A Glossary of Anime-Related Terms

[laceblade]

Because sasha_feather asked! If there's stuff I missed that you wanted me to address, let me know.

Although, I know there are people on my FL who can define these better than I. So, if you have input, please give it, and I'll edit/credit the post when needed.

I'll start with the popularity of this stuff. Someone once explained the pervasiveness of anime in Japan to me this way: It's like Star Wars is in the U.S. Some people are really freaky obsessed with it. Some people have sampled and enjoyed it, but don't get crazy about it. It's something that everyone has heard of, even if they haven't tried it themselves. Overall, taking part in the anime/manga subculture is a lot more socially acceptable than reading comic books is here in the U.S. Everyone, from CEOs to waitress to little kids, all read manga.

lavendersleeves offers this phenomenon explanation instead:

also, if I were to compare the phenomenon of anime, within Japan, to anything, I'd compare it to something like Warner Brothers. There are cartoons/ movies for all ages, and even if you're not obsessed with Tweety (and I know some adults who are!) you've probably seen and enjoyed some WB cartoons or movies or TV shows throughout the years. This isn't even an issue of sampling--the *textbooks* are even written in manga-style. Adults might not be familiar with what's in vogue right now, but without being raised in a cave, there's no way you escaped childhood without knowing at least Sazae-san, Doraemon, and Totoro.

anime - The Japanese word for animation. Outside of Japan, it's used to describe movies and TV series that come from Japan. Avatar: The Last Airbender is not anime, because it comes from the U.S.
The images have to move on a screen of some kind. This term does not refer to the comics. Anime can be anything from a 30-second short to a full-length feature film to a 268-episode TV series. In Japan, anime is regularly broadcasted on TV in primetime slots.

manga - The Japanese word for comics. Manga (which is both the singular and plural form of the word) refers to the comic book. Manga is different from American comic books in that they're almost always printed in black and white.
If it's from Japan, it's manga. If it's from Korea, it's manhwa. If it's from China, it's manhua.

I've already posted extensively on the difference between manga and comics in this post.

shoujo/shojo - Anime/manga directed at girls. Usually, it focuses on emotions and relationships. Examples: Sand Chronicles, NANA, Cardcaptor Sakura

shounen/shonen - Anime/manga directed at boys. Usually, it focuses on action and camaraderie. Examples: Bleach, Naruto, Ranma 1/2

josei - Anime/manga directed at older women (not porn; that's addressed later). Instead of focusing on high school students (although sometimes it still does that, too), it'll focus on 20-somethings, or women already in the work place. Examples: Honey & Clover, Tramps Like Us, Nodame Cantabile

seinen - Anime/manga directed at older men (not porn; that's addressed later). More action, more adventure. Examples: Bamboo Blade, Seirei no Moribito, Fullmetal Alchemist

kodomo - Anime/manga directed at children. Examples: Hamtaro, Doraemon

yaoi - Yaoi specifically refers to male/male doujinshi (see below for a definition of doujinshi). If the canon relationship in professional anime/manga is male/male, then it is referred to as "Boys Love." Example: Gravitation. (takumashii is credit for most of this defintion!)

Refers to manga or anime (usually manga) that focuses on a male-male relationship. It need not be sexual in nature to be yaoi, but just a romantic love. A common English phrase to interpret "yaoi" is "boys' love." A relationship doesn't need to be "canon" to be considered "yaoi." You can write yaoi fanfiction, or the original anime/manga series can have a yaoi relationship to begin with. It doesn't describe the relationship's role in canon, but rather the nature of the relationship.

Shonen-ai - "In Japanese fandom, it refers to manga written in the 1970s and early 1980s by people like Hagio Moto and Takemiya Keiko - two of the best exemplars are "Song of the Wind and Trees" and "Thomas's Heart," neither of which has been professionally translated. Basically these are stories of love between teen boys, but with a lot of intense friendships, unrequited longing, sexual tension that maybe never really bubbles to the surface.

