Keywords Defined
While many of the keywords are easily defined, some may have special meanings. As such, here's a list to help you choose which keywords are appropriate for the anime title you are reviewing. Often, many keywords may be appropriate to a particular title.Keyword descriptions that are stored within a separate Wiki entry with the same name as a Category (and only included into this page) will automatically be included on top of the "By Category" page of that keyword as well. Comments about how this category ought to be used or which animes would qualify should be kept separately within this document that may be considered a user manual for tagging animes with keywords.
The keywords have been grouped for clarity into Settings, Types and Original Works, Target Groups, Genres, Styles, Characters and their Abilities, Story Elements and Locations, and Objectionable Content.
Settings
Fantasy: [edit] (Setting) Titles that deal in might and magic will fall into this category. Inuyasha and Tenkuu no Escaflowne are a couple of titles which fall into this genre.Historical: [edit] (Setting) Self-explanatory. This should be a title rooted in historical events. Hotaru no Haka is a great historical title.
Modern: [edit] (Setting) These are titles which have a modern feel to them; the story takes place in the present day (of the creation of this anime), give or take a few years.
Sci-Fi: [edit] (Setting) Self-explanatory. Anime of this category should contain Science-Fiction elements.
Types and Original Works
Dating Sim Spinoff: [edit] (Type subgenre) Usually an anime starts out its life as a manga but a Dating Sim can also become an anime. Dating sims follow a set choice or path and feature Bad, Good, and True Endings. Most of the Dating Sims though are ↗ero-based an usually involve the main character trying to 'date' each of the girls in the game; the anime usually picks one of the harem of girls available and plays her 'true ending' out. Other dating sims are not usually Ero in nature but still follow the other rules. Note that even an anime based on an Ero game may not contain any erotic scenes in many cases. See also: "Video-game inspired". An example of a Dating Sim gone anime is Shingetsutan Tsukihime: In the game we have a choice of Arcueid, Akiha, Ciel, Kohaku, and Hisui (note: not Satsuki), but the producers pick the Arcuied path to show you.Live Action: [edit] (Type) A term used to describe and flag non-animated movies and films. It is common for a popular manga (or manhwa) series to be animated, but some titles are rereleased as live-action stories. Examples include the animated series Nodame Cantabile and Nodame Cantabile (Live Action), and Moyashimon and Moyashimon (Live Action).
Movie: [edit] (Type) Self-explanatory. This should only apply to titles originally released for the theater.
ONA: [edit] (Type) ONA = Original Net Animation. These are the anime titles released over the Internet (often for promoting an anime series, sometimes even for promoting a computer game).
OVA: [edit] (Type) OVA = Original Video Animation. These are the direct-to-video anime titles done in Japan. Often, OVAs can start a franchise (Tenchi Muyou! Ryououki), start a TV series (Mahou Tsukai Tai!), be a sequel to a TV series (Love Hina Again), or be a stand-alone title (Aa! Megami-sama! OVA). Sometimes, the OAVs are named the same as the TV series and thus will sometimes have the term OVA listed after the title's name to separate it.
Reboot: [edit] (Type subgenre) Titles flagged with a Reboot are repeats of an original series that discard much or even all of the previous continuity and start the story anew with fresh ideas. 'Reboot' titles include recaps, retellings, remakes, or alternate endings/versions/universes. Titles such as Kanon (2006) (retelling/remake), KGNE: Haruka Route (alternate retelling/ending), and Shuffle! Memories (retelling/recap) are good examples of said keyword. See wikipedia description - ↗Reboot.
Sequel: [edit] (Type subgenre) This is a title which continues a series. It may have a different name but is ↗canon material. Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~ is a sequel of Ai Yori Aoshi.
Short: [edit] (Type subgenre) This category contains titles whose playing time is unusually short as compared to the length of standard anime episodes (which are roughly 20 minutes plus intro & trailer). Aa! Megami-sama: Chichai tte Koto wa Benri da Ne would be an example for a series of very short episodes; Ai Yori Aoshi - Dream Story is a very short special for a series of much longer episodes.
Spinoff: [edit] (Type subgenre) These titles have their roots in an original title but have nothing to do with the original story. It could be a re-telling of the original story or use the same characters but in a different way. Unlike "Spinoff-Sequel", these titles would be considered non-canon material. Shin Tenchi Muyou! is a spinoff of Tenchi Muyou! Ryououki as is Mahou Shoujo Pretty Sammy (TV).
