Anime Glossary

A

anamorphic

Noun: Videophile term for true widescreen video on a DVD.

Detail: A DVD of a widescreen production (such as a theatrical movie or show produced for HDTV) can be created with a standard 4:3 width to height ratio, and have the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen included as part of that picture. On anamorphic (also known as enhanced widescreen) DVDs the widescreen version of the video is squeezed to fill the whole frame, resulting in more detail in the image. On a standard TV, most DVD players automatically add the black bars to the image; on a widescreen TV an anamorphic DVD will be stretched to fill the screen and end up looking sharper than a standard widescreen one. Almost all DVDs (anime or otherwise) of widescreen productions are anamorphic; the only US-release non-anamorphic widescreen anime DVD I'm aware of is Pioneer's Vandread.

anime

Noun: Animation in the style developed and commonly used in Japan since the 1950s.

Generally refers to the artistic style, but also a style of characterization and stories. Can also be used to describe comics and other still art drawn in the same style, though manga is more commonly used for that meaning. Comes from the Japanese word for animation. Used by some people to refer specifically and exclusively to animation produced in Japan, regardless of style.

Say: "Annie-May"

B

baka

Noun: Fool, idiot.

The Japanese word for idiot or fool. A common insult (in fact it's one of the only ones) in Japan (and as a result anime), this has been picked up by English-speaking fans. Very commonly used in fanfics or just as an expression. The sentence version, "[name] no baka," is also relatively commonly used (probably picked up from Akane's frequent use of the phrase "Ranma no baka" in Ranma 1/2).

BGM

Noun: Background music.

The music (usually instrumental) that you hear in the background of anime.

C

catgirl

An anthropomorphic, female cat-human hybrid character.

Generally a cute girl with catlike ears and possibly a tail, though the category extends through humanoid girls with fur and generally feline features (whiskers, claws, etc). Catboy is also occasionally used. See furry for a more general term for furry humanoids.

cel

Noun: A single drawing on transparent plastic used in the production of animation.

Cels are (usually) hand painted on a piece of transparent acetate and overlaid on a background picture to produce one frame of animation. Cels are popular anime collectors' items, and can be bought from numerous web-based businesses. Most modern animation is produced with digitally painted artwork, rather than hand-painted physical cels, although these images are still sometimes called cels, as in digital cels.

CG

Noun: Computer Graphics.

Usually this refers to 3D animation (or backgrounds rendered from 3D models) done with computers, which is common in newer anime productions. It can also be used to describe art drawn on a computer, including traditional-looking animation, but that is a less common use.

character designer

The person who designs the look of each character in an animated production.

This important member of the staff of an anime production does prototype drawings, on which the animated art will be based, for each character's facial expressions relating to different moods and emotions. They design the look of each character's face, hair, and usually clothes. Note that in some cases the character designer is not the original creator of the characters, but instead interprets the original creator's style to create the prototypes to be animated.

con

Noun: Short for convention--an official gathering of anime vendors and fans.

Anime conventions range from relatively small regional affairs to massive gatherings of thousands of fans from all over the country; standard features include anime viewing rooms, autograph sessions and talks by special guests (at large cons these are frequently Japanese comic artists and voice actors), cosplay areas, and vendor rooms in which anime goods of all sorts can be bought.

cosplay

Costume Play; either the act of dressing up as favorite characters, particularly at a convention, or a sort of amateur theater in which fans in costume reenact scenes from anime, almost always at conventions.

Cosplay is used to refer to both the act of reenacting scenes from anime dressed as the characters and the act of dressing up with no theater involved. The word is an Americanization of a Japanization of Costume Play; that phrase was adopted by the Japanese and shortened into Cosu-purei, which has been readopted into English as Cosplay (both versions have the same meaning).

D

digisub

Noun: Digital fansub.

A digitally produced and distributed fansub. Produced by fans who digitize as-yet-unavailable-in-English anime and add subtitles. Digisubs are extremely popular, they have rapidly replaced copied VHS tapes as the preferred method of distributing fansubs, to the point that it is synonymous with fansub. Digisubs were originally shared/traded by fans using Internet file sharing software such as the now-defunct Hotline, and are now common on the newer services, particularly BitTorrent.

doujinshi

Noun: Comics or artwork depicting alternative or unauthorized versions of characters.

Doujinshi can mean several things. Most generally, Doujinshi are unofficial comic books (or other art, possibly digital), usually by an amateur, that is based on characters not owned by the writer/artist. Somewhat like fanfiction. Depending on who publishes these, they can range from legitimate to completely illegal, usually the latter.

