The Miracle of the Legendary Club

　　To be honest, I don't remember why we came to establish this legendary English newspaper club in my high-school days.
　　I was only a 16-year-old little girl, and when we started up our activities, I didn't have any idea how it would be 15 years later, or better to say, I would never imagine that it could continue to exist more than 5 years!
　　I look back on my high-school days like looking back my dreams of this morning. The impressions are so clear in my mind, but the details are so unclear and it's impossible to tell about them to the others. If I say, "I enjoyed the activities of SHABUKUST, because it was like a tea party held in English teachers' room, with nice tea and cookies for free, without any efforts and tasks!", it's all true but not true; the air and the passion at that time is indescribable.
　　SHABUKUST's 15th anniversary is a kind of miracle for me, and all I can say is, "I'm so glad to be one of you!! And I'm proud of you!!"

　　101-5 Yayoi MYOGA

A Challenge For Creative Writing, Creative Mind

　　It's been almost a decade since I graduated from Fuzoku, and now I'm a Ph. D student at a university, trying to become a researcher in the vast field of science. Sometimes when I feel lost, I still get my old SHABUKUST papers out of my closet and find my articles naïve but so full of energy. It really makes me smile. I also realize now that English is a very powerful tool when getting to know people around the world. So don't be afraid to write! I hope SHABUKUST is forever a home for creative high school students with challenging minds.

　　106-4 Chihiro SATO

A Magic Place in Italy

　　Last spring, I went sightseeing in Italy with my family. Milan, Venice, Pisa, Florence, Rome, and Naples -- all the cities I visited had some beautiful pieces of scenery, and I got quite excited especially when I saw old churches and ancient relics, for I major in western history at the university. However, what was the most unforgettable was neither the scenery nor buildings, but the people I saw at the Trevi Fountain.
　　Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain of Rome, and is one of the most famous tourist attractions. It is said that if you stand with your back facing toward the fountain and throw a coin over your head, you will be ensured a return to Rome.
　　It was at twilight when I visited there. Through the square in front of the fountain was very crowded, I could somehow reach the fountain to throw a coin, and enjoyed seeing its Baroque sculptures. After a while, when I turned my face toward the crowd to return, I first realized how various the people at the fountain were, and was astonished.
　　All kinds of people were there. White, Black, Asian, and racially-mixed. I could hear Italian, English, French, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and many more languages I couldn't tell. A rich tourist was sitting next to a shabby boy vending flowers. An old man wearing a cross and a woman who covered her face with some black clothes were pointing at the same sculpture. A young rock'n'roller and a neat businessman were standing side by side and eating the same ice cream. Without the fountain, no one could have told where he had been. And the most important thing was that everyone was laughing. It was very, very, very beautiful.
　　At that moment, I remembered John Lennon's "Imagine" -- imagine all the people sharing all the world. Of course I know it's just a daydream. When they return home, they may resume conflicting with each other. But I hope that some day the daydream will be real.

　　112-3 Masahiko ITO

Genesis

　　It was raining very hard. We all got soaked on the way to Myogadani Station. Seven of us -- Yayoi, Hidemi, Tomoko, Bob, Yuki (Mr. Umaba), and me -- had had the first (in a sense) SHABUKUST meeting at Denny's in Otsuka, at the end of August.
　　In the beginning, we published the first issue. And the issue was without a clear policy; and a happy-go-lucky attitude was upon the editorial staff. And we possessed a high ideal of creating something new.
　　Actually, we started from "zero." Oops, I just remembered..., there was also a word processor. It was Bob's machine. After typing articles, Bob said, "Let there be articles:" and there were articles printed out. We also had a lettering book. It was Roy's and it had lots of types of letters. Yayoi and Hidemi chose their favorite design; Roy cut and pasted the letters S, H, A, B, U, K, U, S, and T together; and behold, it was very good.
　　And, oh, I must not forget the most important thing: everyone's hope and ideal of issuing their best newspapers. In fact, every SHABUKUST member has had, until now, the same hope and ideal. It is this motive and drive that has made it possible to maintain the monthly issue. Thanks to their spirit, you are now enjoying the 160th issue.
　　So far, SHABUKUST has had 91 people as its editorial staff, and Mr. Robert Juppe, Mr. Patrick McGuire, Ms. Monica Kennedy, Mr. Umaba, Mr. Hakomori, Mr. Tachibana, and I have advised the club. I strongly believe and hope that SHABUKUST will be issued forever and make its readers amused and satisfied. I have been very proud to issue the paper working with excellent students and Bob, the best ever adviser. And I also feel proud that every SHABUKUST editorial member is taking an active part in their field after graduating from this school.
　　Anyway, I would really like to express my genuine gratitude to the members as I have such a great chance to do a good job with them, which makes me one of the happiest English teachers.