Spinoff-Sequel: [edit] (Type subgenre) This is a title which continues a series but has new or different characters and a different focus than the original. The characters from the original may be seen in cameo or supporting roles. Unlike "Spinoff", these titles would be considered canon material. Tenchi Muyou! GXP is a spinoff-sequel of Tenchi Muyou! Ryououki and Onegai Twins is a spinoff-sequel of Onegai Teacher.
TV: [edit] (Type) All anime series done for TV should go into this slot.
TV Special: [edit] (Type) This is a special sub-category of TV. These are anime movies that were made for TV. Rupan Sansei often does a TV special every year since the TV series went off the air.
Video-game inspired: [edit] (Type subgenre) The usual way for an anime to make it to the small screen is from a manga. Sometimes though the anime comes from a video game instead. Gungrave is a classic example: Take a video game from Sega about a undead who fights with musical instruments and create an Anime about love, friendship, betrayal, and a few demons. See also: "Dating Sim Spinoff". (Who decides about "inspiration"? Shouldn't this be "Video-game based" instead?)
Target Groups
All Ages: [edit] (Target Group) Pretty self-explanatory. This title should be safe for people of any age to watch. ↗Rated "G" stuff.Children: [edit] (Target Group) Stories which are children oriented; typically using children as main characters and tell a story from child's point of view.
Kid at heart: [edit] (Target Group) Titles which, although made for adults, remind us of the sort of shows we used to like as children.
Josei: [edit] (Target Group) (↗josei (女性) = "woman"; opposite of "Seinen") Josei manga is a term that refers to the target demographic of manga created mostly by women for late teenage and adult female audiences. The stories tend to be about everyday experiences of women living in Japan. Though there are some that cover high school, most cover the lives of adult women. The style also tends to be a more restrained, realistic version of Shoujo manga, keeping some of the wispy features and getting rid of the very large sparkly eyes. There are exceptions in the style described above, but what defines Josei is some degree of stylistic continuity of comics within this particular demographic. The same is true with different demographics that have different stylistic tendencies. See also: ↗Wikipedia:Josei.
Seinen: [edit] (Target Group) (↗seinen (青年) = "young man"; opposite of "Josei") These are titles which are geared toward young men (18-30 years of age) and are too adult for the "Shounen" crowd. See also: ↗Wikipedia:Seinen.
Chobits is a Seinen title.Shoujo: [edit] (Target Group) (↗shoujo () = "young lady", "virgin", "maiden"; opposite of "Shounen") A style of artwork and story created for girls (usually of age 10 to 18). Characterized by plots that focus on emotions and relationships, and art that tends toward the florid, with lanky characters and rather effeminate (but always attractive) men. Mostly popular with teenagers in Japan, most shoujo-style work has not spread widely, but it does occasionally gain recognition outside Japan (some examples are Shoujo Kakumei Utena and X (TV)). The most common uses are "shoujo manga", literally meaning "girls' comics", and "shoujo anime" meaning "girls' animation." Also romanized as "shojo" (actually a different word "処女" in Japanese). (Please credit http://animeworld.com/glossary.html as the source of this information; see also: ↗Wikipedia:Shoujo Manga.) Some examples are Shoujo Kakumei Utena and X (TV).
Shounen: [edit] (Target Group) (↗shounen (少年) = "boy", "juvenile"; opposite of "Shoujo") A demographic of manga readers (generally considered 10 to 16 years of age). Refers to anime based on manga that was originally serialized in a magazine targeting boys of any age. See also: ↗Wikipedia:Shounen.
Genres
Action: [edit] (Genre) Lots of shooting, explosions, and the like. Contains subcategories of more specific types such as "Gun-Action", "Martial Arts", and "Swordplay"; see also: "Fighting".Action Comedy: [edit] (Genre) Much like "Action" (lots of shooting, explosions, and the like) except it has "Comedy" thrown in as well.
Action Drama: [edit] (Genre) Much like "Action" (lots of shooting, explosions, and the like) except it has "Drama" thrown in as well.
Adventure: [edit] (Genre) Titles where the characters are involved in an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks.
Comedy: [edit] (Genre) Self-explanatory - a title that primarily makes you laugh.
Cyberpunk: [edit] (Genre) A sub-genre of "Sci-Fi" dealing with future urban societies dominated by computer technology. Bubblegum Crisis, Serial Experiments Lain and Koukaku Kidoutai are good examples.
