Zan: Tucker Report (Patreon)

Author: Sugita, Naoya 杉田 尚（すぎた なおや）

• Remember that the “Nao” is not pronounced like English “now” and is two separate syllables!

Title: 斬 Zan

• Just written as the kanji that means “slice”

Characters:

• Murayama, Zan 村山斬（むらやま ザン）
  • Remember to pronounce all of the “a” syllables in Murayama exactly the same (so no “merruh-YAmuh”)
• Tsukishima, Yayoi 月島弥生（つきしま やよい）
  • Again, remember that there are no sounds like “oy” in Japanese, so “Yayoi” gets three clearly-defined syllables (ya-yo-i)
  • The “shima” part of of her family name gets a whispered vowel when spoken, so it would sound something like “sh’ma”
• Ushio 牛尾（うしお）
  • Name literally written as “cow tail”
• Kinoshita, Shizuo 木下静夫（きのした しずお）
  • Personal name written as “calm man/husband,” which I think is supposed to be ironic
• Murayama, Zannosuke 村山斬ノ介（むらやま ざんのすけ）
  • Family name same as Zan
  • The “Zan” in personal name is the same kanji as Zan’s given name
  • Break down the given name in your head to make it more manageable. “Zan-no-s’ke” (“suke” at the end of male Japanese names are almost always pronounced with a whispered vowel sound a la Josuke or Sasuke)
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Concepts:

• Kenbutou 研無刀（けんぶとう）
  • Sounds like it should mean “sword dance” when spoken aloud, but when you read the kanji, it reads more like “sharpen-no-blades”