　　Roy YAMAMOTO

A SECOND TERM AT FUZOKU... Changes

　　Whenever I return to Vienna, where I once studied, my old friends usually say to me, "Nothing ever changes in Vienna!" This is largely true. The buildings, the sights, the food, many basic traditions… these remain unchanged. Even my friends seem largely the same. In 1980, when they were in their 20s, they all looked 45 years old. Now they are in their 50s, but they still look 45.
　　So when I returned to Fuzoku for my "second career" a few years ago, I wondered what I would find different. Like Vienna, much was unchanged. The building was still old and dirty. Many of the sights were unchanged, such as the green water in the swimming pool or the foreign language room, where you could look under a table and not be surprised to find a dead body from nine years earlier.
　　What had changed in Fuzoku and SHAB? Here is a quick list off the top of my head.

1. FUJIWARA SENSEI. Remember my basketball friends from Vienna who never changed? This is Mr. Fujiwara! 1991 or 2006, he is defying physics.
2. HAKOMORI SENSEI. He wasn't at Fuzoku my first time. The second time, he was. SHAB started getting many exotic snacks, thanks to him.
3. KAZ. I thought he might be a spy for Gakushuin at first, but now I am certain that he is on our side. He was not at Fuzoku during my first stay, either.
4. ROY. One big changed had taken place: Roy had a wife! I had always thought it would be a SHAB student.
5. TACHIBANA SENSEI. He had gotten thinner and looked to be in much better shape. Yet he still ate a lot of pizza at the test recording sessions. Like Mr. Fujiwara, he, too, is defying physics.
6. TOSHIKO SENSEI. Many people in Vienna say, "We have to get rid of the slow streetcars and replace them with fast subways." She sent me plans by fax in the early 1990s. In 2006, she still does. Toshiko is our streetcar.
7. UMABA SENSEI. Remarkably, his jokes had not changed at all. They were just as funny as the first time I'd been there. This is not defying physics, but it defies something.
8. MR. SUGAI. I checked under the tables, but I have not found him. I am glad to know that he is happy and largely unchanged.
9. ME. Just look at the pictures in the album from the early 1990s, and then look at me now. Who was that young, thin guy in the early 1990s?
10. MY PHONE NUMBER & ADDRESS. In 2002, my message saying welcome to Patrick was still on the chalkboard. I had written it six years before.
11. THE BEER FROM OKINAWA. I was delighted to find a large bottle of beer from Okinawa in the refrigerator. I looked forward to drinking it. Then one day I secretly examined the date of expiration. 1999.
12. THE TT LESSONS. I still enjoy the lessons a lot and look forward to doing them. And like my first visit to Fuzoku, the students look forward to the class ending.
13. SADDAM HUSSEIN. People said that he was on trial in Baghdad, but I found that he had secretly moved to Tokyo and become the security guard at the entrance to the school. What's more, he often practices German with me. It reminded me that SHABUKUST had started as a German club, and grown out of those lessons. As for the guy on trial in Baghdad, he must be an imposter.
14. BUSH. When SHAB began, an incredibly dangerous lunatic named Bush was our president. Years later... it is still Bush. WHAT is going on??????? This is something that DEFINITELY should have changed.
15. SHAB SUMMER TRIP. In the 1990s, some black guys almost beat me up during a SHAB trip to the beach during the summer. In 2006, nobody tried to do that during our beach trip.
16. SNACK KINGS IN SHAB. Several students claimed to eat too many snacks at SHAB, or said that they simply showed up and took them. "How could one club have so many Snack Kings," I wondered. Who is SHAB's true Snack King?
17. SHAB LAYOUT. I returned to find SHAB being made on the computer. As I had been the first typist on a giant word processor, this really seemed like progress.
18. STYLE OF EDITING. When I come home exhausted from university, I open my computer files at midnight…. And the SHAB articles START coming in! Sometimes, I switch my computer off at 1:30 a.m. and go to bed. When I awaken, I'll find one or two SHAB manuscripts waiting for me. I wonder, "When do these students ever sleep?" There may be many Snack Kings, but there are several Draculas among you as well.
19. SHAB CONTENT. It was great 15 years ago, and remarkably, it continues to be fantastic. I look forward to reading the articles so much every month, and still proof them very lightly because they are too good to mess with.
20. SHAB STUDENTS. How could this club keep getting such nice, talented, hard working, delightful, creative, funny people year after year?
　　That point is the most like Vienna. We may worry from year to year about low numbers in SHAB, but we should be thankful for the quality of the members. I have had such a good time working with the students for the past 15 years; I know that the next 15 years will be just as wonderful. Two things will surely outlast me: Vienna, and SHAB.

　　Thanks so, so much for the good work and the memories.

　　Robert JUPPE

Let's Look Back at SHABUKUST's 15 Years

　　I was the only 102nd student that joined SHABUKUST. In a way, it was natural since the first issue of SHABUKUST, edited by just two 101st students (Yayoi and Hidemi), came out when I was a first year student, and SHABUKUST was not even a circle then. Only a few students even took notice of its existence in school. With us three regular members (with two others, Akiyama and Chiko, helping us from time to time), SHABUKUST had just two pages, a piece of paper front and back. Yayoi and Hidemi were responsible for the interview article and the "Volley, Counter-volley" section, I wrote the feature articles, and Roy and Bob helped us a great deal in the publishing part. It was far from what it is now, but we made every effort to make every issue the best we could. Most of all, we had a lot of fun planning, editing, talking and eating (Mr. Ito's chocolate chip cookies), and the whole memory is my greatest treasure for me from my high school days.