Drama: [edit] (Genre) Titles that show a state, situation, or series of events involving interesting or intense conflict of forces or emotions. Dramas in this sense refers to stories that are neither comedies nor tragedies and do not (necessarily) involve gun-action or overt violence. For more information, see Wikipedia entry for ↗drama.
Horror: [edit] (Genre) Stories that strive to elicit the emotions of fear, horror and terror from viewers. Their plots frequently involve themes of death, the supernatural or mental illness. Not to be confused with movie genre ↗J-Horror.
Mystery: [edit] (Genre) The old "who-done-it" type titles should go here. Just because a series asks questions and things are a mystery to you (i.e.: Shin Seiki Evangelion) doesn't mean it is a mystery title. CLAMP Gakuen Tanteidan is a true mystery anime title.
Parody: [edit] (Genre) This would be a title which closely imitates another title, genre, culture, etc. for comic effect or in ridicule. Heppoko Jiken Animation Excel Saga is an excellent example of a parody title.
Romance: [edit] (Genre) Self-explanatory. If the title has a romance story to it, it would qualify.
Romantic Comedy: [edit] (Genre) In addition to having a Romance, there should be Humor too, often directly tied to the romance story. Love Hina, Aa! Megami-sama! OVA, Chobits, and TONS more titles all fall under this genre.
Sci-fi Western: [edit] (Genre) A combination of Science Fiction and American-style Westerns. A good example would be Trigun.
Steampunk: [edit] (Genre) Considered a subgenre of fantasy and speculative fiction (Sci-Fi), Steampunk generally refers to stories which are based on English Victorian era technology in which steam was the primary power source or use Victorian era values as a reference point, and will often have a futuristic spin as part of the story. The novels of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne's are cited as classic examples of this high-tech innovation in a low-tech world genre. The term itself is originates as a retro-counterspin to the popular Cyberpunk genre. See ↗Steampunk for more info.
Suspense: [edit] (Genre) An anime title that gives you a "pleasant excitement as to a decision or outcome" should be in this classification. Noir is considered a suspense series.
Western: [edit] (Genre) Stories that prominently feature an 18th century American western theme of cowboys on horses with guns and gun-play. Common to the western theme is the concept of the struggle in a harsh environment, the will of the spirit to succeed, and the adventure offered by the new frontier. Gun Frontier is a good example this genre. For more information, see wikipedia ↗Western entry.
Tragedy: [edit] (Genre) Animes of this type have tragic events as an important part of the story, and usually will show how the characters are dealing with the consequences of that tragedy (more or less successfully). This doesn't necessarily mean the story cannot have a happy ending as the tragedy might occur during the first episodes of even before story begins; as such this category information need not be a spoiler (unless the tragedy were to be a surprise for the audience in a mystery-style show).
Styles
Acquired Taste: [edit] (Style) These are titles which are a bit off beat, uncommon or perhaps not targeted for the popular mainstream market. As such, these types of titles might take a while to get used to. One should probably watch several episodes before making up your mind. FLCL, Di Gi Charat, & Serial Experiments Lain are examples of such titles.Anthology: [edit] (Style) A collection of one-shot stories or animated shorts compiled together into a TV series, OVA or movie which run on a common theme and have little to no narrative connection with one another. In most cases, works within an anthology are developed by different animation teams and are usually based on different sources of literary material and media such as short stories, movies and one-shot manga.
Artistic: [edit] (Style) Titles which are showily or pretentiously artistic.
CG animation: [edit] (Style) Anime of this style are using (a significant amount of) computer generated animation / 3D animation.
Classic: [edit] (Style) Older anime titles, from the 80's back. As a rule of thumb, a title should at least be 10-years old. Rupan Sansei is an example of a classic title.
Creepy: [edit] (Style) Self-explanatory -- if the title gives you the creeps, it is creepy. :-) Boogiepop wa Warawanai is a good example.
Dark: [edit] (Style) Titles that are dismal or gloomy in nature qualify for this category. Blue Gender, Shin Seiki Evangelion, and Noir have all been called dark titles.
Fragmentary: [edit] (Style) The anime has either been aborted somewhere in the middle (not even ending with a milestone of the story) or consists of a random selection of only loosely related parts of the original story, leaving most of the important questions and character relations unresolved. If you want to know what's actually going on here you might be forced to resort to secondary media such as game or manga. The purpose of this category is to warn the audience about a potentially unsatisfying ending without giving too many details away. (Use sparingly, and not for ongoing franchises (suggestion: only after several years without a new release), but if you do then tag each release of the franchise this way to show that it refers to the franchise as a whole, not just to any season of it.)
