HENTAI GLOSSARY
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| ANIME.. The Japanese contraction and pronunciation of the English word animation. Anime refers to traditional hand painted cel animation, but also applies to animation created in part or in whole by computers (Such as the 3D digital animation Final Fantasy.)
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| ARIGATOU.. Thanks. The use of this word denotes some familiarity with the person it is being said to. The full polite expression would be, Doumo arigatou gozaimasu (Thank you very much).
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| BAKA.. An insult that casts a shadow on the function and contents of the subject's mind.. the word quite literally means fool. One could also say, o-baka or great fool.
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| BGM.. Short for "Background Music." This is the music played in the background of an anime. Unlike music in most Western animation, the BGM in anime can be very sophisticated and can stand alone on its artistic merits. Some of Japan's most talented composers, performers, and singers have created music for anime. Anime shows can also generate enormous numbers of soundtrack CDs, ranging in style from Pop, Rock, and Classical, to experimental noise and traditional Japanese folk music. Sailormoon alone generated some 28 music CDs.
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| BISHOUJO.. The literal translation is Beautiful Girl. Example; Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon... (Pretty Soldier Sailormoon). |
| BISHOUNEN.. The literal translation is Beautiful Boy. Bishounen are found in all types of manga and anime and can be quite masculine, they are not necessarily "effeminate" males but sometimes are. Bishounen are the focus in shounenai or Boy's love manga... see the definition of yaoi.
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| BUDDHISM.. Aside from Shinto, the other major religion in Japan is Buddhism. Buddhist teachings found their way to Japan in 552 AD, having traversed most of Asia from their birthplace in India. Gautama Buddha's message was that all suffering in this world is caused by desire and an attachment to the material plane of existence. Only through right living, ending desire, and doing away with the "self" can enlightenment be attained and the bliss of Nirvana entered. Although several very different types of Buddhism flourish in Japan, Westerners are usually most familiar with Zen Buddhism, which focuses on discipline and meditation, and has the most parallels with Taoism. When looking at manga and anime it's important to understand that these Arts sprang from a culture with a completely different religious orientation than Western countries. Japanese values and sensibilities have been shaped over thousands of years by Shinto and Buddhist teachings. Christianity is a latecomer to Japan, and today less than one percent of Japan's population embraces Christianity.
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| CGI.. Refers to Computer Generated Illustration as used in manga or anime. Macintosh computers started an explosion in the use of computer assisted illustration in manga production, and today's manga make heavy use of computers... though the results still look hand crafted. Today's anime makes wide use of computer technology, even when it is not evident. Miyazaki's Mononoke-hime (Princess Mononoke) used computer technology extensively for tracking motion, charting perspective, filling in color, and generating some limited special effects. Other contemporary anime like BLOOD: The Last Vampire rely heavily upon CGI but make no attempt to hide the results. "BLOOD" is a brilliant example of the fusing of traditional cel animation with the digital arts. |
| -CHAN.. The honorific used when addressing or referring to children, girls and young women. The word is not used between adults unless there is a great deal of familiarity and affection. Because of the cuteness of the term, this honorific tends to be gender particular and is more often heard when referring to females, as in "Rei-chan spoke with Gendo-san."
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| CHARA.. Japanese shorthand for the English word character. The word refers to character designs in anime, manga, movies, or games. Entire illustrated books are released for various anime series in which rough black & white sketches and refined drawings of anime characters are compiled. Many anime illustration books include a chara section.
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| COMIKET.. A Japanese contraction of the English words comic and market. Comiket is Japan's largest biannual gathering of manga sellers and buyers in Tokyo. Held at the Tokyo Big Sight Convention Center, crowds of over 100,000 people will show up for the two day event. Over 10,000 creators and publishers of doujinshi sell their wares at Comiket, but you can also find vendors selling postcards, posters, trading cards, and other manga and anime related items. Game developers also have a large presence, selling the very latest in anime computer games.
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| DOUJINSHI.. Doujinshi roughly translates into same stuff, different people. These are unofficial, amateur produced manga based upon successful, well established manga or anime series. Doujin range in quality from crude black & white pamphlets numbering a few pages, to beautifully produced volumes that dazzle the eye. You'll find incredibly talented artists creating doujin, and many successful mangaka got their start in doujin circles. Most doujinshi are parodies, or alternative takes on established titles, with some doujin venturing into explicit adult themes. Large Japanese publishing houses generally look the other way and ignore the small print runs of doujinshi publishers... which never amount to more that a few thousand copies.
