Anime Lexicon

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This is a random list of terminology used in or around the anime culture in which I immerse myself from time to time. For ease of reference I think alphabetical is best. English in green and Japanese in red. anime- This is the name for all japanese animation. con- Short for convention. cosplay- Dressing up as an anime character- usually at anime conventions. doujinshi- Refers to fan created works. dubbed- Refers to anime where english voice actors attempt to speak translated text in time with the character's mouth movements. This voice track replaces the original japanese voice track. fanfic- Stories written by fans that continue or totally change the stories of their favorite anime. Not limited to anime and, while similar to, more focused than doujinshi- usually just text stories. fan subbed- Anime fans themselves copy anime tapes and add their own english translation at the bottom to be read while the japanese voice track can be heard. gamu- Literally games. Genre in Japan of dating simulation/visual novel games. garage kit- Short-run plastic/resin model kits of anime characters that are assembled and painted. manga-ka- Manga artist. OAV- Acronym for Original Animation Video. This type of anime is marketed directly to video in Japan and does not go through either television or theaters. shoujo manga- Literally girl's comic. Japanese manga genre targeted at women and girls. shounen manga- Literally boy's comic. Japanese manga genre targeted at men and boys. subbed- Official copy of an anime tape or DVD that displays an english translation across the bottom while the japanese voice track plays.

I have to give tonnes of credit to Largo and Piro at Megatokyo for their rants from which I've based much of this lexicon. Additionally they've provided some useful links for Japanese news. Check here, here, and here.