Kawaii: [edit] (Style) (↗kawaii (可愛い) = "cute" or "adorable") If you've watched anime in Japanese, you've heard characters use the term 'kawaii'. So if the title makes you want to say that (often using ↗chibi characters, i. e. small and super-deformed), then it fits. Chibits & Aa! Megami-sama: Chichai tte Koto wa Benri da Ne are kawaii titles.
Korean Wave: [edit] (Style) In early 200X, an increase in the popularity Korean live-action dramas, music and mixed-media cultural exports was given the slang-term: The ↗Korean wave (or Korea fever). Japan has long been outsourcing their animation production to Korea, so it was just a matter of time before Korea began creating their own animation and ↗CGI titles for the local and export markets. (example: Wonderful Days). Even Korean manga (called ↗manhwa) has been swept up in the wave, proving to be increasingly popularity to such an extent that certain select manhwa titles have been licensed by Japanese Producers as source material for anime series (ie: Freezing and Kurokami.)
Moe: [edit] (Style) (from the verb ↗moeru = "to be infatuated", pronounced moé or mo-eh) Titles that have at least one character generally young in age, with a naive or innocent view of life, and "some obvious sympathetic weakness they work hard to correct" would be considered moe. A character or personality trait that "elicits a protective or loving response from the audience" would also qualify (quotes taken from ↗Wikipedia:Moe). In modern terms moe has been evolving to the point where moe may apply to objects and not just young girls. Unfortunately moe can be taken to the extreme (see: "Lolicon"). Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's would be considered a moe title because of the wheelchair-bound character of Hyatte-chan.
noitaminA: [edit] (Style) (ノイタミナ, "Animation" written backwards) is a Fuji Television programming block, devoted to anime, broadcast each Thursday night, with a focus on airing titles that appeal to older audiences, particularly Josei and Seinen audiences. (See also: ↗Wikipedia:noitaminA.)
Silly-funny: [edit] (Style) Shows that have a funny, happy, innocent tone and characters which display a distinct lack of common sense.
Surreal: [edit] (Style) Anime that have the "intense irrational reality of a dream" qualify for this category. The synonyms (or like-words) for surreal are unreal and dreamlike.
Weird: [edit] (Style) Self-explanatory. Heppoko Jiken Animation Excel Saga is a weird title (but a funny one).
Characters and their Abilities
Angels: [edit] (Characters) A sub-category of "Supernatural". Titles of this category should be those where at least one of the lead characters is a being from heaven, albeit not a "Deity".Animals: [edit] (Characters) Stories that have an animal (dog, cat, creature) as a main character and are typically told from an animal point of view.
Artificial Girls: [edit] (Characters) Anime stories that involve one or more androids shaped like attractive girls. Good examples would be Chobits, Mahoromatic, and Koutetsu Tenshi Kurumi.
Bishoujo: [edit] (Characters) (↗bishoujo = "beautiful girl") Typically refers to shows based off of sexually explicit computer games.
Bishounen: [edit] (Characters) (↗bishounen = "beautiful boy") To qualify, the title has to be filled with beautiful, young boys (often with long, flowing hair) no older than high school aged. Inuyasha and Tenkuu no Escaflowne have both been marked as bishounen.
Deities: [edit] (Characters) A sub-category of "Supernatural". Animes of this category should contain a god or a goddess as acting character in the storyline. Related category: "Angels".
Gender-Bender: [edit] (Characters) Titles of this category should contain at least one character who is able to occasionally change its gender, contain several beings of different genders within the same body or have to act in a cross-gender manner. Ranma ½ and Tetsuwan Birdy are examples of this category.
Genie: [edit] (Characters) Considering that genies are a "magical spirit believed to take human form and serve the person who calls it", a title which has a character who fits this description would qualify. Some people have said that Aa! Megami-sama! OVA and Shinpi no Sekai El Hazard are genie titles.
Kemonomimi: [edit] (Characters) Literally translating to "animal ears", these are animals as bishōjo or having bishōjo wear animal accessories (such as ears or tails; these attributes must be visible, being an animal spirit etc. by nature would not suffice; Kemonomimi characters must appear frequently to validate this tag).
Catgirls are the most prolific in this category, although bunnygirls, foxgirls, and dog girls are also popular. Kemonomimi characters typically appear human except for added animal-like qualities. (Description based on Wikipedia.)
