1 definition by kat231

Anime

A lot of defintions on here for the word 'anime' have been hopelessly ill-informed. I hope to give a more accurate defintion that doesn't make me sound like an idiot. Anime is a form of animation orginating in Japan. Common elements in characters include large, shiny eyes, often spiky or unusually colored hair, long legs, etc. There are always exceptions to these rules, such as in Hayao Miyazaki's movies, which have more realistic proportions and hair. Often in anime, one episode will continue into the next, instead of each episode being a one-shot. There are several different types, like Shounen, for boys, which typically feature a male protagonist and lots of fighting and action, Shoujo, for girls, with female protagonists and the main focus being romance or comedy. There is also Josei, for young women, which I imagine are like soap operas(Never watched any), and Seinen, for teenagers and young men, which are often horror or thriller animes, and are usually considered too scary for children. There is also shounen/shoujo ai, which is gay/lesbian romance without sex, and yaoi/yuri, which is with sex. Many people say that anime is for 12-year-old dorks, but I myself have watched anime that would scar a 12-year-old for life. They also say anime is porn. There is a category of anime called hentai that is pornographic in nature, but the vast majority is not. Some anime is incredibly good, some is atrocious. And the stereotypes aren't necessarily true for all.

Shounen anime: Naruto, Bleach, Inu-Yasha, Death Note, Pokemon, etc. Some of the most famous anime falls under this category. Can be upbeat and funny, like Naruto, or heavy and complex, like Death Note.

Shoujo anime: Fruits Basket, Sailor Moon, Kaichou wa Maid-Sama, Lucky Star, Vampire Knight. I have mixed feelings about this genre. I very much like Fruits Basket while Sailor Moon made me want to smash my computer.

I don't know any Josei anime...

Seinen Anime: Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni, Elfen Lied, Hellsing, Ghost in the Shell. My favorite genre, although if you want to watch Higurashi or Elfen Lied be prepared for some serious gore and insanity.

Shounen Ai: Kirepapa, Junjou Romantica, Loveless. I know I said shounen ai is gay romance minus sex but JR has some intense guyxguy, just sayin.

Shoujo Ai: Strawberry Panic, Kannazuki no Miko, A Channel, Uta Kata. I'm not a yuri fan but shoujo ai's really cute ^^

by kat231 August 11, 2011