Aliens Area: Research Notes

Tucker

SIX WORDS

• Here come the Nakama in Black
• Still better than any MIB sequel.

AUTHOR:

• Naba, Fusai 那波歩才
  • Nah-bah, fuh-sigh

CHARACTERS:

• Tatsunami, Tatsumi 立浪辰己
  • Tah-tsuh-nah-mee, tah-tsuh-mee
    • Reminder about “tsu” sounds again: Ts sounds are exactly the same as English, only Japanese allows it at the beginning of syllables, while English only allows it at the end!
    • Practice by repeating  “pots and pans,”  but then then think of the words being spaced like “pah tsand pans” …congrats, you just made the ts sound!
  • Name written as “standing wave, dragon self”.....not sure if it has any significance
• Sharaku, Hajime 写楽一
  • Shah-rah-ku, Ha-jee-meh
  • Written as “picture+pleasure+one”...again, not sure if it has any significance at all
• Miwa, Fukusuke 美和福助
  • Mee-wah, fuh-kuh-skay
  • In names with “suke” at the end, the “u” in “suke” is only barely pronounced (whispered vowel), so it ends up sounding like “skay” (think Sasuke/Jousuke)
• Inase, Ginji 稲生銀二
  • Ee-nah-seh, gheen-jee
• Fujiko, Yumeko 藤子夢子
  • Fuh-jee-ko, Yuh-meh-ko
• Sata, Shuuji 佐田修治, Sata Shūji
  • Sah-tah, shoe-jee
• Mieno, Shizuchiyo 三重野静千代,
  • Mee-eh-no, Shee-zuh-chee-yo
• Princess Paiun  パイウン
  • Pie-oon
  • Bonus points: try practicing the Japanese open “u” sound. It’s the same as “oo” in English, but pronounced with the lips remaining open rather than closed/rounded like in English
• Nyaame ニャーメ, Nyāme
  • Nyaah-meh
• Ninotachi aka Maumoki (or Maumaki?) 二ノ太刀 / マウマキ
  • Nee-no-tah-chee
  • Mah-oo-mo-kee OR Mah-oo-mah-kee
  • Not quite sure which version of this alien assassin’s real name is correct. The Viz translation has “Maumoki,” while a fan wiki has it written in katakana as マウマキ, which would be “Maumaki”....honestly, I would avoid that name altogether, since they barely even use it in the series itself!
  • Again, try practicing the open “u” sound on Maumoki!
• Akina
  • Ah-kee-nah
• Kashimura, Yutaka
  • Kah-shee-muh-rah, Yoo-tah-kah

OTHER:

• Myumerians
  • Can’t find an exact way how they spell it in Japanese, so I’ll guess on what the author/translator is going for
  • Mew-mair-ians
• Joumon
  • Joe-moan

Pretty much the earliest era in Japanese history that left behind cultural artifacts, most famously the stone figurines the Myumerians are based on

MaxyBee

Author: Fusai Naba

• Prior works:
  • Apollo (2018, Weekly Shonen Jump) ONE SHOT
    • Golden Future Cup entry. Lost to Phantom Seer. Became Aliens Area.
  • Harakiri Gomen (2020, 4 chapter, Weekly Shonen Jump Digital Edition)
    • Miniseries only included with digital copies of Weekly Shonen Jump. Samurai stuff.
• Who they were an assistant for: No-one as far as I can tell.
• Notable assistants: No-one
• Anything else interesting:

Publishing

• Series it replaced: Ayashimon by Yuji Kaku
• Series that replaced it: Pick any of the latest round of four, it’s not very clear. Maybe Cipher Academy because that’s the second series of the round and this was the second cancellation. So Cipher Academy by Nisio Isin and Yuji Iwasaki

Manga Itself

• The editor changed about a month in, which isn’t uncommon, but I don’t have many interesting things to say.
• The series shortens to AliAre in Japan, pronounced Ah-lee-ah-ree, which is cute. Kind of pointless, as Aliens Area is already a short title. Like this isn’t TeniPuri (The Prince of Tennis), you know?
• The series will have been over for THREE MONTHS by the time volume 2 comes out. Big wait for all its 5 fans.
• That was mean, sorry. I read chapter 1. Seemed nice enough.