1. What is Anime?
Anime (ah-ni-may) is Japanese Animation. Basically, cartoons from Japan.
2. What is Manga?
Manga (mahn-ga) is Japanese comics. Unlike American and other English books, Manga reads from right to left.
3. What is a Mangaka?
Mangaka are authors of Japanese manga.
4. What is an Otaku?
Otaku is the Japanese word for fan. In America, it's common for anime enthusiasts to call themselves and Otaku and think it cool. In Japan however, being called an Otaku can be considered an insult, since it's used to describe someone who's a fan of something to the point where they're obsessed over it.
5. What is a Mecha?
Mecha are basically giant robots with human drivers. Kinda like giant steel suits.
6. What is Shonen?
Shonen is anime or manga geared more towards guys.
7. What is Shoujo?
Shoujo is anime or manga geared more towards girls.
8. What is OAV and OVA?
Original Animation Video and Original Video Animation. Basically they're the same thing. It's typically a movie that bypasses the theater and goes straight to video.
9. What is OST?
Original Soundtrack. It's the music from an anime; its soundtrack.
10. What is Fansubbing?
Fansubs are when fans take the Japanese raw version of an anime and subtitle it in English, or any language other than Japanese. Typically, fansubs help out Japanese producers because it gets an interest in anime so that when it becomes licensed there will be more of a want for it.
11. What is Dubbing?
Dubbing is when an English company coppies over the Japanese audio with English audio. Dubbing tends to not match the way the characters mouths move, or often the sentence will stop and the mouths keep moving. Most anime fans hate Dubs with a passion.
12. What is Scanslating?
Similar to Fansubbing but with Manga. Scanslating is when someone with a Japanese manga scans in the pages, and then edits the Japanese text with English.
13. What is a Glomp?
Kinda like a hug and a leap combined. Typically done at Cons, Glomping is when a fan sees someone dressed up as their favorite anime character, runs at them and hugs them violently. It's all in good fun of course.
14. What is a Con?
Short for Convention. Normally Anime Conventions, but also used for other types of conventions as well.
15. What is Cosplay?
Cosplay is when you dress up as and pretend to be an anime character. Normally one Cosplays their favorite character.
Typical Japanese words that fans overuse
Baka (na):
Stupid, idiot, crazy, moron...
Kawaii:
Cute
Mate:
Wait
Yamate:
Stop
Nani:
What
Ja Ne:
Slang for goodbye
Moshi Moshi:
How you answer the telephone.
Wasabi:
Japanese hot sauce
Ai:
Kinda like AHHHH!!
Kyah:
A surprised yell.
Osuwari:
Sit. From "Inuyasha" when Kagome commands Inuyasha to sit.
Oro:
A sound effect used by Kenshin in "Rouroni Kenshin."