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| ED.. Shorthand meaning the ending music that plays over the closing credits of an anime. Successful anime shows will always have their OP (opening music), and ED songs released on Compact Disk Soundtracks, with some theme songs even being released as CD singles.
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| ECCHI.. Ecchi is a mild term referring to someone or something of a perverse sexual nature. It is also the Japanese pronunciation of the English letter "H" (see HENTAI).
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| EYECATCH.. A visual in anime that precedes and follows an advertising break. The eyecatch visually summarizes the show's nature and most often features the main characters, sometimes drawn in super deformed style (see SUPER DEFORM).
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| FACE FAULT.. Often seen in manga and anime, a Face Fault is an exaggeration of facial features meant to convey extreme shock or surprise. A flabbergasted character's mouth will open until it literally hits the floor and eyes will become larger than usual. Most often a face fault is accompanied by the character simply falling over from shock.
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| FANSUB.. An unofficial video tape release of an anime that has been subtitled into English by fans. While technically illegal because of copyright issues, fansubbing has been one of the major vehicles for getting translated shows into the hands of Western audiences. Hence, fansub projects are looked upon favorably by veteran anime viewers, provided the fansubbers make no |
| FANFIC.. A work of fiction written by a fan and based on a popular anime or manga title.
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| GAIJIN.. Has the same meaning as the English word, foreigner though it's not necessarily used in a derogatory manner. The word is actually short for gaikokujin (foreigner), and is used to refer to all non-Japanese persons. While a few right-wing nationalist minded Japanese may imbue the word with the politics of distrust ("the foreigner" as threat to cultural purity), most people offer no offense when using the word and are most respectful to persons of non-Japanese descent.
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| GARAGE KIT.. A plastic model kit of an anime character that is constructed by hand with glue, customized, and hand painted. Most garage kits are representations of popular anime characters, though mecha are also to be found. In Japan there are several excellent magazines devoted to garage kit models REPLICANT (devoted mostly to characters), and HOBBY JAPAN (devoted mostly to mecha) being two such magazines. There are even large scale garage kit conventions that attract thousands of people. Wonder Fest, or WON-FES is a garage kit market held twice a year at Toyko's Big Sight Convention Center. At WON-FES one can see displays of the very latest anime character or mecha models constructed by fans. But kits are also available for purchase... either fully constructed and painted, or as kits to be built and finished by the buyer.
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| HENTAI.. A Japanese slang word meaning perverted or perversion. In the world of manga and anime, hentai refers to the adult oriented titles that present extreme, graphic sexual imagery. A common Western stereotype concerning manga and anime is that these artforms are filled with graphic sex. While such imagery exists (and has always existed in Japan), hentai titles make up just a small niche market in Japan's massive manga and anime output. Good examples of hentai anime would be La Blue Girl and Urotsukidoji (also see SHUNGA).
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| HENSHIN.. To transform. Seen most often in Magical Girl manga and anime like Card Captor Sakura, Sailormoon and Fancy La La. A henshin sequence is when a normal character transforms into their magical alter ego.
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| IDOL.. A young Pop singer, actor, or starlet. Japan has been awash with Pop icons since the 1960's, and today new Idols seem to be manufactured on a weekly basis. The all girl group Morning Musume is a fine contemporary example of an Idol group. Satoshi Kon's animated motion picture Perfect Blue is a murder mystery involving a female Idol singing group.
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| ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION.. A book of Illustrations or fine art created by a well known manga or animation artist. Illustration collection books are most often visual elaborations of already existing works, but they can also be an artist's exploration of new territory.
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| IMAGE ALBUM.. Music collections based upon popular manga or video games.
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| KAIJUU.. A huge threatening monster of enormous destructive power. Japanese science fiction films are filled with kaijuu... Godzilla (Gojira), Mothra, and Gamera are just a few.
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| KAMI.. An expression for Supreme Being (God), which in Shinto, can also be used to describe lesser supernatural beings and spirits inhabiting the natural universe (see also SHINTO). When speaking of a particular god or God, it would be proper to say, kami-sama. Kami can be translated many different ways depending on the context, for example, kamikaze means "holy wind". |
| KAPPA.. This monster spirit lives in water and has been associated with rivers. Kappa are very strong and are dangerous to humans. They like to drink sake and eat cucumbers, in fact, their love of cucumbers is so great that the sushi made from cucumber has come to be called kappa-maki.
