Useful terminology

In the pages that will (hopefully) follow, I’ll probably be using some terms unfamiliar (some might say ‘foreign’ and they’d be right) to those who don’t know much about anime or manga. Hmmm… then again, would they be reading this anyway? Maybe some will (thanks Mum!), and even if they don’t, well, at least I’ve uploaded another page for posterior… I mean posterity…

This will probably be a work in progress as I realise I’ve left words out (or as friends will remind me, “What about this word, doofus?”) and it’s by no means definitive, but it’ll help… hopefully. So without further ado…

Ahoge

Literally means ‘foolish hair’. Consisting of one or more, often large, locks of hair sticking out from the top of the head, it is most often used to identify silly, clumsy or carefree characters. What we’d probably call a ‘bad hair day.’

Anime

I suppose any topics covering anime and manga, should at least have a definition of these. ‘Anime’ is an abbreviation of the English word animation, originating in Japan. Although the term is used in Japan to refer to animation in general, in English usage the term most popularly refers to material originating from Japan. Calling anime ‘cartoons’ will result in you getting frowned at.

Bishie (also Bishounen, Bishoujo)

A bishoujo is a young, pretty girl; a bishounen a young, pretty boy. Both are often referred to as Bishies (although that’s more of a Western thing, than Japanese, as far as I can tell). Not so much a genre in their own right, but more of a character definition.

Cosplay

Short for ‘Costume Play’ and it means just that. Fans dress up as their favourite characters from various anime, manga, games and even live action shows and appear at various conventions. Although there are some who are very good, and are famous for cosplaying (like Kipi-san shown here, cosplaying Alice from ‘Aria’), especially in Japan, most end up looking gormless. And no, I don’t get it either.

Doujinshi

These are self-published Japanese or English works, usually manga or novels and normally based on existing commercially published manga or anime. The word is derived from the Japanese words for “same person”, used to refer to a person or persons with whom one shares a common goal or interest and “magazine”. Despite what one would think about copyright infringement, Doujinshi are actually quite popular and thousands flock to the doujinshi conventions each year, the largest of which, Comiket, is held annually at Tokyo’s Big Sight. Contrary to popular belief, not all doujinshi is pornographic and some extremely popular mainstream works have started their lives as one or other form of doujinshi, like Haibane Renmei or the Higurashi franchise.

Ecchi

This basically means ‘indecent.’ Comes from the Japanese pronunciation of “H” which in turn is the first letter of hentai (pervert). In anime, ecchi can describe mild sexual scenes or fanservice.

Eyecatch

An eyecatch is what we would call a ‘commercial bumper’ – the freeze-frame or illustration used to begin and end a commercial break.

Facefault

Anybody who’s watched non-serious anime will have seen a facefault at some time or another. It often refers to exaggerated facial expressions, such as the pretty much standard everywhere eyes-on-stalks shock expression. However, there are a couple that are unique (as far as I can tell) to anime.These include:

• The Giant Sweatdrop: May indicate a response to a stupid or insane action or spoken line.
• Multiple smaller sweatdrops: May indicate nervousness or fear.
• Pulsating crossed forehead veins: Indicates anger, rage or irritation.
• Nosebleed: Indicates lust or arousal (without getting the censors worked up). Rarely, but occasionally, seen in female characters.

• Lumps: Any blow to the head will immediately result in a large, fleshy lump (as most cartoons too). Often this is accompanied by plasters attached in an ‘x’ across, but not covering, the lump.

Those are the most common. I might go into this in more detail at some point.

Fan Service

Scenes or situations serving little purpose to the story but designed to arouse the viewer, whether male or female, with bare skin or offbeat action. The ever-so-popular shower scene is a good example of fan service.

Fan Sub

Often done to allow non-Japanese viewers to watch and understand unlicensed anime, fan subs are made for fans by fans and making profits off them is expressly prohibited.

Hentai

Its direct translation means “pervert” and refers to any scene or movie that explicitly presents nudity or sexual acts. Can also be used to describe a person who is strange or out of the ordinary.

Honorific

Short status indicators place immediately after one’s last name. Used frequently in Japan, these can be confusing since they make someone’s name appear altered in specific occasions

• -chan Small or baby. Used among very close friends and relatives, especially females
• -kohai One’s junior. Usually substituted with –kun or -chan
• -kun Used among very close friends and relatives, especially males
• -sama Lord. Used when addressing people of utmost respect or when referring to gods. Usually employed in concurrence with a title but can also be used with a name
• -san A close equivalent to Mr. and Mrs. Used as a respectful method of addressing people of similar status
• -senpai Upperclassman. Used in relation to fellow classmates of higher level or age
• -sensei Teacher, master or doctor. Used either at school or while being involved in a discipline or art.

Josei

A genre of manga or anime for late teenage and adult female audiences.

Manga

Japanese comics often possessing a linear storyline that extends to several volumes. The manga industry exploded in the early 1950s and was used as inspiration for many anime.

Mangaka

A professional Japanese comic writer / illustrator.

Mecha

Typically used when talking about giant, human-controlled robots but can also mean any type of destructive, mechanical weapon. Constitutes a genre featuring futuristic warfare.

Meganekko

Literally “glasses girl” and it means just that. Almost every series will have at least one and they tend to be cute, smart and serious. If she’s in high school, there’s a good chance that she’s the class president, or if she’s older, she’s the kind of girl your parents wish you’d bring home.

Omake

Bonus footage for interviews or comedic relief. Can feature as an additional chapter in a manga, or as a bonus episode on an anime DVD.

Otaku

A fan on an extremely obsessive level. In Japan, a derogatory term. Used anywhere outside of Japan, otaku automatically refers to an anime obsession. Probably the closest (and nastiest) approximation would be to call somebody a trainspotter or anorak. And no, I’m not…

Scanlation

Much like fansubs bring the rest of the world unlicensed anime, scanlations are translations of unlicensed manga, produced free of charge by fans for fans.

Seineninen

A genre of manga and anime generally targeted at an 18–30 year old male audience, but the audience can be much older with some comics aimed at businessmen well into their 40s.

Seiyuu

A Japanese voice actor, male or female.

Shoujo

A girl or young woman. Shoujo anime and manga is a genre marketed as entertainment for young girls but it is quite all right for boys to enjoy, too. Romance, love and cute guys are common themes in shoujo anime.

Shounen

A boy or young man. Shounen anime or manga is a genre marketed as entertainment for young boys, often featuring a young man surrounded by attractive girls (also referred to, surprisingly enough, as a harem anime or manga).

Super Deformed

An anime art style in which characters have very small bodies shouldering large heads. Super Deformed often leads to exaggerated facial expressions and movement. Not to be mistaken with ‘chibi’ which really refers only to very short, or midget characters.

Yaoi

A male/male relationship, what us Westerers would call gay manga, I guess. Strangely, in Japan, it tends to be made by women for a female audience.

Yuri

A female/female relationship.

If you’d really like to see a more comprehensive list than what I’ve thrown together here, Wikipedia has a fairly decent summary.