vivid; bright; brilliant; skillful; skilful; adept
to read (a book); to open (a book) to read; to unravel (e.g. a mystery); to discover (the truth)
debut work; one's first work
theme; topic; subject matter; motif; project; slogan
obsession; fixation; complaining; criticizing; speciality (e.g. of restaurants)
binding; regulation; limit; binding period (e.g. phone or broadband contract); minimum contract term
to prepare; to provide; to set up; to establish; to organize
tender; warm; meticulous; detailed; deep (of a colour); thick (e.g. fog)
important point; emphasis; iteration mark; colon (punctuation)
to compare and contrast two alternatives; to weigh the relative merits of A and B; to weigh one's options; to try to have it both ways; to try to sit on two stools
tearfully; in tears; weeping; reluctantly; unwillingly; with a heavy heart
to shave (wood, leather, etc.); to sharpen (e.g. pencil); to cut down (budget, expenses, staff, time, etc.); to curtail; to delete; to erase
whole year; entire year; n-th year anniversary
turning point; critical juncture; knot (in a tree, etc.)
to impose (a tax, fine, etc.); to levy; to assign (a task, duty, etc.); to give; to set
intention; aim; preference (for); orientation (towards a goal)
slope; incline; hill; milestone; (age) mark
to go out to meet; to receive; to welcome; to accept (e.g. as a member of a group or family); to call for; to summon
the big two...; two major...; two main...
first place; first rank; unit's position; Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata)
conquest; domination; mastery
election; selection; choice
plan; meter; measuring device; (in) total; total (of)
traditional cap worn by Shinto clergy and courtiers; crown; diadem; top kanji radical; first verse of a haikai, etc.; best; peerless
principle; general rule; as a rule; in principle; in general
desirable; hoped for; preferable; advisable
to have a taste for; to be fond of; to enjoy (in moderation); to be modest; to be prudent; to watch (e.g. one's behaviour)
seed (e.g. of a plant); pip; material (e.g. for an article); matter (e.g. of a story); ingredient; leaven (bread); cause
beforehand; in advance; previously
planting a field with the same crop each year; repeated cultivation; collaborative literary work; story made up by several writers working on it in turn; series (of novels); cycle (of poems, songs)
to fight against; to oppose; to face
last; final; closing; last train (bus, flight, etc.; of the day)
disk; disc; tray; shallow bowl; grid; board (e.g. in shogi)
surging waves; raging billows; turbulent; tempestuous; tumultuous
revealing something that was foreshadowed earlier in the story