History MediaNotes / AnimeAndManga

Believe it or not, it exists! The Japanese may have invented it, but they do not have a monopoly on the media. Manga-style comic books have been coming out of Korea, China and Taiwan for years now, though it's only recently that people outside of those regions have become more aware of them. They are practically no different from Japanese manga, other than slight differences in culture and characters names. Manga in Korea is called {{Manhwa}}, and Chinese and Taiwanese manga is called {{Manhua}}. It's no coincidence that the names are more or less identical. Korean and Chinese manga is just as excellent as the Japanese, so it's highly suggested that one check them out. There are also various original western manga coming out, especially in America and France, not to mention the huge amount of amateur manga worldwide which is easily accessible through the internet.

So your friend has just handed you a manga or anime on DVD, demanding you watch it. You're a bit new to all this foreign Japanese stuff, so after reading or watching it, and deciding it's something you might want to learn more about, you've come here to get the down and dirty info you need to further explore the world of Anime and Manga. Well, you've got a lot to learn. On this page we will briefly discuss all the things you need to know about Anime, Manga and everything in between as well as link you up with some useful pages on the site and Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} for some more information.

Anime can be shown on television, or released only on DVD. Straight-to-DVD anime is called an OVA (OriginalVideoAnimation). The closest analog to Western animation is "direct-to-video" or "direct-to-DVD", but without the negative connotation. Usually, {{O|riginalVideoAnimation}}VAs are of superior quality to TV-produced anime, as many time and budget restrictions are lifted. There are also plenty of anime movies. Anime that are completely original, and not based on some other work, often gain manga or light novels based on ''them'' if they prove to be popular.

Anime is somewhat of a different story. While there are Korean and Chinese anime, it's pretty much non-existent in the West, or even on the internet, so good luck with that. Anime's influence, however, has definitely been felt worldwide, and many animated works tend to be {{Animesque}}, or created with a similar style or in the spirit of Japanese animation (''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', ''WesternAnimation/MegasXLR'', etc.). While there isn't exactly anything Western that one could pin down and say ''is'' Western anime, ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' and Netflix's ''WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017'' are the closest thing you can find.

Anime is somewhat of a different story. While there are Korean and Chinese anime, it's pretty much non-existent in the West, or even on the internet, so good luck with that. Anime's influence, however, has definitely been felt worldwide, and many animated works tend to be {{Animesque}}, or created with a similar style or in the spirit of Japanese animation (''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', ''WesternAnimation/MegasXLR'', etc.). While there isn't exactly anything Western that one could pin down and say ''is'' Western anime, ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' is the closest thing you can find.

* '''Shonen''' emphasizes action, competition and comedy. Romance might be there, but it will be sort of a token romance, or at least not played much for drama unless there's a DamselInDistress. But again, as with Shojo, there are exceptions, such as harem manga and MagicalGirlfriend offshoots, which strongly feature love of part of the story. Otherwise, though, shonen tends to have male leads and be about camaraderie, friendship or fighting, and martial arts or sports are common plot elements. Recently many traditional shonen series have started to include better romance sub-plots, more drama and {{Bishonen}} characters for more appeal to girls.

And next we've got the wide world of adult[note]No, not pornography[/note] manga, including {{Seinen}} and {{Josei}}, Shonen and Shoujo's big brother and sister.

* They are generally owned by the creator (not the comic book company) and as such are pretty linear and have a clear beginning, middle and end. You don't have random other authors creating their own alternative universes alongside the original.

* '''Holidays''': Most Japanese celebrate Christmas but as a secular holiday (and they don't get off work or school!), and it's generally done as a holiday for couples. There are also effectively two Valentine's Day. Regular Valentine's Day is celebrated on on February 14th, where girls give boys chocolate. Then there's White Day, celebrated on March 14th, where boys give girls chocolate. Additionally, there is Golden Week, which kids get off school for, and is essentially a festival for children.