The second definition follows; the thing is, most Doujinshi are that way because they are about subjects that wouldn't be covered in the actual series--that is to say, adult topics. Again, these range from somewhat more mature versions to outright pornography, and from legit to illegal (almost always the latter). Note that despite being technically illegal, these are generally tolerated in Japan.

The third version is collections of (mostly erotic) amateur art distributed in underground channels via disk (floppy, that is, and now the Internet/usenet). Once in a while one of these artists will gain some notoriety and their works may make it to a CD-ROM collection or something of the sort.

dub

Noun: Anime that has had the original dialogue replaced with dialogue in another language
Verb: The act of re-recording the dialogue of a program with dialogue in another language.

In the context of Anime, it almost always means a Japanese show dubbed with voices in English or another language (also, at times, songs as well). Dubs are generally more popular than subtitled anime (though it depends on the series). Some fans only like dubbed versions, others (purists) hate them with a passion, and a small third group will accept either.

DVD

Noun: Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc (the industry can't seem to make up it's mind).

A CD sized disc, with enough space to store a full length movie in a digital format (about two hours of MPEG-2 encoded video, if you're interested, and more can be stuffed into a dual-layer disc, although discs can hold significantly more or less depending on the quality). DVD is by far the dominant format for US-released anime; almost all releases are DVD-only, with occasional parallel releases on UMD or, rarely, VHS, but only in the case of very commercial children's series. DVDs provide for multiple audio tracks and subtitles that can be turned off, meaning that most US anime DVDs include both the subtitled and dubbed version.

E

ecchi

Noun: Pervert, lech.

A Japanese word for pervert (though the connotations are somewhat more mild--see hentai for a stronger version). Usually used by American fans to refer to anime and related art of an adult nature. Commonly used term on the web. Properly written H in Japanese, ecchi has an interesting linguistic origin: the Japanese word for pervert is hentai. This was sometimes abbreviated (by the Japanese) as H, which in this case is, in turn, pronounced (again, by the Japanese) ecchi. The word H/ecchi has since developed into a slightly different meaning in Japan; it most frequently refers to anything erotic, though it is still used as a relatively mild insult.

Say: "Etch-ee"

eyecatch

Noun: An image or very short bit of animation inserted in the middle of an episode.

Eyecatches are still images or very short bits of animation, usually including a musical flourish and a series' title, that are (usually) inserted into the middle of each episode of a Japanese TV series. Two halves of the eyecatch usually frame the mid-episode commercial break. Some newer OAVs also include these, though there would have been no commercial, because fans seem to like them.

F

fanart

Noun: Artwork drawn by fans of their favorite characters.

Basically, the artistic version of fanfiction.

fandub

Noun: An anime dub produced by fans.

A variant of the fansub, these are anime videos dubbed by fans. They are extremely rare, and only a handful exist.

fanfic

Noun: An unauthorized story, written by fans, involving characters from an existing story.

Fanfics are usually created by fans who want to extend existing stories past the official storyline of books or movies. Anime- or manga-based fanfics are popular, though fanfiction exists about many other types of characters, including some non-fictional ones. Though (almost by definition) created without the approval of the creators/owners of the characters they portray, these writings are generally accepted as a display of affection by dedicated fans. Usually written in installments and published on the Internet, the content ranges from continuations of the official story to improbable situations to erotica, and the quality of writing from crude to very skilled. Note that fanfics in general can be referred to as fanfiction.

fanfiction

Noun: Unauthorized stories written by fans about their favorite characters.

Fanfiction is the general term for stories written by fans about their favorite characters, without the approval of the creator/owner of the characters. See fanfic, above, for more detail, but note that fanfic refers to an individual story ("This is a good fanfic" or "I like fanfics"), while fanfiction is used similarly to the plural to describe the type of material as a whole ("I like fanfiction").

fanservice

Noun: Material in a story included specifically to please a certain group of fans.

Usually used to mean, basically, otherwise unnecessary stuff thrown into a story to titillate adolescent male fans. It mostly includes shower/bath scenes or flashes of underwear that usually have little to do with the story but seem to be generally appreciated by fans (or at least the teenaged male ones). Also can be used more generally (if less frequently) to refer to almost anything unrelated to the story but included to please fans--fancy outfits, flashy mecha, a cute animal, that sort of thing.

Also sometimes written as two words, "fan service."

fansub

Noun: A video translated and subtitled by anime fans, rather than a professional company.

