Anime And Manga Terminology
Here is a list of select terms used to describe anime and manga. It is helpful to understand these basic terms when conversing with others or reading on the subject. Note: Japanese words have no plural ending, for example manga can refer to one or several manga depending on the context. Also be aware that the Japanese use of these terms sometimes varies from English speaking fan use.
Other terms can be found listed in the Anime Companion Supplement – Topical / Subject Index especially the sections Culture – Literature/Folk Tales – Modern/Post-1868 and Terminology – Fanish.
BL or Boys Love see: Yaoi
- Chara moe :
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A term coming from otaku culture used to refer to the feelings of moe one has to a chara in anime, manga, video games and other character sources. The feelings can also be focused on specific alluring characteristics such characters may have to the point of fetishism.
- Circle :
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A group of people who come together for non-work related projects. Among fans this can be creating a djinshi, making garage kits, or any other kind of activity that works well with a group. However circles are not limited to fandom. In schools and workplaces circles may come together and form school clubs to carry on their activities.
- Gensakusha :
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A story writer who teams up with a mangaka to create manga. Not all manga are produced by one person, such writer artist teams are not unusual. The most famous gensakusha is probably Kazuo Koike.
Light novel see: Raito noberu
Twittering Birds Never Fly
The full-length movie with many different titles is actually a fair piece of work. This film, also called Twittering Birds Never Fly, shows us the relationship of the crazy and perverted yakuza leader Yashiro, and his new bodyguard, Doumeki Chikara. Although Yashiro seems to have promised to not lay hands on his employees, he found something rather interesting in Doumeki.
Yashiro started to abuse Doumeki, first with some requests a little over the boundaries of a workplace, but soon it got out of hand. Doumeki made every one of Yashiros orders happen, but the tension between them just increased. The conclusion of this twisted story is surely a big surprise.
From The 1980s To The 1990s
| Redo of Healer | Despite also partaking in abusing Keyaru, unlike Flare and Blade, Bullet actually has feelings for him, with his way of abusing Keyaru being more passionate than out of detest. | |
| KÅichi Mizuki | The Titan’s Bride | High school basketball player KÅichi Mizuki is suddenly summoned to a world populated by giants. He is met by Caius Lao Vistaille, the prince of the world, who immediately asks KÅichi to marry him. |
| Caius Lao Bistail | ||
| Yashiro, a masochist and yakuza boss warms up to his new bodyguard, Chikara Doumeki. As his entreaties fail, he discovers why his bodyguard only wants to stay at “arm’s length” to himself, rather than get involved in a relationship. An anime film with these characters was released on February 15, 2020 titled Twittering Birds Never Fly â The Clouds Gather while an OAD will be released on March 1, 2021 titled Twittering Birds Never Fly â Don’t Stay Gold, along with two upcoming films, one of which is titled Twittering Birds Never Fly â The Storm Breaks. |
…Kudo continues to pine for Suetake
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Twittering Birds Never Fly: One For The Ages
A classy and suave yakuza leader meets the bear of a bodyguard fresh from prison makes for a good case of character-driven storytelling. Twittering Birds Never Fly, while appearing like an inappropriate title at first, is actually a sad summary of the events that shaped them and the fact that awaits the two of them, especially in the world they live in. Its not always sexual, or romantic, or action, as it even has a number of witty dialogues and smart exchanges. The anime film perfectly captures the cool and the dreary parts of living on the edges of law.
It is one of the rare yaoi anime that does not only pander to its audience. The Twittering Birds adaptation actually tells a developing story, using well-rounded characters, in an environment we have all seen in other genres. Furthermore, while childhood abuse have been the go-to explanation for sexually deviant dispositions in this genre, Twittering Birds leverage them in a way that shows how similar experiences lead to different outcomes, especially in adulthood.
Whew. Also, this February 2020 anime film already has a sequel in the works, Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai The Storm Breaks. As someone who has not read the source materials, I can only expect escalating tensions on this sequel. Whether itll be a more intriguing analogue to Fifty Shades Darker remains to be seen.
Hyakujitsu No Bara: Jinginaki Nikukyuu
Hyakujitsu no Bara: Jinginaki Nikukyuu-hen is the special episode for Hyakujitsu no Bara. The 2 episodes in it are about how the characters fight two wars.;
They are about to take a call on their lives and then realize something wrong. Its a philosophical quest they take to discover themselves.
The war serves as a message for them and puts things in trouble.
If you want to enjoy a good dose of sentimental drama and philosophy, this anime does justice. It focuses more on the internal battles of the mind.
The viewers can connect with the characters as the anime has been crafted in such;a way.;
Soul Contract is a Chinese animation that is controversial. It got adapted from the Manga and premiered on OVA in 2017.
It was rated average, commercially but, did well as an art form.
Its more of an occult anime and involves some supernatural aspects. Keika, whos from a famous family of exorcists, is now hand to mouth.
This is because he has been on the streets after losing his parents.
He meets Tanmoku Ki, another exorcist at a dump yard. Ki was fighting an evil spirit and soon he dies mysteriously.
Ki then approaches Keika. Will Keika support him? What are the consequences of their pact?
The reason for the higher ranking was its soundtrack and direction. The world-class artwork also contributed to its success.
The tale is about two couples. One is, Misaki and his old friend Hiroki. Fate separated them.
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Ginga Teikoku No Metsubou Gaiden: Aoki Ookami
Ginga Teikoku no Metsubou Gaiden: Aoki Ookami-Tachi no Densetsu is a science fiction anime.
It got released in 1996 and was the only source material. It also had elements of action and mecha.
The story is about Jonathan and Leonard. They become friends after they meet at the military academy.
