Anime for Libraries Glossary: What are they talking about?
Adult Swim - This television network is “Cartoon Network” during the day, becoming “Adult Swim” around 10pm at night. It specializes in cartoons for the 18-30 year old viewer. These shows are sometimes “re-done” versions of 1960’s and 1970’s classic cartoons, though they also have original programming. There is a warning at the beginning of each show stating that parents may not want children younger than 14 to view. Some of the more iconic shows from Adult Swim include Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Futurama, and Robot Chicken. It is very clearly not for children.
anime – The Japanese word for animation. In the west, a feature is considered to be anime if it originated in Japan. However, more recently this term has been used for films that follow Japanese anime styles and storylines, regardless of where they originated.
New! bloody noses- Bloody noses are often used in anime to depict sexual arousal. When a character gets a bloody nose, it's a safe bet that he is looking at fan service.
New! chibi - A style of animation/ drawing that is notoriously cute in nature, where the body is about the same size as the head. This style of animation is often used for comedy, or as a character's "inner self." Chibi characters are often depicted with very large eyes and have high, squeaky, child-like voices.
clean opening / closing - This is the animation that the credits roll over at the beginning and end of a show, only without the credits.
conventions (cons)- There are many anime conventions, or cons, that are held throughout the year, such as Anime Vegas or A-KON in Dallas. Other conventions, such as the San Diego Comic Con or New York Comic Con, cover not only anime but also comics, movies, and other related things. Conventions are a great way to meet people with similar interests and learn about new series or items of interest.
cosplay- Short for "costume play," this aspect of anime culture often draws attention at cons and anime clubs. Basically, it is dressing up as one's favorite anime (or in some cases, video game or movie) character.
dubbed- This refers to the English language dubbing, which is usually not preferred by anime fanatics because for many years it was badly done or varied dramatically from the original Japanese. Large anime companies have been changing this perception by doing a better job of both translating the Japanese and making sure that the animated mouth movements match the actors’ dialogue.
F-bomb- A word that starts with "F" and rhymes with "truck."
fan service - Fan service refers to shots of panties poking out from underneath very short skirts, busty women showing lots of cleavage, and women dressing in as little as possible, often defying the laws of gravity.
hentai – The Japanese word for ‘pervert’. This term is used in the anime realm to describe the genre of anime with pornographic scenes and ideas. Basically it is animated porn.
manga – The Japanese word for ‘comic books’. Many anime films are based on manga series, or vice versa.
mecha - Mecha is a general term for anime that deals mostly with large robots driven by human pilots. Robotech, Neon Genesis Evangelion and RahXephon are three of the more popular examples, Evangelion often referred to as the greatest anime of all time.
Miyazaki - Hayao Miyazaki, a very famous Japanese director, is considered an artist in Japan and in much of the US. He is often referred to as the “Japanese Walt Disney” and has raised the art of animation to new levels over the course of his 40+ year career. Several of his films, including Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away have been lauded by American critics and nominated for Academy Awards, and all of his films have a tendency to lean towards environmental issues.
Otaku – In Japanese, the word Otaku has a negative connotation and can best be equated to the English words “nerd”, “geek”, and “enthusiast”. In the West anime and manga fans have embraced the term and interpreted it as “fanboy” or “obsessed fan” and are proud to be called Otaku.
ratings- The ratings that we use in the "general information" area are the ones that the distributor/ publisher has given out to each title. Each company uses different rating systems, which is why these are not consistent. We add these to our reviews as a convenience, but stress that they are not of our making.
ronin – A samurai with no master.
Shoujo (Shojo) – term used to describe manga or anime targeted towards the young female demographic.
Shounen (Shonen) - term is used to describe manga or anime targeted towards the young male demographic.
storyboards - Storyboards are series of illustrations of scenes in an anime film that are used to layout the film before the actual animation process. They look similar to a comic book in appearance. These are used by film creators and animators to layout scenes and find any inconsistencies before the scenes are fully animated.
stylized nudity - This is nudity in which no detail is seen. In Japan it is taboo to draw pubic hair, which means that most stylized nudity is an outline of the body in which nipples and other details are absent. Often covered by wisps of cloud, shadows or strategically placed limbs, this sort of nudity appears often in anime for younger viewers. The Japanese have no problems with this sort of thing for children, and it’s one of the cultural differences that American librarians must contend with in our more conservative society.
subbed - This refers to the English subtitles, usually accompanied by the Japanese language track. Some newer anime fans find it harder to watch subbed anime because they have to read very quickly and often miss a lot of the action on screen. Long-time anime fans (sometimes referred to as “purists” or Otaku) insist that subtitles are the way to go. With most disks you can have both the English dub and the English subtitles play at the same time as long as your DVD player supports it.
voice actor – A person who provides the voice or voices for animated characters. Often gaining fame with anime fans, most anime conventions (cons) will have several voice actors there to sign autographs and connect with their fans.
YA - A common abbreviation for Young Adult, usually encompassing youth from age 13 to 18. Many library districts will have their own definition of Young Adult.