So remember, if you hear a character by the name of Akira being talked about, it's just as likely a male as a female. Likewise, a character named Tomoyo is going to be a girl while a Tomoya would be a boy. Also, there isn't a standard for Japanese-to-English romanization, so things can get a bit wonky when it crosses the sea. You'll want to see UsefulNotes/JapaneseRomanization for that. One big thing to know though it that the 'L' sound [[JapaneseRanguage doesn't exist in Japanese]], and will usually be replaced with an 'R' sound for non-Japanese names and words in original dialogue. It's how you get names like [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Rorand turning into Roland]] once it's translated.

* ''(name)-chan'': Affectionate and sometimes cutesy. Used for young children and animals, as well as close friends or romantic partners.

* ''(name)-sama'': Pretty much the equivalent of 'Lord', it's extremely respectful and used to address gods, nobility and in some contexts customers. More common in historical-based works, unless it's used jokingly, but in very strict Japanese households it is still common to address the parents and older siblings this way. Also see the OneeSama trope, which typically has a SchoolGirlLesbians bend when it's not an actual older sister.

* Another difference is while Western audiences might animate something which would be impossible or extremely expensive to created with live-action, plenty of anime are SliceOfLife and include no particular effects elements which would require animation. They animate it because people just love anime.

* Western animation tends to have a higher frame rate then TV anime works, as anime is so prevalent that episodes need to be made quickly and on a budget, especially if they are trying to keep up with the manga. This means there's a lot of anime out there which is relatively low quality in terms of animation. Frequent use of panning over stills and blatantly recycling animation are ways you'll see it. There's plenty of great animation as well, though.

Well, you can't really talk about Anime without talking about Manga first. We won't go into [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_manga all that history]], but suffice to say, that Manga originated in response to the Japanese being introduced to American {{Comics}} and Cartoons (especially Disney) after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. The Japanese applied their stylized artistic influence to the general medium and format and came up with the Manga, essentially a Japanese Graphic Novel. Manga are differentiated from Comics in that:

* They are generally serialized in weekly or monthly magazines, produced a chapter at a time and later combined into ''tankoubon'', or compilation books of a few chapters (usually nine per book, except for the first volume, which has less due to initial chapters being usually longer than the subsequent ones).

* They are read from right to left in the original format, which to many people outside of Japan it would seem as if one was reading the book from back to front.
* They have a distinctive 'anime style' of art, which is a mix of early western comic style and the minimalist aesthetic of Japanese traditional art.
* In their country of origin they are widely marketed across demographics, whereas Comic books are something of a niche market in America these days.

Creators of manga are called ''mangaka'', and usually work with a team of artists to help produce their work, and may or may not have a writer on board, though it's less common than it is for Comics. There is also a lot of amateur manga out there, some original and others fan works, which are called {{Doujinshi}}. Popular manga often end up being made into...

Basically, an animated show or movie done the Japanese way, with their iconic style of art. While the West seems to be in UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation, Anime for a long time flourished in Japan and even outside it. The situation has changed somewhat, due in part to the East Asian economic crisis, changing Western tastes, Japan's aging demographics, and its unique TV situation (six network channels; satellite channels have about 10% penetration and cable isn't even a thing; shows that don't have strong appeal for the after-school crowd can't pull competitive ratings and [[OtakuOClock air in the red-eye time slots]]). Don't go thinking [[AnimationAgeGhetto all cartoons are for kids]], because Anime, like its originator Manga, is marketed across all demographics, from young children all the way up to senior citizens and middle-aged businessmen. Conversely, [[AllAnimeIsNaughtyTentacles not all anime consists of naughty tentacles]]: the majority is age-appropriate for the demographic and hentai, essentially explicit or pornographic anime, while it exists, does not make up the majority of works in the genre.[[note]]And not even all hentai is tentacles, either; most is vanilla, heterosexual porn. Tentacle hentai does exist, but it's a niche of a niche.[[/note]] Anime is similarly differentiated from Western cartoons in similar ways as manga is to comics:

* Anime, as opposed to many Western animated works, is generally not episode-based, but has a clear beginning, middle and end. (Minus the occasional filler)

* Western animation tends to have a higher frame rate then TV anime works, as anime is so prevalent that episodes need to be made quickly and on a budget, especially if they are trying to keep up with the manga. This means there's a lot of anime out there which is relatively low quality, in terms of animation. Frequent use of panning over stills and blatantly recycling animation are ways you'll see it. There's plenty of great animation as well, though.
* Made in the iconic anime style of art.
* Anime is for everyone, not just little kids. In fact lots of anime out there would receive a PG-13 or R rating in an American market.
* Another difference is while Western audiences might animate something which would be impossible or extremely expensive to created with live-Action, plenty of anime are SliceOfLife and include no particular effects elements which would require animation. They animate because people just love anime.