Mahou Shoujo: [edit] (Characters) (↗mahou ↗shoujo = "magic girl") These are titles which feature young girls who are given magical powers by a powerful entity or come from a realm where magic is the norm. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is a classic example of the genre and Ultra Maniac TV is a modern version of the genre.
Ninja: [edit] (Characters) If the anime deals with ↗Ninja or ↗Shinobi, then it goes here.
Samurai: [edit] (Characters) (↗samurai = "warrior") Members of this warrior class of feudal Japan (zenith: 12th to 16th century A.D.) should play an important role in an anime of this type. Hakkenden is an example for this category.
Shinigami: [edit] (Characters) A sub-category of "Supernatural". A ↗shinigami is a Japanese "god of death", similar to the Grim Reaper in western cultures. Animes of this category should contain a shinigami as acting character in the storyline. Risky Safety in an example of this category.
Superhero: [edit] (Characters) These are titles in which a 'superhero': human or otherwise plays prominently in the story. Typically these superheros display extraordinary skills, abilities or insight which allows them better confront and battle villains and/or evil enemies. See ↗wikipedia entry for Superhero for more information.
Vampires: [edit] (Characters) Self-explanatory. (A sub-category of "Supernatural".) Hellsing is a classical Vampire title but titles like Kyuuketsuki Miyu (TV) show that there can be more than one aspect of this issue.
Story Elements and Locations
College: [edit] (Story/Location) The nature of a story line is often defined by both the age and issues that the main character has to confront. A student in college would approach a situation very differently than someone in Middle School. This tag is intended suggest that the story is more mature (or perhaps less hormonally driven and spastic) in its nature. Related categories: "Elementary School", "Middle School", "High School". Aa! Megami-sama! OVA and Ai Yori Aoshi are both very good examples as to the fun adventures of a college-aged students.Coming of Age: [edit] (Story/Location) A story in which the main character is confronted with issues related to their transition from adolescence (innocence) to adulthood (responsibility). Most typically found in a modern romance story in which the main character has to confront his/her feelings over their (first) love and/or deciding about the path in life (setting goals, attending college, getting a job etc.).
Competition: [edit] (Story/Location) A story which incorporates a competitive event as a primary component of the story line. While both being cooking based series, Yakitate!! Japan and Chuuka Ichiban are good examples of this genre.
Depression: [edit] (Story/Location) Titles that contain characters who suffer from depression would fall into this category if this is of significant importance for the storyline. Alien Nine, Haibane Renmei and Kimi ga Nozomu Eien are examples for this category.
Elementary School: [edit] (Story/Location) Self-explanatory. Elementary school (class 1 to 6 in Japan) should play a major role in the title. Related categories: "Middle School", "High School", "College". Kyou no Go no Ni (OVA) is an example of this category.
Epic: [edit] (Story/Location) These would be titles which recount the deeds of a legendary or historical hero or tell a fictional story told in a manner that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Inuyasha is a good example of an epic title.
Evang*lion Clone: [edit] (Story/Location) Every popular series has its clones and Shin Seiki Evangelion is no exception. So, if the title looks like someone else attempting to do EVA, it qualifies. Some people have called Dual! Paralle Lunlun Monogatari an Evang*lion clone despite the fact that it is a parody; Rahxephon contains a lot of Evangelion elements but still tells its unique story.
Family Affairs: [edit] (Story/Location) Core subject of the story is dealing with family internal issues (some of which are kept private due to their taboo nature, including child neglect, child abuse, divorce, death or serious illness of a family member). Genre is often Drama and/or Slice of Life, the story can be serious up to Tragedy level. (See DONE: Category suggestion: Family Business for details.)
Fighting: [edit] (Story/Location) Series whose primary focus is fighting would fit into this segment. (More precise) Subgenres include "Gun-Action", "Martial Arts" and "Swordplay". Yu Yu Hakusho and Ranma ½ are classified as fighting series. If you can, then please select a more specific keyword instead, such as "Gun-Action" or "Swordplay"; maybe some day we'll completely split up this category into some more terms of this sort.
Friendship: [edit] (Story/Location) Titles in which the relationship of two or more characters as friends are important.
Gun-Action: [edit] (Story/Location) A subcategory of "Action". Entries with this keyword should contain the use of firearms (that are small enough to be handled by one or two persons). See also the Cute Girls with Guns collection of this site. Gunsmith Cats and Iria Zeiram the Animation are examples of this category.