　　102-5 Tomoko WADA

　　The Year 104 was quite unique in a sense that, unlike most of the other years, we only had two guys including myself, no girls at all. The name of the other guy is Ryo, whom I admire a lot for his talents in various areas -- yet the other thing is he was an extremely quiet guy. Despite the fact he speaks several languages fluently, he seldom opens his mouth. In fact, two of us have totally opposite characters. He is always calm and works silently on whatever is in front of him whereas I am always talkative and outgoing, and maybe easygoing as well...

　　At one time, I interviewed Teshima-sensei, who was one of our English teachers at that time, to write an article about him. When I listened to the recording of the 30-minute conversation after going back home that night, I was so shocked -- all I heard was the voice of myself! I just kept talking through the entire interview without letting Teshima-sensei talk!! I'm pretty sure that our year wouldn't have been able to do anything without Ryo… For me, SHABUKUST was literally an OSHABERI place, and probably because of that, the club is one of the best memories from my high-school years.

　　104-4 Kohei NODA

　　A small cozy room, confectioneries and Scrabble are what I remembered and liked about SHABUKUST. Our teachers were always friendly and although they never enforced studying or speaking of English, they provided us with comfortable environment and nurtured our interest in the language through various methods. There were also a lot of fun activities, such as the Christmas party at Juppe's house and the visit to NHK English Broadcast Radio Station.

　　Looking back on my school days, I have realized that not only writing articles but also taking actions to collect information such as reading books, interviewing people, and visiting new places were important. Through the activity, we were taught essential philosophy that can be applied even now in many aspects of life or work.

　　SHABUKUST was made up of people who had different characteristics and by reading each other's article it helped us to broaden our horizons and encouraged us to look at things from a different perspective.

　　This is a great club that all our members are very proud to be a part of. Congratulations on the 15th anniversary and we sincerely appreciate all efforts of teachers and the anniversary committee members in publishing this special edition!

　　106-3 Nao KAWAKAMI

　　It was in the 7th year of SHABUKUST that we, the 108th members, entered Fuzoku and joined SHABUKUST. And now, we are celebrating the 15th anniversary... Wow, time flies!
　　The 108th members consisted of great movie & book reviewers, travel reporters, puzzle makers, and a cartoonist (the mother of beloved "Bey Dam"). We all loved to meet at the "Eigo-ka" room and had chats with each other over sweets and snacks (don't say that we only loved eating!). I guess it was pretty tough to choose snacks for us because the 108th chief editor was picky and didn't like chocolate...

Thank you soooooo much for:
The establishers and our seniors, who formed the basis of SHABUKUST;
The 108th members, who worked with me and impressed me with interesting articles;
Our juniors, who have taken over SHABUKUST and have been developing it;
And last but not least, Roy, Bob, and many other teachers who have always provided us with warm support.

　　Happy 15th Anniversary!!

　　108-2 Chie OIKAWA

SHABKUST -- your stage

　　When I was in high school, English was what to study. But now, it is what to use to get information, communicate with people, or enjoy movies and songs.

　　Come to think of it, SHABUKUST was the only place for me to use English as a tool. I wrote English sentences to explain my opinions or feelings. Through doing this, sometime I met the right phrase that expressed exactly what I want to say. That was amazing and happy experience.

　　Needless to say, SHABUKUST is the time to enjoy English. What's more, I also would like you to enjoy express yourself and exchange your feelings with others.

　　109-4 Atsumi TSUJI

　　Congratulations on SHABUKUST's 15th Anniversary!! I'm glad to hear that. I was the editor-in-chief from 2000 to 2001, the 10th anniversary year of the club. Now I'd like to talk about what SHABUKUST was like in those days.

the Exhibition in the School Festival TOIN-SAI
　　In autumn of the year 2000, we took part in our school festival in celebration of the club's 10th birthday. We displayed back issues and let them be taken home by all people. Many junior high school students, who were not Fuzoku-sei, took them.

Layouts on Computer
　　If I remember right, from these years, the way of doing the newspaper-layout changed. The new one was not cutting & pasting of paper but arranging issues on computer digitally. I wonder if this way is still used now.

Once a Week Activity in the English Room
　　This was cheerful time for SHABUKUST members, of course. We gathered with our lunch boxes, talked about every month's issue or many other things with Monica, who taught Tsukuba students English and gave SHABUKUST members advice.
　　......Above all, every member wrote about what they wanted when they wanted as they liked. I think this was the COLOR of SHABUKUST then.

