𝙰𝚗𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚁𝚎𝚌𝚜

(𝙰𝚗𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚃𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝙺𝚗𝚘𝚠)

There might be some terms I use in this book that you're unfamiliar with, so here's a stupidly long list that you are absolutely free to skip over!!!

⚉⋆⚉⋆⚉

Anime:
Japanese animation. Can be based on a manga, light novel, or other outside source, but can also be originally made series or movies.

Manga:
Japanese comics. Can be adapted into anime.

Light Novel:
A Japanese novel illustrated in a manga style, usually containing 50,000 words or less. Can be adapted into anime.

Shoujo:
Girl's demographic in anime/manga, aimed at the ages of 12 to 18.

Shounen:
Boy's demographic in anime/manga, aimed at the ages of 12 to 18.

Josei:
Women's demographic in anime/manga, aimed at the ages of 18 to 40.

Seinen:
Men's demographic in anime/manga, aimed at the ages of 18 to 40. Of course, as with shoujo, shounen, and josei, seinen can be enjoyed by a variety of ages and genders.

Slice of Life:
Anime that show the ordinary life of the characters, nothing too fantastical or intense- Just everyday living. Often takes place in a school setting, but not always.

Iyashikei:
The genre means 'healing' or 'healing-type' in Japanese, and is meant to calm or relax the audience. Iyashikei anime have a focus on being chill, relaxing, and feel-good, while having it's characters living out peaceful lives in calming environments.

Isekai:
Meaning 'another world' and is typically (but not always) a subgenre in fantasy where a character is transported to another world, usually a character from a regular mundane world to a magical fantasy world. There is also reverse isekai, where someone from a fantasy world is transported to a modern world.

CGDCT:
Stands for 'Cute Girls Doing Cute Things' and it is a genre similar to iyashikei in the feel-goodness, but it focuses on a cast of cute girls doing cute things, which can be basically anything.

Magical Girl:
A subgenre of fantasy that centres around girls who possess magical powers that they typically use through an alter ego they can transform into. There is also the lesser known magical boys genre, although there's far less content.

Mecha:
This subgenre of science fiction, features giant robots or machines controlled by people internally, typically appearing as humanoid vehicles. Robots, cyborgs, androids, and space stations are part of this genre, but robots are usually the main focus.

GL:
Stands for 'Girl's Love' and is a genre that focuses on romantic relationships between female characters. Previously called yuri, but the term has fallen out of use.

BL:
Stands for 'Boy's Love' and is a genre that focuses on romantic relationships between male characters. Previously called yaoi, but the term has fallen out of use.

Filler:
In long running anime series, fillers are non-canon episodes that are created for a series independent of the source material. The purpose of these episodes is usually to fill the gaps between when source material is being produced before they can be adapted, or as a transition between story arcs. Filler episodes and filler arcs can also be a mix of filler and canon. Some fans prefer to skip over filler, while others watch it for the extra content.

OVA:
Stands for 'Original Video Animation' which is anime episodes that are made specifically for release in home video formats, like CDs and DVDs. They can be original stories based on existing source material or part of an anime-only release, and they help promote the anime and give fans extra content.

ONA:
Stands for 'Original Net Animation' also known in Japan as web anime. It is an anime that is directly released onto the internet or streaming platforms (such as Netflix) rather than television.

Fanservice:
The word comes from 'servicing' the fan, or giving the fans 'exactly what they want' in anime and can be used for the purpose of appealing to the audience and grabbing attention. Fanservice is usually used to describe material in a show that is titillating or sexual in nature, but really anything could be considered fanservice, although it is more associated with the risqué.

Ecchi:
Not to be confused with hentai (pornographic anime/manga), ecchi is a genre with a focus on light sexual content that is not too explicit (while hentai is). Ecchi anime series are characterised by significant amounts of fanservice.

Harem:
Harem anime is a subgenre of romance with a focus on multiple love interests, usually female, all interested in one, usually male, protagonist. There is also reverse harem, where the multiple love interests are male and focused on a female protagonist.

MAL:
Stands for 'My Anime List' which is one of the most active online anime and manga communities and databases. It is a social network and catalogue website run by volunteers, providing information about anime/manga, allowing users to create organised anime/manga lists, and displaying community rating scores for anime/manga. The scores and reviews on MAL can be helpful in knowing how well received a series was by others (at least on MAL).

Sub:
Meaning subtitles, subbed anime is anime with characters speaking in the original Japanese voices recorded for the soundtrack, but for audiences of different languages to understand, subtitles are used. There can be many different translations of the Japanese soundtrack, resulting in many different subtitles that can be in various languages, such as French or German. Some fans prefer sub over dub.

Dub:
Dub was shortened from 'double' back in the 1920s. This dubbing was providing another soundtrack to a film, usually one in a different language. In anime, dubbed means the characters are voiced over in a language other than Japanese, such as English or Spanish. As with subbed anime, there can be many different translations of the Japanese soundtracks resulting in many different dubs in various languages. Some fans prefer dub over sub.

(Also! Anime seasons are usually divided into these months below, with one 'cour' running about 12ish episodes through those months, and if the anime has two cours it'll run into another season and be around 24ish episodes!)

Anime Seasons:
Winter Anime - January, February, March
Spring Anime - April, May, June
Summer Anime - July, August, September
Fall Anime - October, November, December

⚉⋆⚉⋆⚉⋆⚉