Harem: [edit] (Story/Location) This is sometimes but not always a sub-genre of the "Romantic Comedy" genre. To qualify you have to have a single, dateless, nice guy who suddenly finds himself surrounded by a bunch of hot girls/women who are interested or attracted to him to varying degrees. The male lead may also live with many of these girls. Tenchi Muyou! Ryououki is the father of the harem genre. Other good titles include (but are not limited to) Love Hina, Ai Yori Aoshi, and Hand Maid May.
High School: [edit] (Story/Location) Self-explanatory. High School (grades 10-12) should play a major role in the title. A typical High School series will include a Sports Festival, a Cultural Festival, a School Trip, and the decision about attending college vs. getting a job. Related categories: "Elementary School", "Middle School", "College". Azumanga Daioh (TV) is an excellent example of this category.
Magic: [edit] (Story/Location) Titles which don't fall into the "Fantasy" category but still feature magic.
Martial Arts: [edit] (Story/Location) A pretty self-explanatory subcategory of "Action".
Mecha: [edit] (Story/Location) This is a genre of anime which features mechanical fighting machines. Often these take the form of giant robots but this isn't the only form mecha can take. There are tons of examples of mecha titles considering the popularity of the series. See also the Mecha Chicks collection of this site. Blue Gender, Shin Seiki Evangelion, Tenkuu no Escaflowne, and Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 are all mecha titles.
Middle School: [edit] (Story/Location) Self-explanatory. Middle School (grades 7-9) should play a major role in the title. Related categories: "Elementary School", "High School", "College". Mimi wo Sumaseba is an example of this category.
Music: [edit] (Story/Location) If a title deals with music as significant element of the story, and / or the lead characters are musicians and this is significant for their role in the story, then use this keyword. Idol Project is a story about the pop business, Aquarian Age is a story about a rock band, Rahxephon is about using music to 'retune the world' - they all belong into this category.
Music Oriented: [edit] (Story/Location) If a title has to do with music but neither makes this the main storyline nor has a musician as lead character, then you might still use this keyword. Mimi wo Sumaseba would be a good example for this category.
Occult: [edit] (Story/Location) Titles involving the action or influence of supernatural agencies or some secret knowledge of them.
Otaku Theme: [edit] (Story/Location) Titles in which one or more principal characters are rabid fans of anime or are employed in the anime/manga/video game industries. In other words, shows which would appeal to otaku since they give a glimpse of people like themselves and/or the industries that fascinate them.
Police: [edit] (Story/Location) Any title with a primary focus on the police or a police-type organization would fall under this category. An obvious choice would be Taiho Shichauzo! (TV) because it is all about a police station and the police who work there. Another choice would be Witch Hunter Robin since the organization there, while not official police, do deal with investigating crime involving witches. They in effect police the witch population, thus the title would be "Police." ^_^
Psychics: [edit] (Story/Location) Not magic, spiritual or supernatural, psychic powers unexplained by science (sometimes known as "Paranormal Abilities" or "Extrasensory Perception", see ↗Wikipedia:ESP) originate and emanate from the mind or body of the person wishing to project an 'influence' or 'effect' on what ever the target of the psychic might focus on.
School Comedy: [edit] (Story/Location) Should be used when the primary location and focus for a comedic title is in a school or a place of learning. As to say, most of the scenes are on school grounds or involves the characters always in the school uniforms and such...
Slice of Life: [edit] (Story/Location) A (more or less) realistic description or representation of events and situations in everyday life.
Soul Mates: [edit] (Story/Location) Mentioned only in terms of extreme romantic entanglements, there are situations in which two people (or souls) are destined (or pre-destined) to have a strong emotional attraction or involvement.
Spiritual: [edit] (Story/Location) Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and faith, a transcendent reality, or one or more deities. The ↗Shinto religion was once the state religion of Japan and still holds a deep and special meaning within the Japanese culture. Traditionally considered to be an animism or shamanist religion, it places great value on nature worship and is a common theme of anime. Many series have characters possessing special powers or insights which are attributed to their being a Miko Shrine Maiden or a Shinto priest. For more information, see ↗WikiPedia entry for Spirituality.
Sports: [edit] (Story/Location) Self-explanatory. These titles should deal with sports.
Supernatural: [edit] (Story/Location) Titles of this category are relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe (especially God, or a god, demigod, spirit or devil), departing from what is usual or normal (especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature or attributed to an invisible agent, like a ghost or spirit). Contains subcategories of more specific types: "Angels", "Deities", "Shinigami", and "Vampires".