Anime can be shown on television, or released only on DVD. DVD released anime is called an OVA (OriginalVideoAnimation). The closest analog to Western animation is "direct-to-video" or "direct-to-DVD", but without the negative connotation. Usually, {{O|riginalVideoAnimation}}VAs are of superior quality to TV produced anime, as many time and budget restrictions are lifted. There are also plenty of anime movies. Anime which are completely original and not based off of some other work often gain manga or light novels based on ''them'' if they prove to be popular.

So now you know what anime and manga are and what makes them different from the media you might already know. Now we'll look at the ways you might go about choosing your anime/manga.

!Categorizing Manga and Anime

One way you might go about choosing what to try next is by looking at which anime and manga are in your target demographic, and what elements are common within that group. While many people can, and do read outside their demographic, it's a good place to start if you're a beginner.

First off is {{Kodomomuke}}. Kodomomuke manga are for young children, usually about six to ten years old. It's the Barney equivalent for manga. They are usually more simplistic, fanciful storylines which are episodic in nature and teach life lessons and good behavior. They can be adorable but don't expect them to delve too deeply into anything philosophical.

* '''Shoujo''' emphasizes relationships, both romantic and otherwise, as well as personal growth. Shoujo are much more likely to be SliceOfLife or School Stories, and tend to portray romance in a highly idealized or unrealistic fashion. They often have female leads, and while usually less action-based there are plenty which break the mold, including the MagicalGirl subsection. Episodic or Vignette-type stories are also common to shoujo manga. Both the YuriGenre and YaoiGenre, also known as shoujo-ai and shonen-ai respectively, also fall under the header of shoujo, which one might guess as they are both focused on romance.
* '''Shonen''' emphasizes action, competition and comedy. Romance might be there, but it will be sort of a token romance, or at least not played much for drama unless there's a DamselInDistress. But again, as with Shojo, there are exceptions, such as Harem manga and MagicalGirlfriend offshoots, which strongly feature love of part of the story. Otherwise, though, Shonen tends to have male leads and be about camaraderie, friendship or fighting, and martial arts or sports are common things that pop up. Recently many traditional shonens are including better romance sub-plots, more drama and {{Bishonen}} characters for more appeal to girls.

And next we've got the wide world of adult manga, including {{Seinen}} and {{Josei}}, Shonen and Shoujo's big brother and sister.

* '''Josei''' is a rather small area of manga compared to Shoujo. It has the same basic themes as Shoujo, but shown from a more adult viewpoint. Protagonists are usually working age, from 18 to 30, and shown in more realistic situations than in Shoujo, with the love being much more realistic than idealized. There is also an added emphasis on family at times. The more explicit forms of the YaoiGenre and the YuriGenre, Yaoi and Yuri respectively, are also considered Josei.
* '''Seinen''', despite being the older counterpart to Shonen, is in many ways vastly different. While many works still involve action, psychology and personal drama start coming into play. Plot and character interaction are more important, and there is a strong sense of DarkerAndEdgier. Conversely, there are those titles that are definitely holdovers from Shonen, just with sexier women, more romance, and explicit material with older protagonists. Hentai is also under the header of Seinen, and if you want yaoi that is actually written for and by gay men, as opposed to for and by women, then you'll want {{Bara}}, which is seinen or OtokonokoGenre, which strictly involves more girly cross-dressing characters usually, but not always, engaging in [[invoked]] HoYay.