　　110-5 Mika SHIMAZAKI

　　Congratulations on the 15th year anniversary of SHABUKUST!! I was surprised to hear the news because I didn't think it has been more than 5 years since we celebrated our 10th year anniversary. It's great work to keep publishing every month for more than 15 years.
　　When we, the 111th, were in SHABUKUST, we wrote many kinds of articles such as interviews with Monica, who supported us in SHABUKUST, reports on school events, puzzles and so on. Above all, one of the most interesting articles I think is the 10th year anniversary special article "Our SHABUKUST." This article was a "Relay Essay" which means we made it by answering the question from the former person and asking the next person another question. Every member in SHABUKUST took part in the essay. So you will find what we were doing and thinking in SHABUKUST at that time in it. If you are interested in this, please read the 106th issue, Thursday, September 13, 2001.
　　Thinking of the days in SHABUKUST, publishing every month was so hard but I got many precious experiences by writing in English, speaking in English, chatting with friends, and so on. I hope many members in SHABUKUST enjoy belonging to SHABUKUST!!

　　111-6 Mai KATAKURA

　　Almost all of the former members of SHABUKUST were movie-lovers, and so we, the members of 112th, were. We wrote a lot of articles about movies, and saw three movies together.
　　One was "STAR WARS episode I," which we went to see on a day in summer vacation. Though some of us were ignorant about the STAR WARS series, everyone enjoyed its beautiful, spectacular scenes filled with cutting-edge computer graphics.
　　Another is a movie we saw at our Christmas party (sorry, I forgot the title of it), recommended by Bob. It was quite old and monochromatic, but its storyline was still beautiful. It was the most heart-warming Christmas movie I have ever seen.
　　The last, and the most impressive one is "Chomsky 9.11." We assembled a lot of students which included many non-SHABUKUST members, and showed it in the physics laboratory. It was very lucky for us to have a chance to deliberate 9.11 when most people were for the war of vengeance.

　　Congratulations on the 15th anniversary of SHABUKUST!! Incumbent members, I hope you will enjoy music, books, movies, and sweets

　　112-3 Masahiko ITO

Funny episodes in SHABUKUST -- from the questionnaire

- We had a wonderful time when we visited Bob's house and had a BBQ party. (Ms. Wada 102)
- When we have a lot of snacks at the club room, one guy always comes and eats almost all the snacks for himself. (Mr. Amemiya 114)
- We once played basketball with Bob. It was really exciting! (Mr. Amemiya 114)
- After preparing for the school festival, Mr. Hirai, Ms. Watanabe and I played Scrabble for about three hours without a break! Even after the game, there were so many letters of the alphabet in my head that whenever I saw some letters, I was unconsciously trying to make words. (Ms. Koizumi 114)
- Preparing for the Toin Festival was so hard, but we enjoyed writing articles and decorating the exhibition room. (Ms. Katakura 111)
- I once wrote an article about "Harry Potter." Then, Mr. Ito was also writing about it. Unexpectedly, SHABUKUST became a kind of special issue about "Harry Potter" that month. (Ms. Yanai 112)
- I used to be called Mr. Puzzle because I made many puzzles for SHABUKUST. When I walked into the English Teachers' Room wearing a white gown, Bob said, "You are Dr. Puzzle!" (Mr. Jimbo 112)
- I was called "Mr. Snacks"!! I always ate snacks when I was in SHABUKUST's room. (Mr. Miyazaki 109)
- One Thursday, when we were chatting as usual, one of the members, Nana-chan, said to Roy, "Oi!" Roy looked very surprised. In the 5th period on that day, we had English class. What happened to Nana-chan in class? (Mr. Ota 114)
- One day, when I was attending a meeting of SHABUKUST over chips, I suddenly came up with a good way of eating chips in a paper cylinder. Many of the people there admitted that it was a good way. However, I was to become known as… a potechi man. (Mr. Wakakuwa 114)
- It was a great experience understanding how a foreign teacher at a Japanese high school viewed things. (Mr. Noguchi 111)
- Roy got married in the year I graduated from Tsukuba High School. (Ms. Matsumura 109)
- Mr. Miyazaki was a really busy man who joined many clubs and committees. He came to SHABUKUST meeting every Thursday, but it was a brief stop… for snacks! Still, he is called "Snack King." (Ms. Tsuji 109)
- Excursion to Kamakura. Beautiful sea and mountains, but still the biggest memory is the Murasakiimo ice cream we all bought near the Tsurugaoka-Hachimangu. (Mr. Noda 104)

