Glossary

Bishounen: Japanese. Means beautiful young man. In anime, these guys are typically long-haired men with more feminine features.

Kurama: A human incarnation of a former Youko (fox demon) from the manga and anime Yu Yu Hakusho. His red-haired human form (current incarnation) is alright looking, but I prefer his kitsune/human form. He also can be a regular fox with 5 tails (a kitsune's natural state, of course!). I'm not a big fan of the anime/manga, but I love Kurama.

Larva: A demon from one of my favorite anime, Vampire Princess Miyu. The attendent of the vampire Miyu, he has to wear a mask around most people. With that mask removed, he is one lovely man.;)

Sephiroth: A very sexy bishounen from the video game Final Fantasy VII. Later in the game he has one wing, then many.

Inuyasha: Okay, he's more cute than sexy, but he's still a bishounen. This dog-demon is from the manga and anime by Rumiko Takahashi called Inuyasha--A Feudal Fairytale.He is half demon.

Tardigrades: Of the Phylum Tardigrada, small animals known for their cryptobiotic abilities. They can withstand extreme temperatures, salinities, pH's, and pressures while in their "tun" state. They eat lichens, or other smaller inverterbrates.

Nausiscaa of the Valley of Wind: My favorite manga. By the acclaimed animation director Hayao Miyazaki. There is also an anime of the same name based on the beginning of the manga. It has themes of ecology and nihilism.

Nausicaa: The main character of the manga, she is a compassionate young scientist and daughter of the chieftain to the Valley of Wind (a small nation). She is trying to stop the fighting between two nations and save the forest and insects.

Kushana: One of my favorite characters in the manga. She is the daughter of the Vai Emperor and at first seems an antagonist to Nausciaa. However, they are very similar to one another, and a respect develops between them.

Kurotowa: My favorite Miyazaki male character--(note that he is *not* a bishounen!). He is the chief of staff to Kushana and he harbors a deep admiration for her. He definately has a "thing" for her.

For a better explanation of these characters go to www.nausicaa.net