So there you go, you now know the most common way that people categorize manga. There are also some very specific genres, which you can find in the AnimeGenres index. Some genres which are iconic to, and more or less invented by anime and manga media, are:

* MagicalGirl: A cute young girl, often a preteen, receives a secret power which she uses to do good deeds. There's more to it than that but you get the gist. Exemplified by ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' and ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura''. There are also 3 common sub-genres:
** the CuteWitch, who is an inherently magically gifted character
** the MagicIdolSinger, who is either a girl who solves problems via things like MagicMusic or uses her magic to ''become'' an idol
** the MagicalGirlWarrior, which sometimes incorporates elements of {{Sentai}}, where the story is about the protagonist(s) defeating evil with magic and action in a SuperHero style tale; MagicalGirlWarrior series like the aforementioned ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' are the most known in the West

* {{Mon}}: Short for monster, it basically involves owning/collecting often adorable little creatures with powers, which are used to fight. ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' and ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' are often considered the poster children of this genre, a comparison of the two showing how diverse it can get.

Now we'll talk about some things you might see in an Anime or Manga which you pretty much won't understand unless you're told. Probably ninety percent of it has to do with the different culture, and the biggest thing you'll notice right away is...

* ''(name)-sama'': Pretty much the equivalent of 'lord', it's extremely respectful and used to address gods, nobility and in some contexts customers. More common in historical-based works, unless it's used jokingly, but in very strict Japanese households it is still common to address the parents and older siblings this way. Also see the OneeSama trope, which typically has a SchoolGirlLesbians bend when it's not an actual older sister.

** Common male name endings are: -ro, -shi, -ya, -aru, or -o
** Common female name endings are: -ko, -mi, -e and -yo

This isn't the place for a huge lesson on the Japanese language, check out [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language The Other Wiki]] for that, but there are some simple things to mention that will crop up in relation to Japanese language in Anime and Manga. For instance, Japanese has '''three''' writing systems: Kanji, katakana and hiragana, which have different purposes. Kanji in particular represent ideas which can be grouped together to form a word or concept. These kanji don't always have a set pronunciation, or can be pronounced pretty much however someone wants to say they are despite established norms, so you can get people in anime and manga having to explain to others essentially how to {{spell|MyNameWithAnS}} or [[ItIsPronouncedTroPay pronounce]] their names a lot. Knowing Japanese is not at all necessary to enjoy anime, but knowing some (even just how to read hiragana and katakana) can be a benefit. Many works produced in Japan never see translation into English, and opinions differ regarding the practice of dubbing. This is the reason behind the ongoing SubbingVersusDubbing flamewar, which never seems to end.

* '''More School''': Another big thing is that where in America at least, middle school is two years (or three; sixth grade is sometimes counted) and high school is four years, in Japan, Middle school and High school are both three years. Middle school includes grades 7, 8 and 9, while high school covers grades 10, 11 and 12. Kids also have to take an exam to graduate from middle school, and apply to high schools on the strength of these exam scores. Getting into a good high school is considered very important for going on to a good college. This pressure is responsible for high school being perhaps the most difficult part of a Japanese student's school life. College has been referred to as a "second childhood" for many students.
* '''Festivals''': Japanese hold a lot of local street festivals, where people often dress up in tradition garb (“kimonos”). Activities there include trying to catch a goldfish with a paper scoop. While there are a number of nationally respected festival days, many festivals are often based on local customs or history, so you can expect an anime or manga to invent some kind of festival for whenever they want one.

So, translation issues, the bane of anime and manga fans' existence. These days it's not nearly as much of an issue as it once was and anime is quite widely translated with considerable accuracy, but back in the day people seemed to think that Westerners wouldn't like the shows unless all of the culture was cut out as thoroughly as possible and [[CulturalTranslation replaced with an American equivalent]]. [[DubNameChange Names were changed]], sometimes to something similar sounding but Western, other time to something that seemed more or less random. Dialogue was changed completely, or [[{{Bowdlerization}} censored]] within an inch of the show's life, sometimes because of the mistaken thought that shows in higher demographics were only appealing to lower demographics in the West. Thus, you got shows for teenagers and adults being touted as kids shows, requiring significant rewriting. There's also the issue that [[ValuesDissonance the Japanese are less likely to censor television in general]], such as shows for kids having mild cursing or innuendo, or showing or hinting at homosexual relationships. Homosexual characters in general were often either [[HideYourLesbians given different dialogue]], [[BannedInChina cutting out the most offensive episodes if necessary]], in an attempt to [[{{Bowdlerization}} write it out of the show]], or if possible, they outright [[ShesAManInJapan changed the character's gender in the translation]].