SHABUKUST in 2006

　　Hello, this is Hanako Okamoto. In this anniversary paper, SHABUKUST's old editors are looking back and telling everyone about their high school days. So I, the editor at the present time, would like to talk about SHABUKUST at present.
　　Now there are seven members in SHABUKUST: one 3rd grade student (the last editor), six 2nd grade students, and one 1st grade student. Five of the members belong to other sports club or to the ESS.
　　On Tuesday after school and on Thursday during the lunch break, we gather in the English staff room. On Tuesday afternoon, we can meet Bob, and talk about many kinds of things. But this year, Mr. Yamamoto (Roy) became a 1st grade homeroom teacher, and first grade homeroom teachers have meetings every Tuesday, so we cannot talk with him on Tuesday. On Thursday we can meet him and take lunch with him. Whenever we gather, we play SCRABBLE more than talk.
　　The first or second week's Tuesday or Thursday we decide the deadline of that month's SHABUKUST. Usually the deadline will be the Tuesday that is nearest to the 15th of each month. Then the entire membership will think about ideas that we should write about. There are only seven members, but our 3rd grade student is too busy to write articles, so he doesn't have to write any, and one of the 2nd grade students may have written many articles. He might save them but we have almost never met him in the English staff room, so every month we forget to ask him to give us the articles. Therefore, the five of us have to write articles every month.
　　We all think writing articles is much easier than thinking up ideas for them. On the last weekend before the deadline, or on Monday night, we will be busy working out the idea, writing the article, and then sending it to Bob by e-mail. So we should ask him on the last Tuesday whether he can check our articles or not, but sometimes we forget to do so and send our articles very late on Monday night. Therefore, Bob sometimes does not know that we sent articles until he checks the e-mail on Tuesday morning. At the same time, we, the SHUBUKUST members, are checking our e-mail while preparing to go to school. Then we might find out that Bob hasn't checked our articles, so we print them out. After the 2nd or 3rd period classes have finished, we run to the English staff room, and hand in the article to Bob and beg him to check the article. If we can do it all right, we make the deadline safely. It is because the rule is that until our deadline, we have the article that is already checked by Bob in our hand. However, it will not be on an FD, so it is OK if we make the FD and hand it in as soon as possible.
　　But some of the members are very busy with their other clubs or something else. So sometimes some of the members haven't finished writing articles by the deadline. Normally if a 2nd grade member forgets the deadline, she has to do that month's SHABUKUST editing. I think maybe it is a little different from the way in which SHABUKUST members edited the paper in other years. It is very good for us because if one of the members cannot edit, the other members can do it instead, and the next time they can swap their turn with another.
　　Waiting for the late articles, we start to edit it. It is finished sometimes that Friday or on Sunday of the next week. So when we share an article, I do not want to know why but maybe I know why, the article is shared on the last day of the month. But it is always with small amount of fatigue and a big sense of accomplishment.

　　116-3 Hanako OKAMOTO

Book of the Month Extra

　　Often the Japanese culture of manga is mixed up with that of otaku. Otaku is a generic term used to refer to people who are intent on something and do not have general intelligence. The verbiage is still used to talk about such kind of people, but particularly people who love characters that live in two dimensions.
　　However, I believe the use of this word has changed again. The word otaku is now used for people who know something that other people do not know. What kind of example may I give you? Well, you are talking with your friend, whom you believe is a non-otaku person, and if that person suddenly says, "Do you know about the manga xxx?" and if you, and all of your classmates, did not know that manga, you might recognize him as an otaku. Also you may think the manga he talked about is one of the otaku manga, and you would never try reading that. I think it is a very sad thing. At least you must try, mustn't you? You can't talk about anything before you try that.
　　Here, I have written four reviews of Japanese manga, and all of them are, I believe, some of the greatest pieces. I did not write about excessively famous manga such as Deathnote, but I think these are much more interesting than some manga that are very popular and everyone knows about. Some of them are perhaps infamous manga, and some of them are still serialised. Do not be angry if you find one of these very interesting and realised that there are no more sequels available yet.

Heaven's Door in the Battlefield on G-Line (original title: G-Senjou Heaven's Door)
(By Yowoko Nihonbashi)
　　Machizo Sakaida hates his father, who is a manga creator. One day, Machizo meets a boy called Tetsuo, who wants to be a manga creator and loves the manga produced by Machizo's father. First, Machizo has an ingrained dislike of Tetsuo and his manga, but after he sees what Tetsuo has created in the past, he starts to realize that Tetsuo is a real genius.
This story is not so long, but after you finish it you will surely know you don't need to add anything. It's a perfect piece and I believe this manga is one of the greatest in the past 20 years.

Planets
(By Makoto Yukimura)
　　A sapling Hachimaki (Hachirota Hoshino) is a debris-pickupper (Debris-ya in Japanese). A debris-pickupper is a person who picks up debris, rubbish of spaceships or artificial satellites that are left in outer space. He has a dream to have his own spaceship, and to make that dream come true, he applies for a crew for the first spaceship that goes to Jupiter. Through his challenge, Hachimaki loses humanity, and starts to think that to achieve his goal is the most important thing and he does not need anything.
　　Many manga use the universe as a background, but none of them had a main character like this. This is not a STARWARS-like story. It is based on Hachimaki and his crew, but other characters are also impressive and create a picture of a brilliant human drama.

Heugemono (Hyougemono)
(By Yamada Yoshihiro)
　　It takes place in the Azuchi-Momoyama era. There is a man who loves Tya-no-yu (Sado of today). His name is Sasuke Furuta, who is a military chieftain in Nobunaga's army. He has a big problem working as a commander. He loves Tya-no-yu's materials too much. He lets an enemy escape because the enemy gives him a brilliant tea bowl. He searches for a nice tea pot in the battlefield after the battle is over. He becomes a follower of Sen-no-Soueki (Sen-no-Rikyu), and gets into the world of Tya-no-yu deeper and deeper.
　　Had anyone imagined a manga like this? Sado seems to be an unsuitable theme for manga, but by the creator's talent you can enjoy the story without any extra knowledge of Sado. The main character, Sasuke Huruta, is quite greedy but very comical. Thanks to his character, the story does not become very serious and can be read without circumstance.