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| KATANA.. The beautiful slightly curved sword called katana is said by many to be the very soul of Japan, and the county's history and folklore is replete with references to the blade.
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| KAWAII.. The Japanese word for cute. Cuteness is a national fixation in Japan and it is certainly one of the defining aesthetics of manga and anime. Westerners who first encounter the cult of cute initially go into shock... but believe me, it grows on you.
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| KETSUEKIGATA.. An understanding of a person's character made by knowing his or her blood type. Personal statistics for anime or manga characters will often include blood type as well as age, height, hair color, etc. You'll often be asked by new Japanese friends, "What's your blood type?" |
| KODOMO.. Kodomo means "child" and in Japan there are manga and anime specifically created for children under 10 years of age. Doraemon and Anpanman are two wildly popular kodomo titles. Doraemon is a futuristic robot cat who is sent back in time (which would be our present), in order to combat evil and save humanity. Anpanman is a superhero sweet roll filled with bean jam who fights giant evil germs and feeds the hungry by letting them eat his head. Yeah... you read that correctly. |
| -KUN.. An honorific used for addressing or referring to children and teenagers, particularly males, or in an adult setting, used to address an inferior. In anime, you see this term used more and more to address females, especially ones who tend to act rather "masculine".
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| LADY'S COMIC.. These manga are specifically created for women over 20 and for Office Ladies (those women who work office jobs). Lady's comics are filled with stories about dating, romance, and the occasional sexual fling.
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| MANGA.. In 1814 the famous Japanese artist Hokusai created a book of black & white sketches that he called manga (involuntary sketches). In recent Japanese history the word has come to describe those small illustrated books of black & white ink drawings that tell a series of stories. Graphic novel would be the closest translation for "manga" though they are not at all like novels in the Western sense, nor are they comparable to Western comic books. Manga cover a wide range of topics, from fantasy & adventure, to sports & cooking.
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| MANGAKA.. Manga Artist. One who draws manga. The word is gender neutral and can refer to a male or female artist. In fact many of Japan's most famous mangaka are women. Takeuchi Naoko (Sailormoon), Takahashi Rumiko (Ranma 1/2), and Watase Yu (Fushigi Yuugi), to name but a few. |
| MAHOU.. The Japanese word for magic. Also used in conjunction with the word shoujo (Girl). Mahou shoujo literally means "magical girl" and is used to describe shows like Sailormoon, Nurse Angel Ririka SOS, and Card Captor Sakura.
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| MASAKA.. The Japanese expression for "It can't be!"
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| MECHA.. A Japanese contraction of the English word mechanical. Mecha (pronounced "meh-ka"), refers to anything of a mechanical nature... weapons, advanced body armor, vehicles, and of course... giant robots. The first mecha to ever appear in a Japanese production premiered in the 1957 live action science fiction film, The Mysterians ("Macross" fans take note). The mecha, called Mogera was a colossal bird-like robot that could shoot death rays from it's eyes!
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| MINNA.. Meaning everyone. You can respectfully address an entire room full of people by using the honorific minna-san, which is somewhat like saying "Ladies and Gentlemen." However, the honorific is gender neutral so it could be used when speaking to women, men, or mixed company.
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| MOOK.. A Japanese contraction of the English words magazine and book. Mook are books with the look, design, and layout of magazines. There are literally thousands of these beautiful, full color publications to be found relating to the world of anime and other topics.
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| NANI.. The Japanese word for what.
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| American slang for a person who has just discovered something. In the context of anime and manga, a newbie is an enthusiastic new fan that has viewed primarily American produced dubs of anime and seen only English translated manga. A newbie's exposure to original Japanese works has been minimal at best, with overall knowledge of manga and anime quite low.
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| OHAYOU.. Good Morning. The polite form would be "ohayou gozaimasu."
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| ONI.. A fierce horned demon somewhat akin to the ogre found in Western mythology. Oni have the power to transform into the human female form in order to mask their true identity.
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| OP.. The opening theme music to an anime that plays as the show begins.
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| OTAKU.. This word can have a very negative meaning depending on the context in which it is used. In Japanese society its usage is widely understood to mean someone who is an anti-social maniac. But in the International anime community the word has evolved into a slang reference meaning obsessed fan. Serious devotees of anime and manga call themselves otaku.