So given all of this, one can see how long-time fans might [[{{Macekre}} have issues with dubs]], if for no other reason than in the past, many were so far from what they were supposed to be. This is completely disregarding the fact that some early dubbing wasn't as well matched to the mouth-flaps as they are now. So while there are many dubbed anime which are excellent, especially recently as more dubbing companies are getting good at it and are listening to the fans' cries for authenticity to the source material, and some few jewels are even considered on par or ''[[SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing better]]'' than the original, many fans swear by watching anime with subtitles. It's really up to you to decide which you like better, just keep your mind open.

If you're new to the anime and manga scene then you can be sure that speaking to an anime {{otaku}} (otaku meaning 'nerd') will both help you in your quest to delve more into this fandom and confuse the heck out of you. So many words, many taken directly from Japanese, are commonly used by hardcore fans in the west, and the only way to know them is to ask...or come here! TV Tropes happens to have a pretty good starter dictionary right here for you, titled UsefulNotes/AnimeFanspeak, with links to more info. It is highly suggested that you check it out.

Basically an animated show or movie done the Japanese way, with their iconic style of art. While the West seems to be in UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation, Anime for a long time flourished in Japan and even outside it. The situation has changed somewhat, due in part to the East Asian economic crisis, changing Western tastes, Japan's aging demographics, and its unique TV situation (six network channels; satellite channels have about 10% penetration and cable isn't even a thing; shows that don't have strong appeal for the after-school crowd can't pull competitive ratings and [[OtakuOClock air in the red-eye time slots]]). Don't go thinking [[AnimationAgeGhetto all cartoons are for kids]], because Anime, like its originator Manga, is marketed across all demographics, from young children all the way up to senior citizens and middle-aged business men. Conversely,[[AllAnimeIsNaughtyTentacles not all anime consists of naughty tentacles]]: the majority is age appropriate for the demographic and hentai, essentially explicit or pornographic anime, while it exists, does not make up the majority of works in the genre.[[note]]And not even all hentai is tentacles, either; most is vanilla, heterosexual porn. Tentacle hentai does exist, but it's a niche of a niche.[[/note]] Anime is similarly differentiated from Western cartoons in similar ways as manga is to comics:

* The vast majority of anime are based off of some other medium, usually manga or Japanese light novels, but more recently anime have been based off of Japanese TV dramas and even some Western media such as comic books (Wolverine and ComicBook/IronMan), or Western television shows (''Series/{{Supernatural}}''), and even books (''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'').
* Western animation tends to have a higher frame rate then TV anime works, as anime is so prevalent that episodes need to be made quickly and on a budget, especially if they are trying to keep up with the manga. This means there's lot of anime out there which is relatively low quality, in terms of animation. Frequent use of panning over stills and blatantly recycling animation are ways you'll see it. There's plenty of great animation as well, though.

First off is {{Kodomomuke}}. Kodomomuke manga are for young children, usually about six to ten years old. It's the Barney equivalent for manga. They are usually more simplistic, fanciful story lines which are episodic in nature and teach life lessons and good behavior. They can be adorable but don't expect them to delve to deeply into anything philosophical.

If you're ''really'' bent on the evolution of anime and its many genres, we urge you to check out the EssentialAnime page, which is certain to catch you up on all the genres and their origins. Not to mention everything on it is a classic that most fans will have passing knowledge of.

* ''(name)-sama'': Pretty much the equivalent of 'lord', it's extremely respectful and used to address gods, nobility and in some contexts customers. More common in historical-based works, unless it's used jokingly, but in very strict Japanese house holds it is still common to address the parents and older siblings this way. Also see the OneeSama trope, which typically has a SchoolGirlLesbians bend when it's not an actual older sister.