Fansubs are of widely varying quality (from near-professional to extremely crude), and were for years distributed by fans willing to spend the time to copy and mail tapes for the cost of shipping and the blank video. Recently, digisubs have become the preferred method of distribution--digital video files transferred through file sharing over the Internet. Though quasi-legal, since they are traditionally available only for series that have not yet been translated into English officially, and when done properly are not used to make a profit, they are generally accepted without much hassle, and are very popular with many serious fans, as well as those who like uncut (and perhaps subtitled) versions of series such as Sailor Moon or Dragonball. Fansubbing has taken off in recent years thanks to the internet and easy to use, inexpensive subtitling software.

Fansubs are technically illegal, although opinions from an ethical standpoint are mixed. Most fans accept them unquestioningly, and there are cases where fansubs have served as underground advertising for untranslated series, but there have been others where companies were reluctant to license anime due to market saturation of fansubs. The effect of widely available digisubs on the anime market is not entirely clear, as with all other digital piracy.

furry

Noun: Anthropomorphic, usually humanoid versions of animals.

Used as a noun, furry in an anime context most commonly refers to characters that are cat/human hybrids (aka catgirls). Almost always humanoid with full-body fur, but specific features can range from mostly human (though cat/dog like ears on top of the head are very common) to more animal-like, featuring muzzle, whiskers, and paws.

Noun: Anthropomorphic characters and their fans, usually with an emphasis on sexuality
Adjective: Things relating to the above.

In broader terms, furry is used to describe a general sub-section of anthropomorphics (animals given traits usually attributed to humans); it is at times used to categorize all things featuring anthropomorphic characters with fur, the furry characters themselves ("a furry"), or the people who are fans of these characters and stories featuring them. Though not exclusively, furry frequently has a sexual connotation, and the term arose along with the rise in popularity of erotic anthropomorphic art during the 1980s. The term is, in some connotations, used to describe the related fetish.

H

H

Adjective: Short for the Japanese word hentai.

Short for the Japanese word hentai and pronounced (at least by the Japanese) ecchi, English speaking fans usually read it as if it were the letter. See the definition for both of those terms for details, but note that H is frequently combined with other words to point out adult content: H-anime, for example, would be adult anime.

Say: "H" or "Etch-ee"

hentai

Noun: Pervert.

The Japanese word for pervert. It is commonly used by English-speaking fans to refer to pornographic anime. Also used occasionally (particularly on the web or in fanfics) as an insult, with the same meaning as it has in Japanese. Note that hentai and ecchi are directly related words in Japanese (hentai was abbreviated as H, which is pronounced ecchi), but the connotation of hentai is now closer to the English deviant or pervert, while ecchi is more like lech or dirty, and generally milder.

I

image album

Noun: A CD of music written to accompany a comic book.

In Japan, popular comic series will frequently have one or more CDs of music produced for fans to listen to--a sort of soundtrack (and one more thing to buy, if you're a fanatic).

J

Japanamation (or Japanimation)

Noun: Japanese Animation; also crude, old-style Japanese animation.

An old, now rarely used Americanization of Japanese Animation--see anime. Now sometimes used derisively by anime fans to refer to crudely produced anime; things that resemble shows like Speed Racer, which were popular when the term was in use.

Japanime

Noun: Japanese Anime

This clunky Americanization of Japanese anime is rarely if ever used. Anime is now accepted as the preferred term, though ironically now that anime is no longer an exclusively Japanese art form, the phrase Japanese anime is not redundant. However, the awkward sound of Japanime will probably prevent it from ever being widely used.

K

kawaii

Adjective: Cute.

The Japanese word for cute, since it is often used in anime (exclaiming "Kawaii!"), is frequently used as an interjection, particularly in writing.

Say: "Ka-wa-ee"

keepcase

Noun: The type of plastic, clamshell case most commonly used to hold DVDs.

These are also called Amaray keep cases, probably after the first company to manufacture them. There are other, similar, types/brands of plastic DVD cases, such as the boxier AlphaPak.

keyframe

Noun: A detailed animation cel drawn by one of the head artists on the production team.

Lead animators, who usually have more skill and are higher in the hierarchy than the rest of the artists in an animation studio, only draw keyframes. Keyframes usually come at the beginning and end of a particular animation sequence, to provide an artistically consistent, well-drawn starting and ending point for the sequence. The space between keyframes is filled with more frames by other (lower paid) artists, producing a smooth transition from, say, one position to another. Still shots (such as a close-up of the main character's face) are almost always keyframes.

