5分シリーズ
(5 Minute Series)
Author: Various (published by エブリスタ)
Genre: short stories, moving
Great for: Intermediate (JLPT N2)
Length: Around 210 pages
Amazon Japan: 5分シリーズ（5分後に涙のラスト） (will need to search for others)
Bookwalker Japan: 5分シリーズ
Japanese Synopsis (from Amazon Japan)
小説投稿サイト「エブリスタ」が主催する短編小説賞「三行から参加できる超・妄想コンテスト」入賞作品から、さらに選りすぐりのものを集め、加筆・修正。20000作超から選ばれた最高の感動体験8作。
English Synopsis (translated by JTalk Online)
A collection of short stories from the novel website Eburisuta which were hand selected or won the “Great / Imaginative Contest for Sangyo”. Eight incredibly moving tales handpicked from 20,000 stories.
Why You Should Read 5分シリーズ (5 Minute Series)
There are multiple books in the「5分シリーズ」 by エブリスタ, and each one has its own theme:
- 5分後にいい気味なラスト
- 5分後に超ハッピーエンド
- 5分後に君とサヨナラのラスト
- 5分後に涙のラスト
- 5分後に誰も死なない涙のラスト
- 5分後に驚愕のどんでん返し
- 5分後に感動のラスト
- 5分後に禁断のラスト
- 5分後に猛毒なラスト
- 5分後に恋するラスト
- 5分後に癒されるラスト
- 5分後に皮肉などんでん返し
- 5分後に切ないラスト
- 5分後に歪んだ愛のラスト
I was walking through Village Vanguard when I saw this series of books and decided to pick up 5分後に涙のラスト. Why the crying one? Because I like stories that make me cry, and honestly, I was in a melancholy mood that made me want to read something SAD.
I don’t read short stories in English. To tell you the truth, I don’t like short stories. Or at least, I thought I didn’t, but I was pleasantly surprised by 5分後に涙のラスト!
First of all, each story is incredibly short; only about 20 pages each. I also found most of the stories had short sentences and short paragraphs. So, they are incredibly quick reads.
Not a quick 5-minute read, though. I timed myself for a few of these and it took me 20-40 minutes to read each story. Then again I am not a native Japanese speaker, and I read slowly in English anyway. So, reading time may vary.
However, they’re also quick reads because they’re so good! I was surprised at how these short stories could quickly get their hooks into me and make me want to find out what happens next! They were great page turners.
My one critique is that I didn’t cry! I teared up once but didn’t cry. Although that could because I was expecting to cry and so made myself not cry? Either way, they were great heart-string pulling stories.
Speaking of crying, I find it hilarious they have a 5分後に誰も死なない涙のラスト book. I might have to read that to see how they make people crying without killing anyone off!
Why Japanese Learners Should Read 5分シリーズ (5 Minute Series)
I was considering recommending these books to JLPT N3 levels because the stories are short. But decided N2 might be better after finishing the book. If you are N3 level and want to give one of these a try I highly recommend it!
However, the way some of these short stories are written are incredibly flowery and might be challenging for some. Then again, the flowery language is a great step away from the simple grammar structure used in light novels.
It’s also a great way to read a variety of writing styles in Japanese. As the stories are so short, you can easily pick up these differences and see how native Japanese people use their language in different ways.
One aspect of different people’s writing styles is the different language they use. 200-400 page novels, for example, tend to use similar sentences and words all the way through. Whereas I found these short stories to be full of new words and kanji. (See vocabulary list below.) It was a great way to be exposed to a wide variety of terminology in a short amount of time.
As I mentioned, these stories are short, page-turning reads. Which makes them great for people who need a short Japanese reading goal. Bursts of reading practice you can easily get done in a day, make them great motivational goals for Japanese studies.
Summary
I read 5分後に涙のラスト from the 「5分シリーズ」 by エブリスタ, but I really want to pick up more!
The wide variety of themes means you can easily select a book that matches your mood.
These short stories are great page-turners for quick Japanese practice for upper intermediate learners.
Vocabulary from 5分後に涙のラスト
Feel free to use this for your own studies or Anki decks.
