Common Anime Terminology
One thing about Japanese animation is that since it comes from Japan, there is a lot of terminology that is in Japanese. Here are some common words associated with anime.
OAV - Also known as OVA. This is an abbreviation for "Original Animated Video." These are collections of animation that are not quite movies and not quite TV series. They can contain one or more episodes that are usually higher quality than TV shows. Many TV shows spin off into OAVs.
Otaku - In Japanese usage, this word is either a polite word for "you" or a sort of slang term for "nerd." In English usage, though, it primarily means "an anime fan."
Shounen Anime - "Shounen" means a "boy" in Japanese. These include shows based around wars or some other physical conflicts.
Shoujo Anime - "Shoujo" means young "girl" in Japanese. It's usually more cutesy than most other anime and is genenrally more for fun than action.
Mahou Shoujo Anime - "Mahou" means "magic." This is probably the most reknowned type. It's an anime where a group of girls with magical powers fight demons and evil forces or something.
Mecha - If you've ever heard of battletech, you should get this. Mecha are any humanoid giant robots piloted by a pilot.
Dub - A version of an anime (or any show) that has had its original language altered. Depending on the quality of voice acting and translation, the rating of a dub can vary greatly.
Subtitle (aka Sub) - Anime in its original language, but accompanied by a different language dialogue at the bottom. Some fans prefer this because Japanese voice actors are much much better when voicing their characters than American voice actors are.
Fansub - Before a TV show or movie is sold to an American company for dubbing and subbing, sometimes some nonofficial companies will add their own subtitles. It is customary not to buy these after the show is translated officially since a local company then owns the rights.
Fandub - They are just like fansubs...only they redo the voice instead of adding subtitles. Though very rare, these are histerical due to the overall pathetic job done.
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