Anime (アニメ) is an abbreviation of the English word "animation", originating in Japan. Although the term is used in Japan to refer to animation in general, in English usage the term most popularly refers to material originating from Japan, a subset of animation.
Anime is traditionally hand drawn, but computer assisted techniques have become quite common in recent years. The subjects of anime represent most major genres of fiction, and anime is available in most motion-picture media (television broadcast, DVD and VHS distribution, and full length motion pictures).
Demographic
Demographic describes the intended target audience.
- Shōjo is Japanese for "young lady" or "little girl". These are generally targeted at girls. Examples: Fruits Basket or Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch.
- Shōnen is Japanese for "young boy". Examples: Dragon Ball Z or Digimon .
- Seinen is Japanese for "young man" and normally includes teenage or young male adults. Examples: Oh My Goddess! or Cowboy Bebop
- Josei is Japanese for "young woman". Examples: Gokusen or Honey and Clover.
- Kodomo is Japanese for "child". All children's series fall into this category. Examples: Hello Kitty.
Thematic
- Bishōjo is Japanese for "beautiful girl". A blanket term that features pretty girl characters. Sometimes conflated with Moè. Examples: Magic Knight Rayearth or Negima.
- Bishōnen is Japanese for "beautiful boy". A blanket term that can be used to describe any anime that features "pretty" and elegant boys and men. Examples: Fushigi Yūgi or most CLAMP shows.
- Sentai is literally a "fighting team" in Japanese. It refers to any show that involves a superhero team. Examples: Cyborg 009 or Voltron.
- Robot/Mecha features super robots. Examples: Mobile Suit Gundam or Mazinger Z.
- Post-Apocalyptic simply deals with a post-apocalyptic world. Examples: Fist of the North Star or Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
- Mahō shōjo is a subgenre of shōjo known for "Magical Girl" stories. Examples: Sailor Moon or Cardcaptor Sakura.
- Mahō shōnen is a male equivalent of Mahō Shōjo. Examples: D.N.Angel.
- Moé features characters with perky, cute, weak, or naivè behaviors. In some way, they are not overly independent. Examples: A Little Snow Fairy Sugar.
- Expertise specializes with a specific topic in depth. Topics range from sports, the arts, and cooking. Examples: Eyeshield 21 with football, or Yakitate! Japan with bread-making.
- Lolicon ("Lolita Complex") is the sexualization of under-aged female characters, the name coming from the titular character of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita. Example: Kodomo no Jikan
- Shotacon ("Shōtarō Complex") is the sexualization of under-aged male characters, the name coming from the lead child actor from Tetsujin-nijūhachi-gō. Example: Papa to Kiss in the Dark
- Harem is a genre which focuses on a male character surrounded by the romance of multiple female characters. Typically, the male cohabits with at least one female. It is usually marketed as a Shōnen or Seinen.[26] Examples: Ranma ½ or Love Hina.
- Reverse Harem reverses the gender balance in harem, where a female character is romantically involved with many male characters. It is more often than not a Shōjo or Josei Anime. Examples: Ouran High School Host Club or Fruits Basket.
- Magical Girlfriend is more accurately termed Exotic Girlfriend. This genre focuses on the romantic relationship (and cohabitation) between a man and at least one woman of extraordinary origins such as alien (Tenchi Muyo!, Urusei Yatsura), supernatural (Oh My Goddess!), or technological (Chobits). Often considered a subgenre of Harem.[27][28]
- Ecchi is Japanese for "indecent sexuality", derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the letter "H", (the origin of the term is not well known, even in Japan. See main article for more information.) Sexual humor and fan service are prevalent. Examples: Oruchuban Ebichu or He Is My Master.
- Hentai is Japanese for "abnormal" or "perverted". This term is synonymous to pornography or erotica, as hentai content specifically consists of such. Examples: La Blue Girl or Bible Black.
- Shōjo-ai or Yuri is Japanese for "girl-love". These focus on love and romance between female characters. It is often being replaced by the term "Girls Love" (GL). Yuri is like Shōjo-ai, but sometimes involves older characters or explicit sexual activity. Examples: Revolutionary Girl Utena or Kannazuki no Miko.
- Shōnen-ai is Japanese for 'boy-love'. These focus on love and romance between male characters. The term "Shōnen-ai" is being phased out in Japan due to its other meaning of pederasty, and is being replaced by the term "Boys Love" (BL). Examples: Loveless or Gravitation
- Yaoi is like "Shōnen-ai" but often involving older characters and explicit sexual activity. Examples: Sensitive Pornograph
