Animation. The word "anime" is now used to describe any type of cel-based animation. (Before the 70s, the term "TV manga" or "manga eiga" was sometimes used.) Manga (and novels, to a lesser extent) have traditionally been the source material for nearly all of the Japanese animation industry's output since the early '70s. Most animes take considerable liberties with characters and storylines, and often assume some knowledge of the original manga.
(from rec.arts.manga FAQ)
* anime * manga * doujinshi * yaoi * yuri * shoujo * shounen * cons * mags * #gw_yaoi *
"Manga" is loosely translatable as "cartoon" or "caricature", or literally, "involuntary pictures". The term was coined in 1814 by the famous artist Katsushika Hokusai, and conveys a sense of free-flowing composition and quirky style. In Chinese and Korean, it is pronounced "manhwa", but is written with the same characters. First applied to scrolls and illustrations, the word "manga" does not mean "comic" or "comic books" any more than "karate" (lit. "empty hand") means "boxing". And it does not mean "sequential art" (for which there are many other words, such as "renga"), or "graphic novel" (a great deal of manga is neither fictional nor in novel format).
(from rec.arts.manga FAQ)
While the artwork, in many cases, looks simplistic and "inferior" to the intricate, stylish, and "realistic" drawings found in American comics, that is certainly not the case. Comic art in Japan comes from a different tradition, and along with the cliché elements like big eyes and speed lines, you'll find a sense of design and graphic representation that ranges from the complex to the emotional to the almost poetic. In storytelling terms (character development, plot, and emotional impact) manga often far surpasses its Western counterparts.
(from Manga Maniacs Manga-festo)
Unlike the U.S., which generally seems to believe that "comics are for kids," Japanese manga-ka (manga writers) write for everyone from innocent young children to perverted sex-starved men (there is even a category for ex-juvenile delinquent mothers!). But even the kiddie stuff tends not to be as simple-minded as the American versions (not including intelligent American comics, but more thinking of TV shows). Children's manga and TV anime shows in Japan will sometimes depict death --- while the U.S. (on children's TV) seems determined to run away from such realities of life. And, not surprisingly, much of Japanese manga and anime includes scenes of students in class or doing homework, or of people working in their offices. The work ethic seems omnipresent in the background. Manga and anime also tend to protray technology sympathetically, while some U.S. comics seem almost to avoid it, or revile it, or simplify it as much as possible.
(from Rei's Anime and Manga Page)
* anime * manga * doujinshi * yaoi * yuri * shoujo * shounen * cons * mags * #gw_yaoi *
Literally "same people publication", where "same people" refers to a group of people who are interested in the same field. The word "doujinshi" came into use among literary groups that wrote in the style of a particular author or classic work, and is not specific to the world of anime and manga. A group of doujinshi artists or writers is called a "circle". In the manga world, "doujinshi" today refers to any amateur, self-published manga, especially those based on existing manga or anime.
There is a large fan culture associated with the contemporary doujinshi scene. Manga doujinshis are advertised and reviewed in some magazines, and sold en masse at "comic markets". Most manga doujinshis are at the level of Western fanzines, though a significant proportion are of remarkably high quality. These sell thousands of copies, and some people can make a living drawing doujinshi alone. Popular doujinshi artists often go on to become professional manga-kas (eg. Sonoda Kenichi, Ozaki Minami). On the other hand, some professional manga-kas have been known to publish doujinshis, often under assumed names, parodying their own work (eg. Hagiwara Kazushi, Ueshiba Reach).
(from rec.arts.manga FAQ)
* anime * manga * doujinshi * yaoi * yuri * shoujo * shounen * cons * mags * #gw_yaoi *
ketsuekigata: "Blood type". In Japanese pop culture, blood type is thought to be related to personality. This belief became popular in the early '80s. Profiles of manga artists or characters from manga will often include blood type along with other statistics like age and place of birth. A very rough guide to blood types:
A nervous, introverted, honest, loyal
B outgoing, optimistic, adventurous
AB proud, diplomatic, discriminating
O workaholic, insecure, emotional
(from rec.arts.manga FAQ)
* anime * manga * doujinshi * yaoi * yuri * shoujo * shounen * cons * mags * #gw_yaoi *
Abbreviation for "yama-nashi ochi-nashi imi-nashi", which can be roughly translated as "no climax, no resolution, no meaning". The characteristic feature of yaoi manga is male homosexual love, usually between characters from well-known stories. It is also known as "shounenai" (boys' love) or "shotacom" (regarded as the opposite of "lolicom"). The yaoi phenomenon closely parallels the growth of "slash" fan fiction in the West.