JOJO's Bizzare Adventure (JOJO-no-kimyo-na-bouken)
(By Araki Hirohiko)
　　There once was an ethnic group called the Aztecs. In the group, there was a tribe who used stone masks for cults. You wear the mask, you put a little blood on it, and you will be a vampire. The mask was lost for hundreds of years and in the 1880's, the mask was in England, in the house of Lord George Joestar. He had a son called Jonathan, whose nickname was JOJO. One day, a boy called Dio Brando comes to Joestar's and becomes Jonathan's brother in law. He is a son of Dario Brando, who helped George and Jonathan's lives years ago. Dio is an energetic but wily boy, and he plans to kill George to get his assets. When Jonathan finds out about his plan and accuses Dio, Dio puts on the stone mask hung on the wall. He knew that the mask could turn somebody into a vampire. He kills George, and with his blood, he becomes a vampire. This is the beginning of a war between Dio and banu Joester…
　　89 volumes have been published already, and the story hasn't finished yet. JOJO is divided into seven parts and each has a different main character. These characters are all related to Joester's family (who all have the nickname JOJO), and they fight against their own enemies. The interesting thing is that all the enemies have their reasons to fight, and some of them really believe that they are doing the right thing. However, JOJO defines them as evil, because they use people as footstools for their purposes.
　　JOJO7s Bizarre Adventure is also known for its originality. The way of drawing, for example, is very original. Words are original (ex. "URRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYY," as a cry of a vampire, "ORAORAORAORAORAORA…," a shout of a third and sixth JOJO), and onomatopoeia is also original (ex. "Zukyuuunn", the sound of kissing). The world of JOJO is too strong and at first you hesitate to try, but after you read it, you'll come to love this piece very much.

　　These are all my reviews. Are you interested in reading these manga? Then, please go to your friends and ask them if they have one of these. If someone has one, borrow it. If they don't, go and buy it immediately. What are you waiting for? Run, now!
　　And enjoy.

　　11x-x Shallowfield

A Psychological Test

　　People's minds look simple but they are very complex. Let's check how you really feel by doing a psychological test! This is not for only understanding your real mind but it also serves as a communication tool. You can do it alone or with your friends. Then, let's get started immediately.

First, let's check you out.

No.1
　There is a stuffed bear in the corner of the room. He said something. What did he say? Please choose from the following three answers.
1, Why am I here?
2, Who am I ?
3, What will I become it in the future?

A1
　In this test you can know, what kind of owner you are. The stuffed animal in the corner is yourself when you were young… What the stuffed animal says shows doubt felt in a childish heart.
1, A person whose thinking focuses on the body
　　You are a person who works with an instinctive intuition.
2, A person whose thinking focuses on feelings
　　You are a person who catches things by the heart.
3, A person whose thinking focuses on the head

No.2
　You took souvenir pictures on a trip. What kind of photos did you take? Please choose your favorite answer.
1, You tried to improve upon the scene.
2, A whole body in A sightseeing spot.
3, Only scenery.
4, With a friend.
5, You appear with unassuming modesty.

A2
　In this test you can know your character as:
1, Someone active who wants to go out ahead of everyone
2, Someone who valves interpersonal relationships
3, Someone who is serious ambitious strong, and make an effort
4, Someone who is an individual rich in receptivity
5, Someone who loves solitude and is not good at associating with people in a patronizing way

No.3
　You and your friend have been climbing a mountain path all the way long. But there is a huge rock in the center of the road. Your friend says "We are going to have lunch at the top of the mountain." What will you say to your friend?
1, Let's get over the rock because we came here.
2, Can't this rock be moved somehow or another?
3, Let's have lunch here because there is no other way.

A3
　In this test you can know, how easily you lose your temper.
1, Though you get angry at once but there are no troubles.
2, You are scary though you are patient when angry.
3, Even if you want to be angry, you cannot be angry.

No.4
　You are preparing to move. When you are arranging your luggage, there is a large amount of needless things to be moved. What will you do with them?
1, You boldly throw them away.
2, You take them because they are too good.
3, You put them out in the recycling bazaar.
4, You take only the good ones.

A4
　In this test you can know, how the past affects you
1, You forget your failures easily.
2, You drag your troubles along for a long time.
3, You don't drag the past along though you are doubtful about the future.
4, You forget unpleasant things and only remember good ones.

