is by no means an easy manga to scanlate, but it also very gratifying that we can share this amazing story with people who can't read Japanese. Although, certain things do get lost in translation, most notably the way Hidaka-sensei talks with a Western Japanese accent (which doesn't appear to be Kyushu dialect) that adds a lot to his character.

Anyway, it appears that the next volume may be the last one, considering the pacing so far, and if that's the case, it should wrap up by early next year. Currently, the manga is up to chapter 29 released last month (it had no chapter this month). So volume 5 shouldn't come out until March or April at the earliest. Hopefully the wait won't be too bad, and in the meantime, we'll be working on Kuragehime v14 very soon starting next month.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 28: Mediafire, Dropbox

Bad Habits Are Hard to Break!

And now Kakukaku Shikajika chapter 27 is done, leaving one chapter left in the volume.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 27: Mediafire, Dropbox

Great Teacher Hidaka!

Slowly but surely, we're still plugging away with the release of Kakukaku Shikajika chapter 26.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 26: Mediafire, Dropbox

No Time? No Problem!

So here we have Kakukau Shikajika chapter 25, more than halfway through the current volume. Up next, Himegoto.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 25: Mediafire, Dropbox

Keeping Up With the Times!

Kakukaku Shikajika chapter 24 is finally done, meaning...well, there's a lot left in the volume left to do. Coming up later this week is the next chapter of Himegoto's Febri version, the latest issue of which was just released.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 24: Mediafire, Dropbox

All for One, and One for All!

Here's chapter 23 of Kakukaku Shikajika. Enjoy!

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 23: Mediafire, Dropbox

...Try, Try Again!

After nearly 100 days since its last release, chapter 22 of Kakukaku Shikajika is done as we begin volume 4. For everyone still waiting for more Kuragehime, there's still this interesting look into the author's younger days and her struggle to become the fantastic (and perhaps often overlooked) manga author she is today. Noitamina, can we please get an anime of this already? It seems right up your alley, and it would make perfect sense since Kuragehime also aired on the Noitamina block.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 22: Mediafire, Dropbox

From Such Modest Beginnings!

And so finally, here's Kakukaku Shikajika chapter 21 with the end of volume 3. A lot of time and effort goes into scanlating this series, but it's one of the most rewarding of the ones we do, so we hope you enjoy the end of the volume as we wait for the next volume. Currently, chapter 26 is about to be published on the 28th, so the earliest that volume 4 will be released should be in August, but could also be September or October. So, we'll be continuing this probably right around the time the next Kuragehime volume comes out too (which should be September, we think).

In the meantime, here's what's on the schedule. The latest chapter of Kenjutsu Komachi just came out, so we'll be working on that next. Then we'll do the next chapter of Himegoto which was released yesterday, and which we should have sometime next week thanks to our raw provider for the series, NJMANGA from Deus Ex Scans. After that, we'll be doing Usotsuki Lily volume 15, which was just released a couple days ago.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 21: Mediafire, Dropbox

When Life Gives You Paints...

After a few more days of work, here are chapters 19 and 20 of Kakukaku Shikajika, leaving one chapter left in the volume. There doesn't seem to be too many people reading this, at least not as much as some of the other series we scanlate, but hey, this is still a wonderful manga that we feel everyone should be reading, even if that's just us who feel that way.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 19: Mediafire, Dropbox
Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 20: Mediafire, Dropbox

The Life of a NEET Has Its Perks!

It took a little longer than previously anticipated, but here are chapters 17 and 18 of Kakukaku Shikajika, meaning we're finally halfway through volume 3. There were actually a lot of things that happened this week that pushed the release of these chapters back by a few days, but we should hopefully be back on a more stable release schedule starting next week.

There is also something noteworthy in chapter 18 that you might find interesting. We had mentioned back when we released chapter 5 that this manga's storyline is set one year after when the actual events took place. So in chapter 18, Higashimura mentions that the iMac G3 came out during her fourth year in college, which would mean 1998 in the manga's storyline. But in reality, that Mac would have come out after she graduated in March of that year. This is because Higashimura didn't start drawing manga until after she graduated, and she apparently made her debut in the 1999 New Year edition of Bouquet Deluxe, which according to this website came out on December 3, 1998, about 9 months after she graduated.

And now for some other noteworthy news. A couple days ago, it was reported that Usotsuki Lily is apparently getting an anime adaptation! ...Or, so it seemed. You see, yesterday, Margaret's editing department tweeted out this response to the questions regarding the matter, which says (truncated): "...but at this time, there are no plans for an anime adaptation." So it appears, at least at this time, that the way the blurb was written on this listing was referring to the very next line which talks about Ao Haru Ride, which is getting an anime set to air in July. Well, maybe this little experience will show them that there are plenty of us dying for an Usolily anime and they'll end up making one as a response. Only time will tell.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 17: Mediafire, Dropbox
Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 18: Mediafire, Dropbox

Time Waits for No Woman!

So this past week, we've been working on getting out chapters 15 and 16 of Kakukaku Shikajika with the start of volume 3. With Kuragehime on hiatus until later this year, at least we can still read more about Akiko Higashimura's often outlandish life. And just to be sure, we'll point out that there are no missing pages from these chapters, although it might seem like it at one point. You might also notice that the page number count is a bit off, but this is because 2 of the pages (24 and 44 in the volume) were completely blank.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 15: Mediafire, Dropbox
Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 16: Mediafire, Dropbox

A Mid-Winter Rendezvous!

Finally, Kakukaku Shikajika chapter 14 is done with the end of volume 2. Currently, the manga is up to chapter 21 in Cocohana, with chapter 22 about to be published next week. Volume 3 will be out sometime early next year, possibly March, though we might not have it immediately after it's release. We'll make some updates as we get closer to then.

Now for a tentative schedule for what we'll be doing from now until then. First of all, at the end of this month, Waai Mahalo comes out, so starting in January we'll be releasing series from that again, such as Boku wa Senpai ni Josou o Shiirareteimasu, Hikaru to Hikari, Himegoto+, etc. At the same time, we'll be starting the new serialization of Himegoto in Comic Rex, as previously mentioned.

Also in January, we'll be doing Usolily volume 13 for sure. The next chapter of Kenjutsu Komachi will also be coming out soon. Starting in January or February, we'll probably begin Kuragehime volume 13 and Bokura no Hentai volume 4. Once both of those are done, we'll probably then do Sweet Magic Syndrome volume 2. So that's pretty much what we'll be doing for the next two months. Meanwhile, we'll be continuing to work on the current issue of Waai.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 14: Mediafire, Dropbox

The Long White Winter!

So chapter 13 of Kakukaku Shikajika is done, leaving one chapter left in the volume. Next up, Himegoto.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 13: Mediafire, Dropbox

Painting in a Winter Wonderland!

Kakukaku Shikajika chapter 12 is finished with two left to go in the volume.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 12: Mediafire, Dropbox

Dreams Cost Money Too!

And now here's chapter 11 of Kakukaku Shikajika, so we're finally more than halfway through the volume.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 11: Mediafire, Dropbox

All Work and No Play Makes Akiko a Dull Girl!

Chapter 10 of Kakukaku Shikajika is finished, meaning...there's still much more to come.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 10: Mediafire, Dropbox

Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave!

Took a little extra time because of the holiday, but here's Kakukaku Shikajika chapter 9.

And as for Waai, it'll be postponed until early next month unfortunately it'll start to be released later this month, and the next Waai Mahalo will be out by early next month, too.

Kakukaku Shikajika ch. 9: Mediafire, Dropbox