Fusanosuke

しゃにむにGO vol.1 - しゃにむにGO vol.32 by 羅川真里茂 (Ragawa Marimo)
Another manga title that is made for remembering new words.

しゃにむに (adv) desperately; recklessly; rush headlong

After 32 volumes one will surely remember this adverb!

I love this situation in ゴールデン・デイズ vol. 2 by 高尾滋 (Takao Shigeru), page 5.  A boy from 21 century finds himself in Taishou Japan.  Not knowing how to use a fundoshi, he finds himself on the receiving end of a friend's joke who assures him that this is actually a napkin.  Hence, they wear fundoshi as napkins at the table.  The butler is not amused, though ))))
前掛け --まえかけ -- (n) apron
下着--したぎ-- (n) underwear

下着 has a katakana reading of  ふどし which I believe refers to
--ふんどし-- (n) (1) loincloth; breechcloth; breechclout; traditional Japanese male underwear; (2) sumo wrestler's ornamental apron

I was learning the kanji list for JLPT and had 同 came up. As usually a handy way to remember the on'yomi and kun'yomi is by connecting them with the words already well know.

• kun'yomi

同じ --おなじ(P)--(adj-f,n) (1) same; identical; equal; uniform; equivalent; similar; common (origin); changeless; alike;

• on'yomi

同級生 --どうきゅうせい-- (n) classmate; classmates;

I remember it well because of the manga 同級生 by 中村 明日美子 (Nakamura Asumiko) - a very talanted mangaka.  And the drama cd based on the manga to enjoy the conversations .

羊 --ひつじ-- (n) sheep;

The word "sheep" is not that useful in the daily vocabulary, I could only remember it, because of the 2 titles.

• Manga 青い羊の夢 by 立野真琴 (Tateno Makoto)

--あおいひつじのゆめ--
夢 --ゆめ-- (n) dream

Official English translation - Blue Sheep Reverie.

• Book 羊をめぐる冒険〈上〉+  羊をめぐる冒険〈下〉 by 村上春樹 ( Murakami Haruki)

--ひつじをめぐるぼうけん--

めぐる-- (1) to go around; (2) to return; (3) to surround;
冒険 --ぼうけん-- (n,vs) risk; venture; adventure

The official English translation A Wild Sheep Chase.

Lower Intermediate Lesson S4 #2 - Giving and Receiving in Japanese-Kureru

大事 --だいじ-- (adj-na,n) important; valuable; serious matter;
用 --よう-- (1) task; business; (2) use; duty; service;
"Something important"

I just came around this 用  again  it in a little DN doujinshi and thought it was a nice way to illustrate the word.

"Death on the round table" Death Note doujinshi by Emu -- えむ - (circle - Zangyou Teate 残業手当).

「大事な用」
だと言うから
来てみたら

ゴールデン・デイズ (1) by 高尾滋 (Takao Shigeru).

This is my favourite manga about Taishou period. I'm reading it currently, trying to translate every phrase instead of skipping through and it definitely proves very useful as suddenly I see all the grammar points I've just learned.

Lower Intermediate Lesson S4 #2 - Giving and Receiving in Japanese-Kureru

でもこれはオレにバイオリンを教えてくれたじーさんが買ってくれた

教えてくれた --おしえてくれた--
買ってくれた -- かってくれた--

The problem with translation is that I always want to make it passive voice, though it's not passive in Japanese, but overall meaning is "But my grandpa had brought me this violin and taught me how to play it".

vol.1 ch.1 p.7

The Oooku (or often alternative romaji - Ōoku) is the location of the Edo Castle (江戸城,) reserved as living quarters for the women of the Shogun (将軍).
大奥 --おおおく-- (n) shogun's harem; palace's ladies chambers
大奥様 --おおおくさま-- (n) lady of the house
奥 --おく-- (n) interior; inner part; inside

Oooku was functioning as female quarters since 1607, established by Tokugawa Hidetada (徳川秀忠), and lasted for about 200 years.

What I find much more interesting is Alternative Universe (AU) manga featuring Japan under matriarchy with the males as the residents of the Oooku and a female shogun. A very smart setting and very interesting switch of gender roles. 大奥 (1) manga by よしながふみ (Yoshinaga Fumi).
My favourite ever double-page spread from this manga:

上様の!
お成り!
上様 --うえさま; うえざま; かみさま-- (n) (1) emperor; shogun; (2) honored person (honoured);
Just so amazingly fabulous! And in 2009 this manga got Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.

There is one Japanese book I REALLY want to read. It has been translated in only in French. Though my French is sufficient enough for small-talk and reading fashion magazines, I doubt I could handle a book influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis... So, either my Japanese has to improve tremendously, or I'll need to deal with French...

ドグラ・マグラ (上) + ドグラ・マグラ (下)

Novel by 夢野 久作 (Yumeno Kyūsaku), written in 1935.
All the critic loves to point that this novel is a perfect example of the modern Japanese avant-garde gothic literature. Whatever it means. And all the psychological, Freudian aspect of the plot-line. I guess, I really need to read it at least French (Dogra Magra) to have my own opinion.

There is a movie , 1988.

And there is a manga DOGLA+MAGLA by 寿たらこ (Kotobuki Tarako) supposedly loosely linked with the novel. I read the manga - it's pure kafka, and if one wishes to see it Freudian - one has enough of the innuendos.