Be sure to read the announcement I posted earlier today, in regards to translating. The gist is that I’m going to be taking a break for a while - I’ll still be translating a few titles (Nuramago included), but at a slower pace due to current real life circumstances.
That aside, here are this week’s translation notes.
page 1
Tsurara: Come, come, give a speech!! Everyone has come to hear it!
Original Japanese: さぁさぁご挨拶を!!みんな来てますよ! (saa saa go-aisatsu wo!! minna kitemasu yo!)
This is another case of implied verbs in the original Japanese. ご挨拶 (go-aisatsu) has several meanings, and is frequently used to refer to thanks/formal greetings. It can also mean “a formal speech/address”, which seemed the most relevant in this context.
Rikuo: Err… this is a bit early, but it’s been almost 4 years since the spring of 2008.
Rikuo: 6 years have already passed since we appeared in 2006’s Akamaru Jump… our having continued for this long is due entirely to all of you.
Most of you are probably thinking “huh? 2006? But the oneshot was in 2007!” And you’d be right - the oneshot appeared in Weekly Jump in 2007. Akamaru Jump (now called Jump NEXT!) is where the vast majority of Weekly Jump series get their start, and is released twice yearly - in spring and winter. It’s also where Nuramago first appeared, back in the Spring 2006 issue. Seeing as there isn’t really any other information about it circling around, the Akamaru oneshot was probably the same or very similar to the oneshot everyone already knows.
For reference’s sake, this isn’t always the case. The only example I can think of is Sket Dance, where the Akamaru oneshot is drastically different from the oneshot which appeared in Weekly Jump - even down to some of the characters’ names.
Zen: Hey, writer, put me on the volume cover if I’m in the top 10!!
Believe it or not, Zen really hasn’t appeared on a volume cover yet (I checked). I kinda want to believe that this is Shiibashi subtly hinting for readers to vote for Zen, but then again… he’s placed 7th in both previous popularity polls.
page 5
(Yura): What’s with that guy, his arms… are on fire!!
…oops. Technically, only one of his arms is on fire. Like I said in the announcement linked up there, RL is a bit hectic at the moment - so chalk it up to that.
page 8/10
Hiruko: Th…the serpent was?!
Natto: A… huge snake…
You’ll notice that I keep switching between “serpent” and “snake” throughout this chapter, and there’s a reason for that.
Hiruko refers to the snakes as 雄呂血 (Orochi), which is technically the shikigami’s actual name. Unfortunately, since the shikigami shares its name with its summoner, I took a little leeway to make certain they were distinguishable this chapter (since Hiruko mentions both of them).
Tsuchigumo and Natto Kozo refer to the snakes as 大蛇 (daija), which literally means “huge snake”. 大蛇 can also be read as “orochi” (though that reading isn’t used here) - as in the mythical 8-headed serpent.
page 14
Tenkai: I believe this is quite appropriate
Tenkai: for the trial run of my barrier.Tenkai: Hello, Keikain… I am the Gokadoin’s 7th head.
Tenkai: My name is Tenkai.
I felt it was worth mentioning that Tenkai occasionally uses an archaic speech pattern. Also, though he refers to himself using 僕 (usually read “boku”), the reading given is “yatsuko” - which apparently has a humble connotation.
page 16
(right) Revolving Asura Arm
Original Japanese: 回転阿修羅腕 (kaiten ashura kaina)
The Asura, as you’ll remember from a few chapters ago, are powerful and violent deities from Hinduism. The last kanji, 腕, is read here as “kaina” and means “arm”. When read as “ude” (which is more common), it can also mean “skill”.
page 19
Hiruko: It’s rare for me to use it against a solitary yokai… not to mention that I haven’t used it since the last years of the Edo era!
Hiruko actually says he hasn’t used the technique since Bakumatsu, which is a term referring to the final years of the Edo period, when the Tokugawa Shogunate came to an end. It generally includes events occurring between 1853 and 1867.
