Happy Monday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! If you’re looking to shirk off your real world responsibilities and are discreetly trying to recover from a weekend of merriment, look no further. This is manga (And Also Anime) Monday, the place where I spit some anime/manga facts, through out a couple opinions, and garnish everything with a few well timed jokes. Here we go bros.

It has come to my attention that getting into anime can be a pretty daunting task. This is partially because there are several industry heavy terms and tropes that appear in anime and almost nowhere else. If you have not been an anime fan for your entire life (like moi) then you might have some trouble figuring out what is going on in a program, or what the hell someone, who is trying to get you to watch a particular anime, is talking about. Today I am going to try to remedy that by listing some common terms and their definitions.

Anime:  In the West this term is used to describe animation that comes from Japan, while in Japan this term is used to described all animated works. I know that this is pretty basic, but we have to start somewhere.

Manga: Japanese comics. It can also be used to describe a particular art style usually denoted by features such as big eyes, speed lines, and exclamatory topography. ie. Scott Pilgrim.

Shonen: Anime or manga intended for an adolescent to teenage male demographic. Think Naruto, One Piece, Bleach.

Shojo: Anime or manga intended for an adolescent to teenage female demographic. Think Sailor Moon or just about any series that features a primary female cast.

Seinen: Anime or manga that is intended for an adult male demographic. Such as, One Punch Man or Tokyo Ghoul.

Dub: A version of an anime that has been translated into a different language. If you are watching an anime and the characters are speaking a language other than Japanese, you’re watching a dub. It should be noted that the quality of a dubbing an anime ranges widely and is often a sources of debate for anime fans.

Sub: A version of anime that has the characters speaking in Japanese, but with subtitles on screen in the language of the viewer. Subs are often available before dubs and are considered superior by some anime fans due to it better persevering the original Japanese dialogue.

Scanlation: The process of a comic being translated from one language to another.

Fan Service: The use mildly sexual content to peak a readers interest. Sometimes it makes sense within the plot of the story, sometimes it does not. You known how basically every horror movie has to have some kind of sex scene? This is pretty much like that.

Ecchi: The PG-13 of anime and manga. It denotes some sexual content, but not enough to warrant some kind of censorship.

Hentai: Basically porn……………view at your own risk.

Chibi: Characters that are drawn in a deliberately cute way. These characters often small and young looking. This art style is usually used for humorous affect to create juxtaposition.

Mangaka: The creator of a manga. More often than not, mangaka both illustrate and write their work.

Mecha: A very popular genre of anime that is denoted by the presence of large robots.

Omake: Something extra in a collection of manga chapters or anime episodes. Similar to behind the scenes or bonus content in western works.

Otaku: A fan of anime and manga. This has become a catchall term that is used now to describe almost anyone who enjoys anime or manga, but used to solely refer to people who took there fandom to an extreme, possibly unhealthy, level.

That is more or less all of the basic terminology you need to know to enter into the wonderful world of anime. If you thought that this post was informative or enjoyable, give it a like. If you thought it was god-awful or if I missed something that you think should be on this list, leave a comment. As always, you can subscribe to BaddaBing BaddaBlog and receive notifications via email, buy going over to the upper right tab. If you really want to be cool, you can head over to the BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page and give it a like. I’m also on this new thing called Twitter. Go follow me, @LucasDeRuyter, and watch me figure out how to work it. I am terribly sorry, but there will not be a post tomorrow, but fret not because the next installment of Pop-Culture Wednesday is right around the corner. See you then.

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