L

LaserDisc

Noun: Large CD-like video discs once relatively popular among serious anime fans.

Though now a dead format due to the massive popularity of DVDs (and their superiority in all areas), LaserDiscs (frequently abbreviated LDs) were once a relatively popular video format among serious movie buffs. The 12-inch optical discs used an analog video format and provided superior video quality to VHS, as well as the ability to have two audio tracks; US-release anime LaserDiscs frequently included both the English dubbed and Japanese soundtracks, with subtitles available through closed captions. Once popular with movie buffs in America, LaserDiscs were slightly more popular in Japan and were particularly big with Japanese anime fans--almost all animation in Japan ended up on a LaserDisc, and VHS tapes were, in some cases, actually less popular. DVDs did not initially take off in Japan with quite as much vigor as in the States, but while LaserDiscs held out much longer, DVDs are now the dominant format there as well.

LD

Noun: Abbreviation for LaserDisc.

lemon

Adjective: Mature content.

A Japanese expression that has made it's way into the vocabulary of English-speaking fans; it is used to refer to mature content or erotic situations, though it tends to be used to describe fairly mild material. For example, fanfics containing raunchy material or erotic scenes are frequently referred to as lemony or something similar. Somewhat similar to ecchi, although lemon usually has milder connotations.

letterbox

Verb: Placing black bars at the top and bottom of the screen to allow a standard TV to display a wider image.

Letterboxing is placing those black bars at the top and bottom of the screen that let a 4:3 width-to-height ratio TV display a movie filmed with a wider aspect-ratio (most commonly 16:9, though there are others). Has become common on videos in America. Most DVDs of theatrical movies will appear letterboxed on a standard TV, but the technology is somewhat different; the DVD stores the whole image, and the DVD player adds the black bars for a TV that can't display the whole picture--see anamorphic. Since an anamorphic DVD has a higher quality image than a letterboxed DVD when used with high-end video equipment (even though both will look the same--with the black bars--on a standard TV), anamorphic DVDs are better than letterboxed DVDs. In anime, you will usually only see letterboxing on movies that were released theatrically in Japan (and even then, some movies weren't filmed in widescreen ratio). Note, though, that shows made for the HDTV format are usually widescreen, which means nearly all anime produced since the mid to late '00s (TV or OAV), in part because widescreen TVs caught on faster in Japan than elsewhere.

M

magical girl

Adjective: Generally used to refer to the genre of stories involving a normal schoolgirl who is given magical powers.

There is some disagreement about the exact definition, but this term is generally used to refer to the genre of stories, geared toward younger (preteen) female viewers, involving a normal schoolgirl who is given magical powers (inevitably involving transformation of some sort) and usually expected to save the world. Some definitions focus more on the magical superhero-style powers, while others assume that being thrown into an alternate world as a savior is more important. Sailor Moon is the classic example, though the genre has been around since the 70s. The Japanese language version, mahou shoujo, is also occasionally used.

mahou shoujo

Adjective: Japanese for magical girl.

manga

Noun: In English, usually used to mean Japanese comic books.

Occasionally also used (even by the Japanese) to refer to animation. It is also the name of the anime company Manga Video, which is frequently shortened to just Manga in discussions.

Say: "Mahn-ga"

mangaka

Noun: Comic book artist.

This term, occasionally used by English-speaking fans, is taken directly from the Japanese word and has the same meaning.

mecha

Noun: Giant robots.

Among English-speaking anime fans, it is usually used a little more specifically to refer to the big robots that are so common in anime (Robotech and the like), but it can also be used to mean mechanical stuff in general (including cars, spaceships, and giant robots as well). Comes from the Japanese word for mechanical, "meka," which in turn came from the English word mechanical. It usually shows up in the credits of anime as Mecha Design, being the folks who design the look of the mechanical stuff in that anime.

Say: "Meh-ka" (like the city)

O

OAV

Noun: Original Animated Video. A sort of anime miniseries produced to be released directly to video.

The word is used both to refer to individual episodes and the series as a whole. Series are usually 4 to 8 parts, each one 30 to 45 minutes long. Frequently released in the US on volumes containing two or more OAVs. OVA is a more commonly used version, although both are correct and OAV is preferred at this site.

otaku

Noun: Japanese word used by English-speaking anime fans to refer to an avid anime fan.

Though otaku refers specifically to anime fans in English use, and is frequently used with pride, in Japanese it is somewhat more of an insult (having a lot of negative connotations) and more general. An anime otaku would be something like saying an obsessive anime fanboy in English, but you could also have a mecha otaku (person obsessed with mechanical stuff), a computer otaku (obsessed computer geek), or any other variety of otaku.