This isn't the place for a huge lesson on Japanese language, check out [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language The Other Wiki]] for that, but there are some simple things to mention that will crop up in relation to Japanese language in Anime and Manga. For instance, Japanese has '''three''' writing systems: Kanji, katakana and hiragana, which have different purposes. Kanji in particular represent ideas which can be grouped together to form a word or concept. These kanji don't always have a set pronunciation, or can be pronounced pretty much however someone wants to say they are despite established norms, so you can get people in anime and manga having to explain to others essentially how to {{spell|MyNameWithAnS}} or [[ItIsPronouncedTroPay pronounce]] their names a lot. Knowing Japanese is not at all necessary to enjoy anime, but knowing some (even just how to read hiragana and katakana) can be a benefit. Many works produced in Japan never see translation into English, and opinions differ regarding the practice of dubbing. This is the reason behind the ongoing SubbingVersusDubbing flamewar, which never seems to end.

There's more of course, but these are some common things you'll run into. If you want to better inform yourself you can head on over to the UsefulNotes/{{Japan}} page, and stuff your brain to your hearts content.

So given all of this, one can see how long time fans might [[{{Macekre}} have issues with dubs]], if for no other reason than in the past, many were so far from what they were supposed to be. This is completely disregarding the fact that some early dubbing wasn't as well matched to the mouth-flaps as they are now. So while there are many dubbed anime which are excellent, especially recently as more dubbing companies are getting good at it and are listening to the fans' cries for authenticity to the source material, and some few jewels are even considered on par or ''[[SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing better]]'' than the original, many fans swear by watching anime with subtitles. It's really up to you to decide which you like better, just keep your mind open.

Anime is somewhat of a different story. While there are Korean and Chinese anime, it's pretty much non-existent in the West, or even on the internet, so good luck with that. Anime's influence however has definitely been felt worldwide, and many animated works tend to be {{Animesque}}, or created with a similar style or in the spirit of Japanese animation (''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', ''WesternAnimation/MegasXLR'', etc.). While there isn't exactly anything Western that one could pin down and say ''is'' Western anime, ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' is the closest thing you can find.

So given all of this, one can see how long time fans might [[{{Macekre}} have issues with dubs]], if for no other reason than in the past, many were so far from what they were supposed to be. This is completely disregarding the fact that some early dubbing wasn't as well matched to the mouth-flaps as they are now. So while there are many dubbed anime which are excellent, especially recently as more dubbing companies are getting good at it and are listening to the fans cries for staying original to the source material, and some few jewels are even considered on par or ''[[SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing better]]'' than the original, many fans swear by watching anime with subtitles. It's really up to you to decide which you like better, just keep your mind open.

* {{Sentai}}: A team of fighters with matching uniforms and crazy poses and attack speeches. Think ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' and you'll know exactly what this genre is, except animated.

* MagicalGirl: A cute young girl, often a preteen, can use some form of magic, and she uses it to fight evil against great odds. There's more to it than that but you get the gist. Exemplified by ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' and ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura''. There are also 3 common sub-genres:

** the MagicIdolSinger, who is either a girl who defeats crime via things like MagicMusic or uses her magic to ''become'' an idol
** the MagicalGirlWarrior, which sometimes incorporates elements of {{Sentai}}, where the story is about the protagonist(s) defeating evil with magic and action in a SuperHero style tale; MagicalGirlWarrior series like the aforementioned ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' are the most known in the west

* ''(name)-kun'': Used to address young boys, and very occasionally girls, if one wants to eliminate gender from the equation.
* ''(name)-chan'': Used for young children, animals or very close friends and girlfriends or boyfriends. It shows affection and friendship or closeness.

* ''(name)-sama'': Pretty much the equivalent of 'lord', it's extremely respectful and used to address gods, nobility or just someone you revere above all others. More common in historical-based works, unless it's used jokingly, but in very strict Japanese house holds it is still common to adress the parents and older siblings this way. Also see the OneeSama trope, which typically has a SchoolGirlLesbians bend when it's not an actual older sister.