No.5
　Start from Q1 and follow the "yes" or "no" navigation system.
Q1 When nothing happens all day long, you feel bored.
　Yes-Q4 No-Q2
Q2 You are unyielding.
　Yes-Q3 No-Q5
Q3 You feel irritated when children near you cry or make noise.
　Yes-Q6 No-Q5
Q4 You have a lot of likes and dislikes of food and if something is put out on the table you don't eat it.
　Yes-Q6 No-Q3
Q5 You don't permit, the person who spoke ill of yourself.
　Yes-Q9 No-Q12
Q6 You hit something if you get angry.
　Yes-Q8 No-Q19
Q7 You watch TV when you are in the house.
　Yes-Q14 No-Q13
Q8 You dislike to endure something.
　Yes-Q15 No-Q7
Q9 You unabashedly to something scary.
　Yes-Q17 No-Q10
Q10 You do not want to imagine the lewdness of parents and the same age group as your parents.
　Yes-Q13 No-Q17
Q11 You are not temperamental.
　Yes-Q20 No-Q17
Q12 You aren't as kind as others.
　Yes-Q11 No-Q10
Q13 You think that recent animated cartoons and cartoons in general are trivial.
　Yes-Q16 No-Q18
Q14 It is possible for you to sit at the desk for 30 minutes or more.
　Yes-Q19 No-Q18
Q15 You are a bully.
　Yes-Q19 No-Q14
Q16 You are now in the negative period.
　Yes-Type C No-Type D
Q17 You are ignorant.
　Yes-Q20 No-Q16
Q18 You can't trust adults.
　Yes-Type C No-Type B
Q19 You are hairsplitting.
　Yes-Type A No-Type B
Q20 You wish to express your gratitude for being alive.
　Yes-Type E No-Type D

A5
Type A- Infant level
Type B- School child level
Type C- Adolescence level
Type D- Societal member level
Type E- Elderly person level

Next, let's check your feelings concerning love.

No.6
　Let's check you and your girl friend/boy friend's capability. Please answer "yes", "no" or "either" to the following 15questions. After you finish, write the total points on the scorecard.
1, You and your partner have the same tastes in food.
2, You got a present from your lover, but you can't use it because it dose not suit your hobby.
3, When meeting, you two meet alone.
4, You think that if you have a child together, it will be lovely.
5, It has been said that you are not a good match for your lover.
6, It is you that talks most of the time.
7, You don't know what your lover is doing when you are not together.
8, You often make a mistake with the meeting time and place.
9, You sometimes understand what your lover wants to say.
10, Silence dose not worry you.
11, You have made your lover angry because of your jokes.
12, You hardly talk about your past or your family with your lover.
13, You can use the towel your lover used without feeling uneasy.
14, Your lover's jokes are not interesting.
15, There is a friend who assists you two people.

A6
24 or more "yes" answers
　You have good compatibility. Your relationship is sure to last long.
Yes is 16-23
　Your compatibility is so-so. Positive relations are simply good luck.
Yes is 8-15
　Your compatibility is not so good. A long-lasting relationship seems to be unlikely.
7 or less "yes" answers
　Compatibility is the worst. A catastrophe might be coming.

No.7
　What kind of ice-cream do you want to eat?
1, different three types of ice cream. For example strawberry, vanilla, chocolate.
2, orthodox vanilla.
3, Ice cream such as rum raisin, chocolate chip, etc.
4, Sherbet

A7
　In this test you can know your recent feelings concerning love.
1, You might have flirtatious tendencies.
2, Your relationship may be serious. Your partner may be thinking about marriage.
3, The body is requested before love.
4, Your partner does not enjoy always being together.

No.8
To men:
　What is a car for you? And what kind of car do you want to have?
To women:
　What is a bag for you? And what kind of bag do you want to have?
Please answer freely.

A8
　In this test you can know what kind of person with whom you want to associate.

To men
1, You want a new car you don't want a used car
　　= The person who was together with someone is unpleasant. You want to associate with a woman who doesn't go out with other men.
2, You want the foreign-made car once.
　　= You want to associate with a foreign woman.
3, You want to have a car, but it is too high or hard to maintain.
　　= You imagine that associating with a woman equals using a lot of money.

To women
1, Brand things
　　= the academic background, the income, the occupation, looks, etc, everything that becomes complete is good.
2, Now you can only buy a cheap one but in the future you want one that you have been yearning for.
　　= You wish that a dream lover would show up.
3, A functional bag appropriate for any dress.
　　= A person who is together at any time.

No.9
　What was stolen by phantom thief X.
1, A diamond of 200 carats.
2, A Buddhist image.
3, An oil painting that a famous painter did.
4, A valuable old document.

A9
　In this test you can know how you recover from disappointed love.
1, You recover immediately. You aim at love in one rank.
2, You do not have a grudge against your lover.
3, You crash to the bottom of Hell, and try to beautify the love.
4, You drag it indefinitely. You have a fear that you will become a stalker.

Last, let's check about your work and money.

No.10
　There was a vase in the museum. It broke in front of you. Other people think that you broke it. What will you say to your friend?
1, Is it there anything I can do to make amends?
2, I don't know what happened. I didn't to anything.
3, It was bad to put it here.

A10
　In this test you can know your how you work.
1, It takes time. = You are a perfectionist
2, It takes time to execute. = You prepare carefully
3, The action is ahead of the idea. = Your workmanship is good.

No.11
　What kind of house do you want to live in?
1, A cottage where the village has parted.
2, A Japanese style house with a Japanese garden.
3, A European style house still in a residential area.
4, A comfortable apartment house.
5, An old house in the country.
6, Something along the lines of a hotel.

