Why?
Why is Japanese stuff so much cooler?
Actually, I wonder how good the translation is--I certainly hope it's as nice as the illustrations. My Japanese skills are not anywhere near good enough to tell the difference between a good and bad translation yet, but, heck, at a couple bucks a piece I can afford to buy two copies of each and scan one. (Destructively. A good scan requires unbinding. But, oh, how I hate to do that to a book! :'()
Which reminds me... Anyone interested in a Japanese-language study group? I am not currently actively studying the language, but mostly because I don't have much study material nor a discussion group. I wonder how difficult these books are. Yes, I see that there are kanji, but it is possible for an adult learner to jump right in. Beneficial even--that way you don't build up a huge backlog of kanji to learn later.
Tomorrow I'll see if I can pick up a textbook (since I'm going to the bookstore anyway), but there aren't any classes in the area, unfortunately.