retention; maintenance; preservation
eating while standing; eating at a (street) stall
comfortable; easy; calm; loose; spacious
in session; in progress; under way; open
repeating; repetition; repeat (performance); rebroadcast; repeat sign; playing (an audio or video recording)
overheating; overexcitement
soon; shortly; before long; nearly; almost
sanity; consciousness; soberness
year-end gift; end of the year; year end
(story of the) Forty-seven Rōnin; the Treasury of Loyal Retainers; Chūshingura
White Tiger (god said to rule over the western heavens); seven mansions (Chinese constellations) of the western heavens
party; group; crew; company (of troops); corps; unit
to flicker; to glimmer; to flit; to fall lightly (snow, rain)
December; twelfth month of the lunar calendar
flatly rejecting; curtly refusing; beating easily; defeating handily; a kick
to miss a chance; to fail to do
incomparable; cannot compare (with); beyond comparison; in another league
to be dispirited; to be dejected; to be disheartened; to lose heart
year-end party; "forget-the-year" party; bōnenkai
New Year's holiday; period encompassing the close of the old year and the start of the New Year
soba noodles eaten at night on New Year's Eve
kickoff party; rally; pep party
blank; blank space; gap; time spent not doing something (e.g. working, practicing)
complex; inferiority complex; complex (of buildings, facilities, etc.)
My goodness!; Good lord!; Holy cow!
to lick; to lap; to taste; to experience (esp. a hardship); to look down on (someone); to make fun of
bygones; the past; past event
pink; erotic (usually used in relation to the sex industry); blue; pornographic
to put on the brakes; to put a stop to
to twist; to wrench; to puzzle over; to defeat easily
failing college entrance exams and retaking them a year later
to overdo; to do too much
student waiting for another chance to enter university after having failed the yearly entrance examination
one's nature; characteristic; inherent; natural
to do over again; to redo; to start over; to remake; to resume; to recommence
base (e.g. of a triangle); low class; low in social standing; base (e.g. of support); foundation
number of days (times) one has attended
repeating a year (at school); staying in the same class for another year