| Kanji | Kana | English |
| 鬼気迫る | ききせまる | bloodcurdling, ghastly |
| 眼差し | まなざし | (a) look |
| 忌々しい | いまいましい | annoying, provoking |
| 巨額 | きょがく | great sum |
| 清算 | せいさん | (to) liquidate, settle |
| 手切れ | てぎれ | severing a relation, connection |
| 手切れ金 | てぎれきん | consolation money |
| 懸念 | けねん | worry, fear |
| 沸々 | ふつふつ | simmer, bubble over |
| 歯軋り | はぎしり | (to) grind teeth (frustrated) |
| 憔悴 | しょうすい | (to) waste away; exhaustion |
| 蒼白 | そうはく | pale |
| 傍らに | かたわらに | besides, nearby |
| 不憫 | ふびん | pity, compassion |
| 回顧 | かいこ | recollection |
| 殺風景 | さっぷうけい | dreary, tasteless |
| 奈落 | ならく | hell; theatre basement |
| 奈落の底 | ならくのそこ | the abyss |
| 自暴自棄 | じぼうじき | desperation |
| 些細 | ささい | trivial, slight |
| 疎遠 | そえん | neglect, estrangement |
| 献身的 | けんしんてき | devotion |
| 豹変 | ひょうへん | sudden change |
| 樹海 | じゅかい | sea of trees |
| 一睡 | いっすい | (not) a wink of sleep |
| 分娩室 | ぶんべんしつ | delivery room |
| 無為 | むい | idle, inactive |
| 除細動器 | じょさいどうき | defibrillator |
| 痙攣 | けいれん | cramps |
| 豆粒 | まめつぶ | speck |
| 掠める | かすめる | to graze, skim; to rob, pillage |
| 宥める | なだめる | to soothe, calm |
| 撫でる | なでる | to stroke |
| 羅列 | られつ | enumeration |
| 同棲 | どうせい | (to) live together |
| 暫くして | しばらくして | after a short time |
| 頬杖を突く | ほおづえをつく | to rest one’s chin in one’s hands |
| 鉄槌 | てっつい | (iron) hammer |
| 眉目秀麗 | ぶもくしゅうれい | handsome |
| 頭脳明晰 | ずのうめいせき | have brilliant mind |
| 剛毅花壇 | ごうきかだん | fortitude and resolution |
| 通販 | つうはん | mail order |
| 起床 | きしょう | (to) get out of bed |
| 咀嚼 | そしゃく | (to) chew, break into bite-sized pieces |
| 餓死 | がし | (to) die from starvation |
| 金蔓 | かねづる | source of revenue, financial support |
| 払拭 | ふっしょく | (to) wide/sweep away |
| 銃身 | じゅうしん | gun barrel |
| 白昼 | はくちゅう | daytime, midday |
| 白昼堂々 | はくちゅうどうどう | in broad daylight, openly (unashamedly) |
| 脳震盪 | のうしんとう | concussion |
| 装甲 | そうこう | armored |
| 晒す | さらす | to expose (to air, public, danger) |
| 貪る | むさぼる | to indulge in, deeply desire |
| ふさぎ込む | ふさぎこむ | to mope, brood |
| 戒める | いましめる | to prohibit, forbid; to warn |
| 黙認 | もくにん | (to) tolerate, tacit consent |
| 被弾 | ひだん | (to be) shot, bombed |
| 甲高い・疳高い | かんだかい | high-pitched, shrill |
| 整髪 | せいはつ | hairdressing |
| 整髪料 | せいはつりょう | hair product (cream, gel, etc.) |
| 惣菜 | そうざい | side dish |
| 筋違い | すじちがい | cramp, sprain |
| 決壊 | けっかい | (to) break/rip down |
| 虫食む | むしばむ | to eat into, spoil |
| 復唱 | ふくしょう | (to) recite, repeat, rehearsal |
| 大鉈 | おおなた | big hatchet |
| 大鉈を振るう | おおなたをふるう | to make drastic cuts |
| 変哲 | へんてつ | unusual |
| 変哲もない | へんてつもない | usual, monotonous |
| 諫める | いさめる | to warn (not to do) |
| 小奇麗 | こぎれい | neat, tidy |
| 否応無しに | いやおうなしに | compulsory, whether you like it or not |
| 饒舌 | じょうぜつ | talkativeness |
| 饒舌家 | じょうぜつか | talkative person, chatterbox |
| 纏う | まとう | to wear, put on |
| 孕む | はらむ | to conceive, be filled with, get pregnant |
| 嗚咽 | おえつ | (to) sob, weep |
| 商談 | しょうだん | (to) negotiate, discuss business |
| 律儀 | りちぎ | honesty, integrity |
| 訝しい | いぶかしい | suspicious |
| 焦点 | しょうてん | focal point, focus (photography) |
| 整理 | せいり | (to) sort, arrange |
| 整頓 | せいとん | (to) put in order, tidy up |
| 整理整頓 | せいりせいとん | keep things tidy and in order |
| 会釈 | えしゃく | (to) greet, nod |
| 懐古 | かいこ | nostalgia, remember the old days |
| 懐古的 | かいこてき | old fashioned |
| 哀愁 | あいしゅう | sorrow, grief |
| 感慨 | かんがい | strong feelings, deep emotion |
| けん盤 | けんばん | keyboard (piano, computer, etc.) |
| 雲泥 | うんでい | great difference |
| 雲泥の差 | うんでいのだ | a world of difference |
| 朦朧 | もうろう | dim, hazy |
| 紺色 | こんいろ | deep blue |
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