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| OVA.. Anime that is released directly to video tape without having been broadcast on television is referred to in Japan as an Original Video Animation or OVA. Westerners will often transpose the letters to "OAV" but the meaning remains the same.
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| POKEMON.. An Alien life-form that invaded and conquered the Earth in the late 20th Century. All seriousness aside, the word Pokemon is a Japanese contraction of the English words pocket and monster... and no, it is not pronounced "Pokey Man."
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| RONIN.. Samurai were a class of military retainers to the rich and powerful (samurai means "one who serves"), but when samurai lost their benefactors they became ronin, or "masterless samurai." The manga and anime series Rurouni Kenshin is based upon one such Lordless samurai.
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| SAKURA.. Means cherry blossom, or cherry blossom tree, and sakura hold a very special place in the Japanese heart. As far back as the 10th century the blossom has been considered the national flower, and it has been the subject of poetry, prose, and paintings over the ages. From the 10th century to the present day, hanami or "flower viewing" parties have been held in March and April to celebrate the ephemeral beauty of the delicate pink flower. During hanami season, trees all over Japan go into full bloom and clouds of cherry blossoms can be seen carried on the gentle winds. One of the most reoccurring visuals in all of anime is the sight of cherry blossoms gently floating to the ground, with flurries of the petals surrounding on screen characters. Keep in mind, that to the Japanese, the cherry blossom is so special, that a cherry blossom tree (sakura) and cherry fruit tree (sakurambo) are two totally different things.
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| -SAMA.. The very formal honorific used when talking to or about someone who is much older and wiser, or someone whom you admire to the point of near worship. The honorific is gender neutral and used when referring to men or women. Used primarily to show great respect to an individual, as in "Miyazaki-sama is a distinguished artist."
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| -SAN.. The formal, polite honorific one uses when talking to or about someone of equal social status. The honorific is gender neutral and used when referring to adult men or women, as in "Gendo-san and Ritsuko-san both work with computers."
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| SEIYUU.. A professional voice actor or actress. In Japan, animation studios employ seiyuu to provide the many voices for characters. Some seiyuu have become big stars in their own right due to their voice acting abilities. A talented seiyuu can take on a wide variety of roles, for instance Ohtani Ikue does the voice of Pikachu from Pocket Monsters as well as doing the voice of the cat girl named Meruru from Vision of Escaflowne. |
| SENPAI.. An honorific used by a young person when talking to or about a benefactor or senior in a social organization. The usage of this honorific is encountered time and again in anime, mostly when students are talking to or about their senior classmates, as in "Tamiya-sempai heads the campus motorcycle club." Used as a noun, it would just mean, "our seniors", or "our upperclassmen".
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| SEINEN.. Seinen means "young Man." Manga and anime that specifically targets young adult males around the ages of 18 to 25 are seinen titles. The stories in seinen works appeal to university students and those in the working world. Typically the story lines deal with the issues of adulthood. The tough guy secret agent Golgo 13 is a good example of a seinen title.
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| SENSEI.. The formal, polite honorific used when addressing someone who is an accomplished professional. doctors, teachers, professors, scientists, and other specialists are addressed in this way. Gifted individuals in the arts are also addressed in this manner, as in "Akemi-sensei created the great series known as Patlabor."
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| SENSHI.. The literal translation of this word is soldier. When dubbing into English the Japanese series Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon (Pretty Soldier Sailormoon), American editors changed the word to mean "scout." There's quite a big difference between a soldier and a scout.
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| SHINTO.. Japan's oldest and original intrinsic religion is Shinto. In Shintoism everything in the natural world possesses it's own spirit, or kami. Shinto is based upon the worship of and coexistence with the natural world. The highest deity in the Shinto pantheon is the sun goddess Amaterasu. In the Tenchi Muyo series, Tenchi's Father, Masaki Yoshi, is a Shinto Priest. A Shinto place of worship is always called a Jinja (shrine), and a Buddhist place of worship is always referred to as an Otera (temple), though architecturally the two buildings may look quite similar.
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| SHRINE.. In Shinto, the natural world is sacred, and in the ancient past some of the first places of worship were large trees or boulders. Shimenawa, or "sacred ropes" made of paper and rice straw are still placed on or around areas designated as sacred (In Miyazaki's My Friend Totoro a shimenawa can be seen around the tree Totoro sleeps in). Shimenawa can always be seen draped above the entrance to a Shrine (a Shinto place of worship is referred to as a Shrine, whereas a Buddhist place of worship is a Temple). The entranceway to a shrine is often marked with a red archway called a torii. Today many anime enthusiasts refer to web sites constructed in honor of specific anime characters as "shrines."