English fandom has also misappropriated this term; for English fandom it means 'yaoi, but no explicit sex.' " (definition by takumashii)

shotacon - Like yaoi, but featuring underage boys. Stay away!

yuri - Like yaoi, only for female/female relationships.

hentai - The Japanese word for "pervert." The term is usually used to refer to animated porn. People at work ask me all the time if I know of any "good hentai," and I really don't. I'm sure there's lots of stuff out there, though. What I do know, from looking at the DVD covers at Four-Star Video (where the hentai is mixed in with the regular anime), is that there is a lot of weird shit. Tentacle rape, boobs bigger than the rest of a woman's body, and God knows what else. I would recommend staying away, unless someone has specifically recommended something to you. Non-hentai anime can be disturbing enough. I don't think I'll ever foray into this realm of sexual exploration.

doujinshi - Doujinshi is like fanfiction, only in manga form. Sometimes called "doujin" for short, doujinshi is wildly popular in Japan, sold at conventions and in shops. While the making of doujinshi is considered a fan activity, many successful manga-ka (a person who writes/draws manga) get their start through doujinshi, including CLAMP. Doujinshi can sometimes include ridiculous sex, like hentai. It's often used to pair unlikely canon relationships, just like slash fanfiction is here in the U.S. Doujinshi is basically your equivalent community, I think, except that people buy and sell it, and it has pretty pictures.
Doujinshi doesn't necessarily have to use anime or manga as its source material. For example, there is a lot of Harry Potter doujinshi.

Comments

[jume.livejournal.com]

I think shounen/shojo-ai is yaoi/yuri but without the sex

[littlebutfierce]

I thought yaoi was pornoriffic, & shonen-ai was sweeter, not graphic (more relationship, less sex)? I can't remember where/why I got that impression, so I'll be curious to see if anyone else can supply some more background!

[takumashii.livejournal.com]

Curiously, a common Japanese phrase for yaoi is also 'Boys Love.'

I'M TERRIBLY SORRY. I'm not correcting you, because you're using the terms correctly in terms of English-language fandom. But it DOES bother me slightly, within the context of a glossary, that the terms have gotten so far away from their Japanese meanings. So I'm going to pontificate, because I don't think I've gotten up on this soapbox yet this year... Again, please treat this as Fun Interesting Trivia and not me saying you're wrong.

If you ask a Japanese fan, 'yaoi' refers specifically to m/m fanfic doujinshi. Fanfic can also be yaoi, but it doesn't count unless you're using someone else's characters. Professional manga and anime like Gravitation are by definition not yaoi, but Boys Love. That is how publishers and bookstores and fans categorize them.

Now, shounen-ai is also a very specific term in Japanese fandom. It basically means the manga that were written during the 1970s and early 1980s by people like Hagio Moto and Takemiya Keiko - two of the best exemplars are "Song of the Wind and Trees" and "Thomas's Heart," neither of which has been professionally translated. Basically these are stories of love between teen boys, but with a lot of intense friendships, unrequited longing, sexual tension that maybe never really bubbles to the surface.

English fandom has also misappropriated this term; for English fandom it means 'yaoi, but no explicit sex.'

[takumashii.livejournal.com]

(Yes, I bend to English custom and call myself a fan of 'yaoi,' just to avoid giving this speech, when in fact it's been years since I've bought anything that a Japanese fan would call yaoi. I gravitated towards prose profic because, uh, it's educational!)

[sasha-feather.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Thanks! I'm never gonna remember all this, though.

[lavendersleeves.livejournal.com]

Seinen isn't that old an age group. In fact, I'm pretty sure that Hellsing and Elfen Lied are not in this category. Seinen is like...Bamboo Blade, Soul Eater, FMA, and Seirei no Moribito. It's also not particularly masculine, although there's more action/ adventure than your typical shojo.

[lavendersleeves.livejournal.com]

also, if I were to compare the phenomenon of anime, within Japan, to anything, I'd compare it to something like Warner Brothers. There are cartoons/ movies for all ages, and even if you're not obsessed with Tweety (and I know some adults who are!) you've probably seen and enjoyed some WB cartoons or movies or TV shows throughout the years. This isn't even an issue of sampling--the *textbooks* are even written in manga-style. Adults might not be familiar with what's in vogue right now, but without being raised in a cave, there's no way you escaped childhood without knowing at least Sazae-san, Doraemon, and Totoro.

[mystickeeper.livejournal.com]

Don't be sorry! I am eager to stand corrected!

[takumashii.livejournal.com]

I read over what I wrote, and I was suddenly horrified at how Comic Book Guy it came out... ;)

Like I said, the terms are used in a certain way in English fandom, and I'm not trying to roll back the clock on that, but when there are so many definitions floating around... it's hard to know how to describe what I like without it coming out as "I like teh hawt mansex."

[mystickeeper.livejournal.com]

It didn't come off as Comic Book Guy to me...I am aware that you have lots of experience with the Japanese language and culture, particularly as it relates to manga. I just pick up what I can, but have never actually been taught what the terms mean. I'm surprised I even got the English fandom usage correct!

[homo-nescius.livejournal.com]

I think it's interesting that we need to make the distinction when there's no porn involved. This probably says something about how anime/manga has transitioned into American culture.