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~*Sam's Anime-Term Guide!!!*~
Animé-You had BETTER know what this word means by now, and if you don't, (SHAME! SHAME!) allow me to enlighten you. Animé is the medium of cartoon animation created by the Japanese, in the forms of feature films, videos and TV series. Other terms that are synonymous are "Japanese Animation" or the more obscure "Japanimation." All these words mean the same thing, but true otaku refer to the medium as animé. I would advise you to as well, so to avoid arguments with hard-core fans. Baka-Literally means idiot. This term is usually one of the first words that an otaku learns and a favorite amongst fans. ^_~
Bishônen-Not a term that is really mentioned in any animé or manga, but worth noting none the less. Bishônen means literally "beautiful boy" in Japanese. Here are some good examples of bishônen in animé. Quatre is a bishonen, (heck, almost all the main male characters in Gundam Wing are bishonen) So are Legato, Vash, and Wolfwood from Trigun, and pretty much the entire male cast of Fushigi Yuugi for starters.
Chibi-Chibi is a Japanese word meaning "little one." It's often a diminutive nickname, and usually refers to small children or people of short stature. During funny or cute moments in many anime shows, characters will suddenly "go chibi" to highten the already humorous or adorable scene.
Dôjinshi-Like with any cult or popular following, fans create 'zines with various stories and illustrations of their favourite animé or manga characters. Dôjin is Japanese for "fanzine".".
Gaijin-Gaijin is Japanese for "foreigner." The literal translation is "outside person". A gaijin may not just be a person who is from outside Japan, but also anyone unfamiliar with Japanese culture as well.
hai / eii-Japanese for "yes" and "no".
hentai-The literal translation of hentai is "perversion" in English. Hentai is porno animé, with lots of sexual situations, violence and nudity. This stuff is definitely not appropriate for young children. Hell, I don't find it appropriate for anyone. >:p
kawaii-
This word has multiple meanings in the lexicon of animé. Anything described as kawaii can be "sweet", "pretty", "cute", "interesting" or just plain "cool."
konban wa!-
Japanese for "Good evening!"
konnichi wa!-
A formal Japanese greeting. Translates into English as "Good morning!", but can be used any time of day to just say "Hi!".
manga-
Manga are comic books or graphic novels, of which many animé films are based upon.
mecha-
Mecha is a catch-all term refering to any and all robots, HUGE HONKIN' robots to be exact. Escaflowne and Gundam Wing are two good examples of Animes with mecha.
Otaku-
Often considered a derogatory remark in Japanese, otaku means "fanatic," and usually of the obsessive kind. In Japan, to call someone a otaku is a good way to get into a fight. Most Western collectors of animé call themselves otaku, and wear the label as a badge of pride. In America, an otaku is simply a fan of animé and/or manga, but still may be an obsessive enthusiast. Believe me, there are some FREAKISHLY OBSESSED people out there. Go to a con. You'll understand what I mean.
o.v.a. (original video animation)-
OVA simply means animé video and movies features. Many OVA's are continuations of an anime series (Fushigi Yuugi OVAs; Endless Waltz, the Gundam Wing OVA) or mangas brought to the screen. (Angel Sancutary) May also be known as "OAV".
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~*Sams Anime FAQ thingy*~
Its hard for an anime fan to explain to a person who can barely even find Japan on a map what anime really is. It's even harder to explain that anime is a good thing to people that have been scarred by the more childish animes out there like Pokemon and Sailor Moon. (Crap, now I've probably just offended a Pokemon or Sailor Moon freak) Now, some people are quite open to giving anime a chance, but the majority of people who have asked me "what kind of cartoon is that?" whenever I wear my Gundam Sandrock shirt to school have no intention of becoming interested in anime, in fact, they would much rather bash it than learn to love it. When talking with people about animé, the unenlightened usually have a lot of the same questions. Why is it this? Why is it that? If you've tried to convert somebody over to anime, you probably know what I mean. Well, to help out the uninformed, I've compiled a few of the more pressing questions people have about animé here on this page.
Q:"Aren’t cartoons for kids?"
A: Ahh yes, it’s the good ol' way of saying "Aren’t you too old for animation?" This question starts it all. Ok, we all know that in America, cartoons are usually aimed at a younger audience. Even those cartoons that are more geared to adults still cannot really be called intellectual masterpieces. We have those big companies of Disney and Fox to thank for the unquestioned assumption that most Americans make, that anything animated must be kids stuff. Ok. Now that we've admitted to that, we need to stop thinking that just because cartoons are for kids in America, that’s the way it is in all the other countries in the world. In Japan, animé is just as mainstream cinema as live shows for all ages of people. But the question of WHY still remains. Why cartoons? Consider this... Animation came about in all parts of the world largely because of the greater amount of flexibility in animation. Think about it people. Its not that hard. Take for example, the anime movie X. Lots of violence, right? One memorable scene is when Fuma rips a sword out of his sister's stomach. Blood and guts? You betcha. Now, answer me this; which is cheaper and easier to do? You could draw the scene…or you could hire 2 actors specializing in scenes like this, get them to learn their lines and their blocking, get them in makeup and costumes, film the scene 20 some times to get it perfect, piece together the scene with all the camera angles you want, go back in with special effects and, finally have a 10 second or less shot done of Fuma yanking the sword out of Koteri. So tell me, which seems easier to you? I rest my case. In conclusion, the sky's the limit with animation.