A11
　In this test you can know your sense of money.
1, Rather than having high hopes, you prefer to live simply.
2, You work hard, and it save hard.
3, You are torn over whether to spend money or not.
4, You try not to waste money.
5, You are careless with money.
6, The more there is money, the more you use it.

　　How was the psychological test? Were you able to enjoy it? Thank you for taking it!

　　116-2 Yuki FUJITA

The IT Powers in the World

　　These days, more and more aspects of life depend on the existence of computers. Anything, from a medical appointment, making of clothing, business, homework… you name it. It's probably going to be quite a task to find something completely unassociated with computers in the society we live within. But is this OK? Is this something you can just by pass and dismiss of as another one of those wonderful celebrated growths of human technology?
　　Although computers can be made to do so much with even a little knowledge, they are truly complicated on the inner sides. While many people take advantage of a computer with important matters, most do not understand even a fragment of the complication behind the plastic covers. But because these devices are so complicated inside, they can easily lose stability and result in a freeze or a crash, maybe an over heat, or even a data loss. The problem is, that despite the frequency of these bugs, no one really knows how to fix them at the spot -- and sometimes these matters are un-fixable all together, too. This can be a significant put down in many of the most important scenes in life. Anything could happen, starting from losing an essay, all the way to a possible blow up of a nuclear plant.
　　Though Japanese students do not rely on computers as much as young people in other countries, like the US students do -- mostly due to the advance cell phones; there are so many things that they probably don't realize will be affected if computers all break down. After all, their trusty cell phones won't work without the help of the provider's database, most likely on a computer.
　　Maybe, it's necessary to sometimes to go back to a pencil and paper -- and think about the luxuries of a more simple world. Mother Nature granted us with everything. Now we grant ourselves technology. But as of ourselves -- we're definitely not a part of the metal boxes. Go back to your senses once and you'll see that the world that you stress over maybe just a complicated knot of wire.

　　117-2 Shifumi NAGASE

Soft Tennis

　　Do you know soft tennis? It is similar to tennis, but there are some different points between soft tennis and tennis.
　　I belonged to the soft tennis club when I was a junior high school student. This is because there were nice "senpai" in that club and there were not so many members, so I thought I could play tennis many times. Some people say that soft tennis is not so interesting. But I know it is a very interesting and exciting sport, so I want to introduce soft tennis's good points.
　　There are about 3 different points between soft tennis and tennis. First, the racket. A soft tennis racket isn't as heavy as one used in real tennis. You can hit a ball only with your hand.
　　Second, the ball. A tennis ball is very hard. On the other hand, a soft tennis ball is very soft and safe. It is not so dangerous if a ball hits someone. But it has s disadvantage. It is so light that if it is windy, a ball curves. It doesn't always curve in the way you want it to!!! Otherwise, it is also a good point. We can change a ball by curving it in a certain way. A "cut serve" is one example. We hit a ball as if we were cutting it. A ball changes its shape like a UFO. It also sounds like a bee. If you can do it, you must think that soft tennis is an interesting sport.
　　Third, the rules. Soft tennis has severe rules. For example, serving. In tennis, a person can throw a ball up in the air many times. If you think it is not a good ball to hit, you don't have to hit it. But you can't do it when you play soft tennis. You can throw a ball only two times if you think it is a bad ball to hit. You have to hit a ball no matter what happens!
　　What do you think about soft tennis? Do you want to play it? I know tennis is interesting, because I took part in the TOUIN-Tournament last year. But you will think soft tennis is interesting, too!! So, if you have time, why don't you try it?

　　116-2 Saki NABETA

Progress in the Library

　　Usually, the library of this school doesn't close so long in the summer vacation, and students can study there. But this year, it closed during summer vacation. For students, another study room was prepared. Do you know what happened in the library?
　　A big change came to the library. All books in the library are managed by computer. Because of that, students borrow and return books easily. Until July, any student who wants to borrow books had to write the title of the books and the classification numbers of them on his or her card. But now, such complicated formalities are not needed. To borrow books, a student has only to hand them to a librarian at the check-out desk. Then, the librarian does the formalities by using a computer. And, to return the books, the student can put the books in the return box, which is in the corridor in front of the earth science room. In other words, whenever a student wants to, he or she can return books. Of course, the student can hand the books to the librarian directly.
　　Then, I'll explain other ways in which the library changed. First, until summer vacation, all books got bar codes on their backs. Then, in summer vacation, information about the books and their bar codes were put into the computer together. There are a lot of books in the library, so this work took a long time. But at last near the end of the vacation, the work was finished, and on September 1 the improved library opened. Every book has its own bar code and is managed by computer.
　　Through this new bar code system, we can now know about the books in the library by computer. Whether the book we want is in the library or not, if it is in the library, where the book is, whether someone is borrowing it or not, and so on..., we can know all of these facts.
　　The bar code system made the library more convenient and modern. Tsukuba High School advances over time, and the library of this school also advances over time. It made an especially great advance in this summer vacation. For a long time to come, this advance will be very useful for everyone.

　　116-3 Nanami MIURA