Terms
Anime, manga, shoujo, shounen...ahh! What does it all mean? Hopefully this will help clear up any misunderstandings you may have concerning the world of anime and manga.
This site is based on Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon in both its anime and manga forms. But...what is anime, what is manga, and what is the difference between the two?
Manga is the word used to refer to Japanese comics. Oftentimes people think it refers to comics featuring big eyes and small noises, but that's not true. Manga is any Japanese comic. Sailor Moon started out as a manga by Naoko Takeuchi which ran in a magazine called "Nakayoshi", which was a magazine mainly for girls comics (called "shoujo" in Japanese). Notice, the manga form of Sailor Moon has a more "flowing look", and alows the artist to use much more emotion and expression in drawing. There are few harsh lines (except for the eyes), much detail, and the artist uses soft pastel colors.
Anime, short for "japanimation", is the term used to refer to what else but Japanese animation! It is usually aired as a series or as movies, and is a popular form of entertainment is Japan. While there are many anime shows out there for kids, there are just as many adult oriented. Therefore in Japan anime is not seen as "childish" as cartoons are in America. Oftentimes they deal with serious issues and dramas. However, just like in America, there are many genres, from romantic comedies to horror. After Sailor Moon became popular as a manga, TOEI animation decided to run it as an anime on TV Asahi. The rest, as they say, is history. Notice, anime uses much bolder colors and harsher lines, and not as much detail.
It is extremely common for manga to be adapted into anime. For example, "Inu Yasha", "Fushigi Yugi", and "Love Hina" were all originally mangas adapted into anime. Sailor Moon just happens to be one of the more popular.
But let's keep going and look at some more Japanese terms you may come across.
Shoujo, which I've already mentioned, can be used to describe both anime and manga that targets women or young girls. It usually has romance in it. One subgenre of shoujo anime/manga is mahou shoujo, which means "magic girl". This is the category Sailor Moon fits in. This stories feature young girls using magical powers, oftentimes to save the world. "Card Captor Sakura" and "Fushigi Yugi" are two other anime/manga that fall in this category.
Shounen is the opposite of shoujo. It targets men and young boys, and usually has tons of violence in it. You usually won't find any heavy duty romance stories here, although one might slip in every once in awhile. A couple examples of shounen anime/manga are "Cowboy Bebop" and "Dragonball Z".
Mecha features your large fighting robots. Usually this is the first thing people think of when anime is mentioned. Personally, I don't care for it at all, but hey, everyone has their own opinion. This is the category "Gundam Wing" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion" fall into, although why anyone likes those shows I will never know.
Kodomo is for kids! Here's where "Pokemon" and "Yu-Gi-Oh" fall. Although, some of us older folk do like some kodomo...
There you have it! Now you are on expert on anime and manga!
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