| Q: What is anime? A: Anime is japanese animation. It is generally far more detailed and complex than American cartoons, having involved plots that span over a series of episodes and "require attention." There are many cute magical girl animes intended for the eye, but most anime is more like a book being set to cartoon. (In some cases, it is.) Animes comes in all genres -- adventure, humor, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, romance, gothic, realist, mechanic, etc. It tends to be aimed at an older audience despite what DiC believes. Q: How do I recognize anime? A: Anime is very distinct. Characters sport bizzarre hair in all styles and colors, and large, dominant eyes. Any time you see a girl in a sailor-school outfit, it's probably anime (Japanese school staple), and a typical pose of anime characters includes make peace signs and winking. |
| Ah, the wonderful world of anime. Everybody knows I spend a lot of my time there -- but why? What makes it so special? Why is anime so addictive to the "cultists" who seem to love it? I've created a brief heavy-duty FAQ to try and dispell common stereotypes by informing the unenlightened of the real freakin' deal. Read up and e-mail me on anything you want to know, or if you are already an anime stud, feel free to send me slang. Any other cute graphics or animes for me to see are always nice. I made the graphics on this site, so please only mooch with permission. |
Q: What is manga and what's the difference between it and anime? A: Manga is essentially anime comics; they are not animated and come in manga books or in artstyle books. Manga is far more detailed and on the water-colory side, often by the actual creator as opposed to the companies who produce animation. They are usually black and white. Mangas tend to have different plots than the TV-versions, longer or more complicated. It is good to read the manga in addition to seeing an anime. |
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| Chibi (also Superdeformed) - Chibi means "little". It's when the characters suddenly become small and childish with big eyes and little bodies, always in a time of comic relief. The detail level goes way down, contrasting to normal characters. Chibiness is funny because it overly exaggerates whatever is going on in a silly way. It's one of those you-have-to-see-it-to-understand-it things, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. In the top collage, Tasuki in the top right and Yurika in the center left are both chibi. Teardrop - Sign of embarassment. When a character does something stupid, they or others might all get teardrops (also called sweatdrops) above their head. These also occur in awkward, confusing, or sarcastic moments. When someone goes "^-^;;" or says "Teardrop..." or "Twitch..." that means something happened. ^-^;; If, for example, a teardrop were to appear beside Yurika's head (left center) it would probably indicate she was embarassed about being overly excited. Kawaii - Cute, adorable, precious. Kamui (top right) is kawaii in a sezzy way; Yurika is kawaii while chibi. Baka - Idiot or fool. One might say it in sympathy, annoyance, rage, impatience, etc. -Chan, -kun, -san, -sama - All are suffixes added to names. -chan is used to someone younger or as a term of friendship; -kun is too, but -kun is for males. -san is the equivalent of Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., etc. -Sama is lord or lady. Sugoi - Awesome, cool, wonderful, "Wow!" Dai suki! or Dai su, minna! - "I love you!" and "I love you, everyone!" Bishonen (bishis) - Pretty male characters. Wrowr. Ja ne! - Ja ne is a friendly shortening of goodbye, sort of like "Bye!" or "Ciao!". Friendly characters use it often. Konnichi wa is "good afternoon", konban wa is good evening, and ohayo is good morning. The formal word for "goodbye" is sayonora. Doujinshi - Anime fanart done by other prof. artists. 'Con - A nickname for an anime convention. Hooroar! Bishoujo - Beautiful. Gomen nasai! - I'm sorry! Senshi - Sailor / Soldier Neko - Cat. |
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| About the above picture, moving counterclockwise starting in top center : Center: Ruri from Nadesico, who calls everyone "baka!" Left Center: Tasuki from Fushigi Yuugi, chibi in delight over a peach pastry. Left Bottom: Hikaru from Magic Knight Rayearth. She likes to say, "SUGOI!" Center Bottom: Usagi/Sailormoon from Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon, manga. Right bottom: A clip of the Angel Sanctuary manga art book Right center: Chibi Yurika, also from Martian Successor Nadesico. Right top: Kamui from X. Bishonen, like the Angel Sanctuary boy. |
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