Swordplay: [edit] (Story/Location) A subcategory of "Action". This is about the art or skill of wielding a sword, esp. in fencing. Entries in this category should contain the use of swords to a large extent in scenes. See also the Kendo Girl Scrapbook of this site. Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan would be a good example.
Tenchi Clone: [edit] (Story/Location) Anything that apparently tries to look similar to Tenchi Muyou! Ryououki.
Time Travel: [edit] (Story/Location) Pretty much what it says, this anime features people who can travel through time. An anime that features time travel (such as Mahou Sensei Negima!) does not qualify as it was a used as a plot device where Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu features a time traveler even though that person only shows their power once.
Underworld: [edit] (Story/Location) This refers to the mythological meaning of the term (i. e. Hell, Hades etc.), not to the synonym for Organized Crime. Related categories: Dark, Occult. See also the ↗Wikipedia entry for "Underworld".
War: [edit] (Story/Location) Titles of this category should cover the events of a war as significant element of the storyline (even if the actual conflict doesn't get that much airtime). The opponents should be nations at least (alien races, star systems, parallel universes etc. are fine as well); conflicts between smaller organizations would rather be categorized as "Fighting". An example for a real-world war would be Hotaru no Haka, a fantasy war would be Lodoss Tou Senki (OAV), a SciFi war would be Saishu Heiki Kanojo.
Objectionable Content
Bondage: [edit] (Objectionable Content) Refers to a sexual game in which a person is bound with ropes and restrained, often associated with Sadomasochism (SM). In Japan, the art of Shibari (しばり) ↗Wikipedia:Japanese Bondage is considered part of SM, but does not necessarily involve actual sex. It is often used in Hentai anime titles as part of the overt theme of domination or control.Ecchi: [edit] (Objectionable Content) (↗ecchi (エッチ) = "indecent", "lewd", "sexy", "lascivious", or "naughty") These are non-pornographic anime titles which have a high amount of fanservice, nudity, or other sexual content. See also: ↗Wikipedia:Ecchi. Po-Po-Tan and Onegai Twins are titles which fit perfectly into this category.
Erotic Comedy: [edit] (Objectionable Content) Anime titles in which much of the comedy has a sexual component - often times playing on the differences between boys and girls. While this 'racy content' will be hinted at, masked, hidden or implied, it's message is still clear. If it were actually shown, then the series would be considered hentai. The series B Gata H Kei is a good example of an Erotic Comedy. The word 'erotic' is derived from the Greek word ↗eros which refers to sexual desire or longing.
Fan Service: [edit] (Objectionable Content) This is a term coined to identify things like jiggling breasts, cleavage shots, panty shots, bra shots, closeup shots of women's breast, legs, butt, etc., and mild nudity all for the purposes of "servicing" the audience. The term has a second meaning covering things like massive action sequences, explosions, fights, etc., but it mostly refers to the first meaning.
Hentai: [edit] (Objectionable Content) (↗hentai (変態) = "abnormality; pervert;") All pornographic anime falls into this category. Hentai titles all have strong sexual content (which may or may not have a censorship mask depending on if an uncensored version was released) but they can have surprisingly good stories (Gosenzo San-E), be very funny (Space Ofera Agga Ruter), be cute (Elf no Waka Okusama), or a combination. Of course, they can be sick as well and there are tons of those titles out there. (Side note: "Hentai" is an exclusive Western term used to refer to animated pornography originating from Japan. All "hentai" games and videos are called ↗Ero (Erotic) nowadays, and erotic games would be called "Ero-Sim" instead of "Hentai-Game".) See also: ↗Wikipedia:Hentai.
Incest: [edit] (Objectionable Content) This is about sexual relations amongst close relatives, which tend to be a no-no in most societies. Koi Kaze is an example of this category.
Lolicon: [edit] (Objectionable Content) (↗roricon (ロリコン) = short for "Lolita Complex") This is the Japanese term meaning "pedophile." The reverse of "Shotacon". For Otakus and the anime community, the term is used to refer to a genre of anime which features underaged female character(s) who are depicted in an erotic manner or in a sexual and/or sexually aware role. These titles are typically flagged as being ecchi and/or hentai. Related category: "Moe". See also: ↗Wikipedia:Lolicon. The best example is Kodomo no Jikan.
