Glossary This page is full of terms that you'll come across plenty of times. I included some popular Japanese phrases that you can use in discussions if you would want to. Anime- This is a term that is used to describe Japanese cartoons (as in moving animation). This is what you see on TV. Familiar anime titles would be Dragonball Z, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Digimon. Arigato- Please, no Mr. Roboto jokes here. This is a Japanese phrase meaning "Thank You". Adding "Gozaimasu" to the end of the statement makes it more sincere and conveys more feeling and emotion. Chibi- You'd better recognize this term ^ ^ It's Japanese for "small" and is often used to describe a styling of animation. Doujinshi- This is a manga title usually based on an existing title that is created and sold by a different artist. Even though these are recognized throughout Japan, they are sold much less often than the original manga that it's based on. Many doujinshi titles are "shonen ai" or "shoujo ai" titles. This freedom may be the main reason that many doujinshi are created. Dub- This is when a title is translated into a foreign language. The original voices are taken out and replaced with a different, done carefully to fit mouth movements. Also, signs and documents written in a foreign language may be edited to be in a familiar langauge. Fanfic- This is a story or collection of stories based on an anime/manga/video/etc. title that is written by a fan. Gomen- Japanese for "sorry". An apologetic statement. Adding "Nasai" to the end makes it more sincere. Gozaimasu- You'll often see this after Japanese words like "arigato" and "ohayo". It's a formal or respectful suffix added on to convey politness or sincere feeling. Ex. "Arigato Gozaimasu" would most likely be translated as "Thank you very much" Graphic Novel- Compilation of volumes of manga either of the same title or artist. There can be around 10-12 issues of a manga title in a single graphic novel or there could be less. The Japanese term for it is "Tankoubon". Hentai- I decided to put this term in the Introduction because it's another term that you'll see a lot. However, this might not be such a good thing, since hentai anime titles are almost always marked with an "18 +" sticker . These tend to contain a lot of sexual content that wouldn't be appropriate for younger viewers. However, that doesn't make all these titles "sleazy". Many are acclaimed for their great animation and plot. Always make sure you check every title you come across if you don't want to mistakingly pick up one of these titles. Manga- Japanese for cartoon, but it actually refers to comic books. You might be able to find these at major book stores in graphic novel form (several issues compiled into a book). They are usually black and white, but can sometimes be found in color. Anime magazine, Animerica Extra (more info at www.animerica-mag.com ), has several in each issue such as Revolutionary Girl Utena, Video Girl Ai, Fushigi Yugi, and Marionette Generation. Also, the anime magazine Shonen Jump contains Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu Yu Hakusho, Naruto, Shaman King, Dragonball Z, One Piece, and Sandland. Newtype U.S. contains Full Metal Panic in each monthly issue. Each magazine is highly reccomended for people age 14 and over. Mecha- This is a genre of anime/manga. It's also referred to as giant robot anime. There's a good chance that you know of at least 1 mecha anime by now (which include Mobile Suit Gundam, Voltron, Mazinger Z, and Neon Genesis Evangelion). OAV (Original Animated Video)- This is also referred to as an OVA sometimes, but both are the same thing. This is an anime title done in a higher quality and higher budget than usual. They can range from only a couple of episodes to a whole series in itself. Some anime titles that have OAVs are Ranma 1/2, Gundam Wing, and Rurouni Kenshin. Otaku- This is a term that is used a lot. This is the anime equivalent of a Star Trek "Trekkie" or a Grateful Dead "Dead-head". Even though it's a deroguatory term in Japan, many people outside the country use it to describe themselves when they feel that they have a certain understanding of Japanese animation and culture. Shonen ai- Usually translates to mean "boy love" in English, which very much describes what it is. This is a title of anime and/or manga that contains love stories having to do with male characters. Shonen ai is very popular among "fangirls". Shoujo ai- see "Shonen ai". However, this involves love stories revolving around female characters and are usually a hit with "fanboys". However, they seem to be much less popular than "shonen ai". Sub (Subtitled)- This is an alternative to "dubbing" a foreign title. Rather than changing the audio, translations are shown on the bottom of the screen (called subtitles). The original content of the title usually isn't altered when subtitled. Tankoubon- see Graphic Novel