| Phrase
or word |
Meaning |
| Dubbed/Dub |
Refers to the act of replacing
the original Japanese dialogue and/or soundtrack with English
dubbed dialogue and/or music. |
| Ecchi |
In Japanese, it means 'pervert';
for the purpose of the reviews, it means suggestive nudity or
lots of panty-flashing. |
| Fansub |
An unofficial release of an anime
series subtitled by fans for fans. The theory behind the practice
is to make the non-Japanese speaking anime community aware of
anime in the hopes of having it licensed for Western release.
However, the process is illegal as it infringes copyright laws,
especially by those who profiteer from selling fansubbed anime,
which is a big no-no. |
| Fan Service |
Term used for anime where there
are scenes with nudity/revealing clothing of an anime character
intended to get the fans excited or 'reward' them (hence 'service')
for indulging in the release. |
| Hentai |
In Japanese, 'deranged pervert'
(if you want to gloss it like that); for the purpose of reviewing,
it refers to anime with sexually explicit scenes of sex and/or
nudity. |
| Hiragana |
Japanese writing system. Phoenetic,
used for Japanese words. |
| Kanji |
Japanese writing system. Chinese
characters are used with Japanese meanings and readings. This
is considered more advanced than hiragana and katakana. |
| Katakana |
Japanese writing system. Used
for foreign words. |
| Kawaii |
Cute or adorable. |
| Mini-OVA/Mini-OAV |
Very short episodes (approx 4
- 7 minutes) that tend to have no encompassing storyline. Term
'Mini-OVA/OAV' is merely for description; episodes are normally
screened on television or released on other media, therefore not
strictly original video animation per se. |
| Movie/Theatrical release |
Anime which was produced for
the intention of a release in the cinemas. Typically, in the West
it is only released on video or DVD, though this trend is beginning
to change. |
| OVA/OAV |
Original Video Animation/Original
Animation Video respectively. Both terms are interchangeable.
This is animation which isn't aired on TV and instead is released
on VHS, Laser Disc or DVD only. Production values are higher than
TV series' but tend to be lower than theatrical releases. Normally
they only span a few episodes as opposed to a TV series which
spans many episodes. |
| Shoujo |
In Japanese, it means 'girl';
for reviewing purposes, this is girls' anime. Themes often include
love, relationships, etc, and typically don't focus on much violence.
Target audience are female. |
| Shounen |
In Japanese, it means 'boy';
for reviewing purposes, this is what's normally guys' anime. Themes
include violence, sex, girls, robots, things blowing up, etc.
Target audience are male. |
| Subtitled/Subbed |
Refers to the act of subtitling
a Japanese release with English or equivalent subtitles to allow
non-Japanese speakers to understand the particular show. |
| TV Series |
Anime series that were produced
to be aired on television, though in the West it may only be released
on VHS, Laser Disc or DVD. Features animation and audio competence
below that of an OVA or theatrical release as the budget accorded
to it is to cover a large number of episodes as opposed to, say,
a few hours (movie) or a few episodes (OVA/OAV). |
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