Pantsu: [edit] (Objectionable Content) (↗pantsu = "pants", "panties") This applies to those animes that just seem to show flashes of panty after panty for no good reason. A well-known example would be Aika.
Pervert: [edit] (Objectionable Content) Anime titles which use the perverted behavior of one of their characters for (typically) comedic effects will be tagged with this keyword. While this will usually apply to a hormonally-driven teen aged boy, who is also the main character (such as Kawahira Keita of Inukami or Satonaka Ikko of Amaenaideyo!!), there is always room for those few uncommon exceptions - such as Mutsuki, the teen aged daughter of a Shinto Priest from the series Haunted Junction, who has a serious shouta fixation or Shirase (from Battle Programmer Shirase) who is always finding himself in ‘difficult situations’ with his younger cousin.
Shotacon: [edit] (Objectionable Content) ("↗shotacon" (ショタコン) = "Shoutarou complex") This is the Japanese term for an attraction to underage boys, the reverse of "Lolicon". Usually, the attraction is between an adult woman and an underage boy, but also includes the attraction between an adult male and and underage boy as well. See also: ↗Wikipedia:Shotacon.
Shounen Ai: [edit] (Objectionable Content) (↗shounen ↗ai (愛) = "Boy Love") These are titles in which two male characters are involved in a homosexual relationship or in which one is hinted at. Mainly you find these in Shoujo manga but some anime titles have them as well. The term differs from "Yaoi" in that it usually implies that there will not be on-screen sex. See also: ↗Wikipedia:Shounen Ai.
Shoujo Ai: [edit] (Objectionable Content) (↗shoujo ↗ai (愛) = "Girl Love") This is a western word for "Yuri"-related material involving love between women in manga, anime, and other Japanese media. Yuri can focus either on the sexual or the emotional aspects of the relationship, the latter sometimes being called Shoujo-ai by western fans. See also: ↗Wikipedia:Shoujo Ai.
Softcore: [edit] (Objectionable Content) Shows which while they might qualify as "Hentai", do not have to show everything that is going on. While ‘happenings’ openly occur, they are always just off screen, out of view and never with any measure of detail, and will not include sadism, misogyny, tentacle-sex or other potentially disturbing (or hardcore) scenes. Typically these shows are comedic in tone, with a focus of being a story with strong erotic elements. Both Buttobi CPU or Sprite: Between Two Worlds (OAV) would be a good examples this genre.
Stalking: [edit] (Objectionable Content) Defined as an obsessive or troubling behavior in which the stalker becomes fixated on typically one person. There is an implied threat in this type of behavior - stalking someone to what end or purpose? For a more detailed summary, see ↗Stalking.
Thematic Elements: [edit] (Objectionable Content) (currently not in use) Titles with this keyword contain "other controversial content (excluding sex, violence, bad language)". This term is used in the RIAA's rating system (see ↗Wikipedia:Thematic_elements); it is a very diffuse notion and we should rather not use it (but use more precise terms if possible, even if this means to introduce new keywords).
Violent: [edit] (Objectionable Content) Titles that include as an important part of their content excessive displays of cruelty, blood and gore. Any of the classical 'slasher' films would qualify for this keyword. The series Black Lagoon would be a good example; as many of its chapters involve killer lolis, chainsaw mercenaries and flying body parts.
Vulgar: [edit] (Objectionable Content) Titles that feature offensive language and are lewdly or profanely indecent. Most times this will refer to coarse characters who behave or talk in a lewd or offensive manner, but it can also include situations or dialogue seemly intent on trying to offend the viewer with its socially inappropriate and outrageous content. The heavy metal series Detroit Metal City (TV) easily qualifies for this keyword.
Yaoi: [edit] (Objectionable Content) (↗yaoi (やおい) = "male homosexual love") These are titles which has male characters in a homosexual relationship. This category differs from "Shounen Ai" in that it usually implies that there will be on-screen sex. See also: ↗Wikipedia:Yaoi.
Yuri: [edit] (Objectionable Content) (↗yuri (百合) = "lily", indicating "female homosexual love") These are titles that show intense emotional connection, romantic love or physical desire between women. Yuri is not a genre confined by the gender or age of the audience, but by the perception of the audience. In short, yuri is any story with women (or girls) in love (or lust) with other women (or girls). (This definition is an edited version of the one that Yuricon provides; see also: ↗Wikipedia:Yuri)
Note: Some word definitions obtained from http://www.m-w.com/home.htm Merriam-Webster Online. Some Japanese terms were pulled from AnimeInfo.