OVA

Noun: Original Video Animation. A sort of anime miniseries produced to be released directly to video.

The word is used both to refer to individual episodes and the series as a whole. Series are usually 4 to 8 parts, each one 30 to 45 minutes long. Frequently released in the US on volumes containing two or more OVAs. Also called OAV, though OVA is more commonly used; both are correct, and OAV is the preferred term at this site.

R

Ronin

Noun: The Japanese term for a samurai without a master.

Basically, Ronin wandered around looking for work as a hired sword, and have a sort of cool, lone gunslinger image--think Clint Eastwood. The most popular instance along those lines is probably the movie Yojimbo, but there are many others, including plenty in anime. People who did too poorly on the Japanese college entrance exams to get into a decent school and are studying in cram school so they might succeed next year are also called Ronin.

S

SD

Adjective: Short for Super Deformed; a style of anime art with large heads and tiny bodies.

The SD art style is quite commonly used in comic interludes; it is the cute/silly art style with very large heads and tiny bodies. Often used along with anime or manga series as a kind of self-parody (for example, a few short comic strips at the end of a comic book).

seiyuu

Noun: The Japanese word for voice actor/actress.

Commonly used by English speaking fans on the web in place of actor or voice actor when talking about Japanese voice actors.

Say: "Say-you"

shoujo

Adjective: A style of anime artwork and story created for girls.

Characterized by plots that focus on emotion and relationships, and art that tends toward the florid, with lanky characters and rather effeminate (but always attractive) men. Mostly popular with teenage girls in Japan, shoujo-style work has not spread widely in other countries, but it does occasionally gain recognition outside Japan (some examples are Revolutionary Girl Utena and X). The most common uses are shoujo manga, literally meaning girls' comics, and shoujo anime meaning girls' animation. Also romanized as shojo, though that is actually a different word in Japanese.

sub

Noun: Short for subtitled.

Used to refer to a subtitled anime video. Generally less popular than dubbed anime, but preferred by many serious fans.

super deformed

Adjective: A style of anime art with large heads and tiny bodies, usually abbreviated SD.

T

trailer

Noun: Video advertisement for a movie.

Though in the live action film industry trailer is usually restricted to ads for films, it is used to describe video ads for all forms of anime. Theatrical trailers are the ads shown in theaters before the film.

TV series

Noun: You should know what this means.

Some additional detail as the term pertains to anime: Japanese TV series are done in chunks of weekly episodes, always aired in order without mid-season repeats. Series usually run either a quarter year (one season of 12 or 13 episodes) or two seasons (24 to 26 episodes) of sequential half-hour episodes. In some cases series will be extended past two seasons or a sequel series will be produced, though this is relatively rare outside of very popular children's shows. Note that Japanese TV series, since they aren't usually aired out of order, frequently have a more coherent ongoing plot than American series, particularly in the case of animation.

V

VHS

Noun: Video tapes--you know what they are. Abbreviation for Video Home System.

Functionally a dead format in the US anime industry; the only anime VHS tapes still produced are of the dubbed versions of very commercialized children's shows, and even those only rarely. VHS has held on considerably longer in Japan, though popularity is waning rapidly.

voice actor

Noun: The actor who does the voice for an animated character.

W

widescreen

Adjective: Any video image that is wider than the standard 4:3 ratio of a standard TV.

Though older TV shows are filmed in the standard 4:3 width-to-height ratio of a standard TV, theatrical movies and modern HD-targeted productions have a wider aspect ratio (more width for the same height, that is). 16:9 is the standard ratio for widescreen TVs and thus HD video; theatrical movies are often even wider. Widescreen is used to describe any image that is wider than 4:3, which will include most theatrical movies (though not all--some anime movies were filmed in a 4:3 ratio) and most TV productions created for HDTV (meaning nearly all anime since the mid to late '00s). On a standard TV widescreen video is displayed letterboxed--with black bars at the top and bottom.

Y

yaoi

Adjective: Stories involving male-male relationships.

Commonly used by English-speaking fans (particularly of the type who write fanfics) to refer to stories involving male-male relationships (generally between young, pretty hero types). The female version, though much less used (serious lesbian relationships are uncommon in anime), is yuri.

yuri

Adjective: Stories involving female-female relationships.

The female version of yaoi is less commonly used, due to the relative lack of serious lesbian relationships in anime.