championship race; struggle for victory
to bite into (e.g. rope into skin); to cut into; to eat into; to encroach; to be wedged (i.e. underwear pulled from the back, driving it between the buttocks)
awareness of things around one; ability to understand what is going on around oneself; judgment; judgement; discretion
military service; combat experience
brilliant; glorious; glittering; bright; splendid (e.g. achievement, success); promising (e.g. future)
otherwise; or else; if not
whim; caprice; vagary; eccentricity
brush tip; first on a list; head; chief
candidate; contender; prospect; candidacy; candidature; nomination
swordsman; swordswoman; fencer
before or since; neither before nor after; no other time in one's life; stressing a particular moment or event as being unique or most extreme
well-known; famous; noted; popular; recognized
to hit each other; to exchange blows; to fight
surrender; submission; capitulation; being defeated (e.g. by a problem); giving up; giving in
essential; important; crucial; vital; main
harmless (remark, topic, etc.); inoffensive; safe; bland; neutral (attitude); noncommittal (reply)
(in the) neighbourhood; neighborhood; around; about; for instance; say
script; screenplay; scenario
release date; publication date; opening day; open day
small part (e.g. in a film); bit part; extra
offstage; backstage; behind the scenes
three (long cylindrical things); three-of-a-kind (in a dealt hand)
assigned role; duty; position; suitable role; best-suited job
heroine; female protagonist; heroine; heroic woman; brave woman
oscillation; vibration; swing (e.g. of a pendulum)
gesture; gesticulation; motion
(hand) gesture; movement of the hand
feeling good; feeling at ease; feeling easy
cruel; brutal; ruthless; merciless; inhuman
as planned; according to plan
bridge (of a koto, etc.); cylinder; prism
destroying; annihilating; eradicating
cotton plant (Gossypium spp.); batting; wadding; padding
one's own army; one's own team
at present; currently; so far; for now; for the time being
first-person plural (or singular); second or third person plural (implies speaker is of higher status than those referred to)
reading in a monotone; stiff delivery; wooden delivery; reading a Chinese classical text without translating it into Japanese
sword fight (in a film, play, etc.); stage combat; fight scene
yellow; high-pitched (voice); shrill
attractive; good-looking; stylish; cool