This isn't the place for a huge lesson on Japanese language, check out [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language The Other Wiki]] for that, but there are some simple things to mention that will crop up in relation to Japanese language in Anime and Manga. For instance, Japanese has '''three''' writing systems, Kanji, Katakana and Hiragana, which have different purposes. Kanji in particular represent ideas which can be grouped together to form a word or concept. These Kanji don't always have a set pronunciation, or can be pronounced pretty much however someone wants to say they are despite established norms, so you can get people in Anime and Manga having to explain to others essentially how to {{spell|MyNameWithAnS}} or [[ItIsPronouncedTroPay pronounce]] their names a lot. Knowing Japanese is not at all necessary to enjoy anime, but knowing some (even just how to read hiragana and katakana) can be a benefit, since many anime works which are produced in Japan are never translated into English, and those that are often suffer from inferior quality to the original. This is the reason behind the ongoing SubbingVersusDubbing flamewar, which never seems to end.

* '''Religion''': The main religion in Japan is Shinto, which is the native folk-religion. Many Japanese might be Buddhist, and while Christianity is certainly known of in Japan (hence [[AnimeCatholicism the large amount of Christian symbolism in anime]]), it's not particularly prevalent in terms of practitioners.
* '''Holidays''': Most Japanese celebrate Christmas but as a secular holiday (and they don't get off work or school!). There are also two Valentines Days, Valentines day on February 14th, where girls give boys chocolate, and White Day on March 14th, where boys give girls chocolate. Additional there is Golden Week, which kids get off of school for, and is essentially a festival for children.
* '''Schools''': In Japan, many schools hold classes 6 days a week (Monday through Saturday), and CramSchool, or extra study sessions after school and weekends, are widespread. The school year also ends and begins in the spring, in April, meaning summer vacation splits up the school year, and kids usually have summer homework.
* '''More School''': Another big thing is that where in America at least, middle school is two years (or three, counting sixth grade) and high school is four years, in Japan, Middle school and High school are both three years, Middle school including grades 7, 8 and 9, and high school including 10, 11 and 12. Kids also have to take an exam to graduate from Middle School and attend a High School.

So remember, if you hear a character by the name of Akira being talked about, it's just as likely a male as a female. Likewise, a character named Tomoyo is going to be a girl while a Tomoya would be a boy. Also, there isn't a standard for Japanese-to-English romanization, so things can get a bit wonky when it crosses the sea. You'll want to see JapaneseRomanization for that. One big thing to know though it that the 'L' sound [[JapaneseRanguage doesn't exist in Japanese]], and will usually be replaced with an 'R' sound for non-Japanese names and words in original dialogue. It's how you get names like [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Rorand turning into Roland]] once it's translated.

!JapaneseLanguage

* They are read from right to left in the original format, which to westerners it would seem as if one was reading the book from back to front.

Whereas Westerners use Mr., Mrs., Miss and ... well, that's about it, the Japanese have a pretty big list of honorifics which can be attached to names. More and more translators are leaving these untranslated these days, both because of the Western Audiences growing familiarity with them, and the desire for authenticity and preservation of meaning. You can read more on the actual page but here are the big five. With this list you can figure most things out.

There are also a number of other differences between the way Westerners use names and the Japanese do, for instance:

* In the West we are used to names ending in 'o' being male while names ending in 'a' being female. This is a holdover from English's Latin roots, via French, in case anyone cares. This isn't very common in Japanese names though, and thinking that way can even be misleading.

Believe it or not, it exists! The Japanese may have invented it, but they do not have a monopoly on the media. Manga-style comic books have been coming out of Korea, China and Taiwan for years now, though it's only recently that Westerners have become more aware of them. They are practically no different from Japanese manga, other than slight differences in culture and characters names. Manga in Korea is called {{Manhwa}}, and Chinese and Taiwanese manga is called {{Manhua}}. It's no coincidence that the names are more or less identical. Korean and Chinese manga is just as excellent as the Japanese, so it's highly suggested that one check them out. There are also various original western manga coming out, especially in America and France, not to mention the huge amount of amateur manga worldwide which is easily accessible through the internet.

