Welcome to the Nihongo Lesson feature. We strive to give you useful manga-based Japanese language tips and maybe even a glimpse into the translation process. This week’s lesson will focus on the latest JUMP START series! Amalgam of Distortion and Spring Weapon No. 01 are completely different types of series, and that kind of variety is one of the best things about Shonen Jump.

AYAKASHI (あやかし)

AYAKASHI and YOKAI are supernatural monsters that appear in Japanese folklore. Some of them can be friendly, while others are quite sinister. These monsters make frequent appearances in manga and anime. One example would be Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, a series that does a great job of introducing all of the popular Japanese monsters. Since the experiments in Amalgam of Distortion involve implanting ayakashi cells into humans, it’s likely we’ll see some of these familiar creatures in the future.

NAMBA ZEROICHI (難波零一)

We’ve often talked about the importance of names in Shonen Jump manga. Many creators choose a name that say something about who the character is, while other creators will use the name to make a hilarious joke. The title character in Spring Weapon No. 01 is the first weapon created by an evil organization called Numbers. And look, his name is a tweaked version of “Number 01.” The other main character is nicknamed “Agent” because his name is Eiji. You know a mangaka is succeeding in comedy when the names of the characters make you laugh!

Get more tips by listening to our PODCAST!