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| SHOUJO.. The Japanese word for girl. Shoujo also defines the manga and anime titles that are specifically created for young girls. These works often have very complex stories and character interaction. Romantic and plot driven shoujo works like Onii-sama e, Marmalade Boy, and Fushigi Yuugi have also attracted large numbers of male fans.
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| SHOUNEN.. The Japanese word for boy. Shounen also defines the manga and anime titles that are specifically created for young boys. These works are often filled with lots of action, fantasy adventure, and giant robots.
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| SHUNGA.. A literal translation of this word would be Images of Spring. In 18th Century Japan most ukiyo-e artists produced shunga works. These erotic artworks displayed staggering imagination and made their presence felt in the form of popular woodblock prints. Modern day eroticism found in manga and anime can be traced back to shunga, not in any overt stylistic sense, but in the celebration of the sexual as natural and part of life. Remember, in Japanese culture there is no concept of "original sin" as there is in the Christian West (see UKIYO-E).
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| SUPER DEFORMED.. A style of drawing extremely common in anime and manga that has absolutely no equivalency in the West. Normally proportioned characters are shrunk and distorted in the super deformed style. Bodies become very small and heads become disproportionately large. Often times characters in a particular scene will be drawn in both normal and super deformed styles. Usually when a character is drawn in this way it denotes an extreme mood change, anger, sillyness, or exasperation. Characters are also drawn in super deformed style just because it makes them look so cute... and in Japan, cuteness is everything! model figures, dolls, keychains, and various toys will also present characters in the super deformed style.
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| SWEAT DROP.. This is a signature visual stylization used in manga and anime. Whenever a character is feeling embarrassed, perplexed, self-conscious, or just plain stupid... a large tear drop shape will appear near their face or head. Sometimes this "sweat drop" is small and barely noticeable and other times it can nearly cover an entire face. This visual clue denotes to the viewer that the character is feeling out of sorts.
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| TANKOUBON.. A book format in which manga are compiled after having had successful serialized runs in magazines. Tankoubon means separate volume and these softcover books contain around five to eleven story installments. Tankoubon are usually printed on high quality paper and black ink, whereas the larger monthly serial magazines are produced less expensively with colored ink on newsprint paper.
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| TEZUKA OSAMU.. Tezuka is one of those giants in the world of art that everyone should know about. He is considered the modern Father of manga and anime and is so revered in Japan that a museum has even been built to house all of his creations. In 1963 Tezuka created his Tetsuwan Atomu (literally, "Atom with iron arms"), which later that same year premiered on U.S. television as Astro Boy. Tezuka created the very first full color animation, a television series called Jungle Taitei (Jungle Emperor). Years later, when Disney Studios released it's "Lion King" animated movie, the people of Japan were absolutely stunned and furious that it was nothing more than a replica of Tezuka's Jungle Emperor story. Disney's Lion King story was almost an exact copy of Tezuka's. The animated feature film, METROPOLIS is based upon a famous manga series by Tezuka. |
| TOMODACHI.. Friend.
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| UKIYO-E.. This school of art developed in the late 1670's and went on to become one of Japan's most well known artistic styles. Ukiyo-e means "floating world pictures" and its aesthetics are concerned with the transient, fleeting aspects of life. Ukiyo-e woodblock prints became very fashionable in the Europe of the late 1800's, and eventually directly influenced the Impressionist painters. If you study ukiyo-e you'll see its sensibilities resonating in today's anime.
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| UFO CATCHER.. A coin operated mechanical game machine found in arcades. The machine's "joy stick" control is used to skillfully direct a mechanical hook in capturing the small plush dolls held in the machine's large see through bin. The plush dolls (called "UFO Catcher Dolls"), are super deformed versions of anime characters. These dolls have become very popular collectables in the West because of their rarity and hyper cuteness. |
| YAOI.. Also known as shounenai or boy's love. Yaoi manga features romantic love between male characters. These homo-erotic titles which can sometimes be quite explicit are enjoyed by a great number of women in Japan, in fact, there are many more female readers of yaoi manga than there are male readers. There is no equivalent to shounenai in the world of Western comic books.
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| YUME.. The Japanese word for dream.
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| YURUSENAI.. A very common expression heard in anime which means "I won't forgive you!"
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