Q:"What's with the big eyes?"
A:This is probably one of the most commonly asked questions about anime. I don't even want to speculate on how many times I've heard this question. The "big eyes" are one of the key hallmarks of Japanese animation, and the reason for this, or should I say reasons are many. First of all….lemme clear something up. Japanese people are not the only animators out there that draw the'r characters with big eyes. Check out Disney, for example. Ever seen how big Micky Mouse's eyes really are? Bet you never took notice before, huh? I rest my case. There aren’t too many 'toons out there that DON'T have charas with large and appealing eyes. Even so, it is true that the big eyes of anime characters are quite different than American 'toons with big eyes. And that’s the first reason for the big eyes, I think. Japanese style of big eyes is so unique in animation. Its kinda become their trademark. The second reason I have for the "big-eye thing" apart from the trademark style, is the need for emotional expression. Animé characters' eyes are very large and very bright, allowing the perception of the play of light upon their lenses. You might have noticed this factor if you've seen some TV series, like Rurouni Kenshin for example. Bigger eyes allow for better emotional reactions in the characters faces. Big eyes can also show how young and/or innocent characters look. Bag guys usually don't have as big of eyes as the good guys. Example-Compare Sakura from Cardcaptors to Folken of Escaflowne. See what I mean? Anyway, if you don't understand why anime characters have big eyes by now, you probably never will, so I'm going to stop wasting my time. On to the next question!!
Q: Which is better, Subtitled anime, or Dubbed anime?
Ahh yes, we come to the debate that’s been plaguing anime fans for years. Which is better, subbed or dubbed? Many "hardcore" fans refuse to even think about buying dubbed anime, claiming that you don't get the "feel" of the show unless you hear it in the original Japanese voices. Now that’s all well and good, but unless you are fluent in Japanese, You'll find that you'll be spending all your time reading the words at the bottom of the screen and are unable to catch much of the action occurring above it. And if you happen to be blind as a bat without your contacts as I am, and tend to watch all your anime late at night as I do, you'll find its no fun to sit with your nose pressed against the screen when trying to read the subtitles. ^_~ Sometimes the subbed voices (especially the female characters in some animes) get on my nerves. Like Escaflowne. ::shudders:: Can't watch that sub. Hitomi and Myrle's voices are just a little too high pitched, squeaky and downright ANNOYING for me. Dubs on the other hand, usually cost less than subs do. (and that’s a GOOD thing for a broke bum like me.) However many times the dubbed voices are HORRID and the translations are quite bad on dubbed tapes. Like Gundam Wing. My advice-watch that one subbed if you can get it. Most of the dubbed voice actors/actresses are just downright lousy in Gundam, as are some of the translations. Even Quatre's dubbed voice can get on my nerves sometimes. Luv his subbed voice though. Even if it is done by a female voice person. Don't get me wrong tho, there are many good dubs out there. Take Princess Mononoke for instance. I really don't want to see that one subbed, I love the english voices too much. ^_^ There are also many animes in which I think both the subbed and dubbed versions are equally good, like Rurouni Kenshin and Fushigi Yuugi for example. Both versions of those two animes are beautifully done, they really did a good job at finding great voice people for both of those. And Legato from Trigun's voice is just downright sexy either way. ^_^;;; So what is a poor fan to do? With pros and cons on both sides, which type do you pick? Well, here's my 2 cents. Support Bilingual DVDS! You can watch the dubbed version first, in order to see more action on the screen, or whenever your too tired to read the itty bitty subtitles, and then go back and listen to your favorite characters true voices to your hearts content!!
Q: "Where should I, as a new fan start?" or, "Where should I start when trying to get a friend into anime?"
A: As a new fan, I'd say try a little bit of everything. From Angel Sanctuary to Ranma to Outlaw Star to X, watch everything you can get your hands on and then choose which ones appeal to you the most. Like, if you happen to like romances with a little bit of comity thrown in, go for Fushigi Yuugi. Combat and fighting more your style? Go for Dragon Ball Z then, I guess. It really depends on what kind of person you are and what genres appeal to you the most when selecting anime. Getting an unsuspecting friend hooked is a whole other story. Sometimes a person needs to be weaned into anime by starting with the less intense or slightly amusing animes such as Pokemon or Dragon Ball Z. This is how my obsession with anime started. I was not really impressed with either show, but they were slightly amusing and provided me with something to do other than homework. (Remember, we're Americans here. Intellectual cartoons are unheard of to us) It wasn't until Gundam Wing that I became hooked. After that came Trigun, then Fushigi Yuugi and the rest is history. ^_~ So. You can either coax whoever it is your trying to convert to loving anime by first showing them simple animes and then progressing to the better ones, or, you can do as I usually do, bring over the funniest and most action-packed episode or your anime of choice to their house and get em to watch it…and then hope for the best. I did this at a sleepover before, using the first episode of Trigun. Two of my victims were hooked and are now as addicted as I am…and the other two never want to see anything like it again. ^_^;;;
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Alright! I guess that's it! So...do you feel informed? Enlightened even?.....no? Didn't think you would. -_-;;;