(from rec.arts.manga FAQ)
So it's gay porn for women? Nope. It's a female fantasy of what's sexually attractive, not a gay male one. Yaoi embodies the (surprisingly common) female notion that m/m relationships are the stuff of high romance and beauty and true love and angst and impossibly wonderful sex five times an hour.
Yaoi emphasizes the emotional side of things as much as the physical, and the stories happen in a very unrealistic version of the real world. Yaoi men tend to have impossible anatomy and very unlikely psychology. Silver hair, purple eyes, and a tendency to self-mutilation as an expression of love are not uncommon.
(from What Is Yaoi? by Jeanne Johnson)
* anime * manga * doujinshi * yaoi * yuri * shoujo * shounen * cons * mags * #gw_yaoi *
Yuri (also known as shoujo ai) is a term used by anime/manga fans for female/female relationships in anime/manga. There are many aspects of this including the more romantic, and the hentai. Unfortunately there are not that many examples of yuri present in anime/manga (compared to the yuri counterpart Yaoi i.e. male/male relationships.)
(from the yuri links database)
* anime * manga * doujinshi * yaoi * yuri * shoujo * shounen * cons * mags * #gw_yaoi *
Shoujo is the genre targeted at young females between 6 and 18 years of age. The classification is not based on storytelling style, artistic style, or even content - if a publisher designates a manga or anime as intended for a young female audience, then it is shoujo. (Of course, girls do not limit themselves to shoujo and many are readers of Shounen Jump.)
Shoujo is at least as diverse as any other type of manga and anime, encompassing a huge variety of styles and genres. In fact, shoujo accounts for about 35% of all manga published in Japan today. Because of this diversity, it is difficult to talk about general defining characteristics of shoujo. There are always many exceptions to the rule. But as a very rough guideline, it might be said that the typical shoujo:
- emphasises emotions, atmosphere and mood, rather than action.
- uses less literal ("A then B then C") storytelling, and more impressionism and montage.
- rarely depicts "ugliness", unless heavily stylized.
- shows considerable attention to details of costume and dress.
Another misconception is that certain shoujo for pre-teens, such as Sailor Moon, Magic Knight Rayearth, Akazukin Chacha and Wedding Peach are typical or mainstream shoujo titles. In fact, they are exceptional titles whose cuteness makes them popular among male otakus.
A few important shoujo-manga magazines are: Nakayoshi and Ribbon (for under-6th graders), Lala and Hana to Yume (for teenagers), Susperia (horror), Wings ("unisex"), and Margaret.
(from rec.arts.manga FAQ)
* anime * manga * doujinshi * yaoi * yuri * shoujo * shounen * cons * mags * #gw_yaoi *
Boy, or youth. The first mangas to achieve mass circulation, and to be printed in "phonebook" format, were aimed at the shounen audience. Today, shounen still have the largest market share, and most shounen magazines are weekly "phonebooks". However, quite a few adults and teenage girls are loyal shounen-manga readers.
Some significant shounen mangas and their specialties are Shounen Jump (aimed at everyone), Shounen Sunday (inner-city dwellers), Shounen Magazine (sports-oriented, also the longest running manga magazine currently in print), Shounen Champion (catering to macho types), and Shounen Captain (for otakus). Of these, Shounen Jump is the biggest seller. It is a weekly of about 450 pages' length, read by nearly 7 million people each week, making it the most popular manga magazine in Japan. Up-to-date Japanese issues of Shounen Jump can be even be found in Chinatowns all over the world. Shounen Jump's success is due to a winning formula of combining action, drama, and sensationalism in addictive, drawn-out sagas.
(from rec.arts.manga FAQ)
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