Basically an animated show or movie done the Japanese way, with their iconic style of art. While the West seems to be in UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation, Anime for a long time flourished in Japan and even outside it. The situation has changed somewhat, due in part to the East Asian economic crisis, changing Western tastes, Japan's aging demographics, and its unique TV situation (six network channels; satellite channels have about 10% penetration and cable isn't even a thing; shows that don't have strong appeal for the after-school crowd can't pull competitive ratings and [[OtakuOClock air in the red-eye time slots]]). Don't go thinking [[AnimationAgeGhetto all cartoons are for kids]], because Anime, like its originator Manga, is marketed across all demographics, from young children all the way up to senior citizens and middle-aged business men. Conversely,[[AllAnimeIsNaughtyTentacles not all anime consists of naughty tentacles]]: the majority is age appropriate for the demographic and hentai, essentially explicit or pornographic anime, while it exists, does not make up the majority of works in the genre. Anime is similarly differentiated from Western cartoons in similar ways as manga is to comics:

* Western animation tends to have a higher frame rate then TV anime works, as anime is so prevalent that episodes need to be made quickly and on a budget, especially if they are trying to keep up with the manga. This means there's lot of anime out there which is [[TheyJustDidntCare relatively low quality]], in terms of animation. Frequent use of panning over stills and blatantly recycling animation are ways you'll see it. There's plenty of great animation as well, though.

Basically an animated show or movie done the Japanese way, with their iconic style of art. While the West seems to be in TheDarkAgeOfAnimation, Anime for a long time flourished in Japan and even outside it. The situation has changed somewhat, due in part to the East Asian economic crisis, changing Western tastes, Japan's aging demographics, and its unique TV situation (six network channels; satellite channels have about 10% penetration and cable isn't even a thing; shows that don't have strong appeal for the after-school crowd can't pull competitive ratings and [[OtakuOClock air in the red-eye time slots]]). Don't go thinking [[AnimationAgeGhetto all cartoons are for kids]], because Anime, like its originator Manga, is marketed across all demographics, from young children all the way up to senior citizens and middle-aged business men. Conversely,[[AllAnimeIsNaughtyTentacles not all anime consists of naughty tentacles]]: the majority is age appropriate for the demographic and hentai, essentially explicit or pornographic anime, while it exists, does not make up the majority of works in the genre. Anime is similarly differentiated from Western cartoons in similar ways as manga is to comics:

!JapaneseHonorifics and UsefulNotes/NamesInJapanese.

Anime is somewhat of a different story. While there are Korean and Chinese anime, it's pretty much non-existent in the West, or even on the internet, so good luck with that. Anime's influence however has definitely been felt worldwide, and many animated works tend to be {{Animesque}}, or created with a similar style or in the spirit of Japanese animation (''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', ''MegasXLR'', etc.). While there isn't exactly anything Western that one could pin down and say ''is'' Western anime, ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' is the closest thing you can find.

* ''(name)-sama'': Pretty much the equivalent of 'lord', it's extremely respectful and used to address gods, nobility or just someone you revere above all others. More common in historical-based works, unless it's used jokingly, but in very strict Japanese house holds it is still common to adress the parents and older siblings this way. Also see the OneeSame trope, which typically has a SchoolGirlLesbians bend when it's not an actual older sister.

* '''Seinen''', despite being the older counterpart to Shonen, is in many ways vastly different. While many works still involve action, psychology and personal drama start coming into play. Plot and character interaction are more important, and there is a strong sense of DarkerAndEdgier. Conversely, there are those titles that are definitely holdovers from Shonen, just with sexier women, more romance, and explicit material with older protagonists. Hentai is also under the header of Seinen, and if you want yaoi that is actually written for and by gay men, as opposed to for and by women, then you'll want {{Bara}}, which is seinen.

* ''(name)-sama'': Pretty much the equivalent of 'lord', it's extremely respectful and used to address gods, nobility or just someone you revere above all others. More common in historical-based works, unless it's used jokingly.