Jonathan is an elite soldier and can control human beings. He is also the very few who can effectively use a cheap version of todays Artificial Intelligence.;
Soon, they discover the corruption within the army. They also learn that the apocalypse of Pluto was a sham.
What more will follow? Will they win over the corrupt ecosystem?;;
Lgbtq+ Anime That You Need To Watch Now
The world of anime is a diverse one, as the medium tells just as many deep, socially relevant and important stories as it does light heart-eyed or action-packed fare.
What may surprise many who arent terribly familiar with anime is the wealth of LGBTQ+ focused series out there. Sure, many series have gratuitous fanservice and crossdressing is a recurring trope across the board, but there are earnest stories out there with a strong, if not singular, focus on LGBTQ+ characters.
To get started you need to know your terminology. Shounen-ai is boys love, while shoujo-ai is girls love. Yaoi is explicit boys love, so youre going to get some sexy times on screen. Likewise, yuri is explicit girls love.
Now that youve got that down pat, here is our list of LGBTQ+ anime to watch!
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Yuri Katsuki And Victor Nikiforov
Face it – you knew this was coming, Yuri on Ice may not have had the best animation, but we all have to admit that the canonly gay main characters threw us for a loop. Yuri Katsuki, an ice-skater braving the international stage, finds himself in the mentorship of Victor Nikiforov, one of the top international skaters. Not to spoil anything, but as it turns out, Victor Nikiforov was enchanted the first time he saw Yuri. As the show goes on, the te of them not only kiss but get engaged .
Yuri and Victor really are the gay power couple we needed in this day and age, and theirs is one of the most obvious relationships and examples of LGBT romance we could ask for.
Yuri on Ice
World’s First Great Love
The title of the series will raise your expectations for the anime, but dont worry because it lives up to them too! You know when it comes to relationships of any kind, there occurs sorrow and many other emotions like that. Once I heard an anime character saying that when youre in love youre supposed to fight with each other and tease too! So, relationships are like that.;
If we talk about;Worlds First Great Love, it shows the story of a young editor named;Ritsu;whose first love failed back in the days. Poor guy! Anyway, thats not all. We still have some hope and the power of FATE! So, due to some circumstances, Ritsu had to leave his previous company and work at a new one. And guess what? He meets his first love again at the new company who worked for the Manga department! And thats how they start going out and give us some tender moments to savor.;
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Hiro Sohma Fruits Basket
Hiro can brighten up anyone’s day with his sincere smile. His story develops as he starts becoming interested in girls, and how he learns to express his love. His overprotectiveness and journey to finding his way in a complicated world is really special to watch, and he is one of the cutest teen boys out there that will definitely take hold of your attention, and maybe even become the apple of your eye
Uragiri Wa Boku No Namae Wo Shitteiru
Uragiri also sometimes referred to as The Betrayal knows my name is a bishounen anime which is dedicated to having more appeal to the gay or female eye. The Zweilt Guardians are composed of gorgeous fighter males except for one girl member. Yuki is previously a kind teenager with hidden supernatural powers, which makes him the target of an evil demonic organization The Duras. After Yuki is saved from The Duras by The Zweilt Guardians, what ensues is a mass magical battle between the two groups. Uragiri is a pseudo gay anime, and the nature of homosexuality in the show is ostensible. It leaves for the audience to decide if the male warriors share homosexual bonds, although there are cases which seems to point towards it.
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Why Are Women Attracted To Yaoi Anime And Manga
It can be said that it is paradoxical that the majority of yaoi anime and manga fandom consists of heterosexual females, even though the genre has its share of homosexual and bisexual fans, both male and female. Most of early yaoi content was very misogynistic, and even though it is popular nowadays to have female characters in yaoi anime and manga as well, their roles are always minimized and diminished.
First of all, yaoi fiction is a tightly enclosed world in which male characters interact in a free way while female characters are either invisible or portrayed in a negative light. One of the most criticized aspects of yaoi anime and manga is that it does not address the reality of homophobia in Japanese society but only focuses on unrealistic entertainment. However, creating a yaoi world gives a certain power to female authors, and it also enables female readers and viewers to step into the forbidden world of eroticism that they are unable to experience or acknowledge for themselves in real life.
The appeal of yaoi anime and manga can be interpreted less as a need for equality, but more of a thrill of having a passive and inert male body open to the female gaze and her pleasure.
Another theory is that yaoi boys are viewed by heterosexual women as neither male or female. They are viewed as a “third gender” which works as an alter ego or a safety device which allows women to control the sexual acts and look at them as voyeurs, instead of being the objects themselves.
Worlds First Great Love
This series title gives it some pretty big expectations to fulfill, but it lives up to them. The story follows a young editor named Ritsu who works for his fathers publishing company. However, after some co-worker jealousy, he switches to a new company in order to prove himself on his own merits. There he ends up placed in the manga division where he meets his editor in chief, Takano, who strives hard for results. However, Takano is actually Ritsus high school love who broke his heart. Yet, in the workplace, the two end up rekindling their relationship, with Takano out to make Ritsu fall in love with him again. As youd expect, it follows the same typical yaoi tropes, but it is all those tender moments within that make it so beloved.
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Yuri On Ice Remains King
Even now, five years after it debuted,;Yuri!!! On Ice;deserves all the accolades.;Yuri!!! On Ice;was a mainstream commercial success, a sports anime that never denies its queer elements and allows its characters to develop with nuance. The show was directed by a female director and featured a central romance between two male leads, and still managed to be an ode to the professional sport of figure skating.
Most importantly,;Yuri!!! On Ice is a pure joy to watch, at times suspenseful, at times hilarious, at times heartbreaking. Fans demanding a sequel won’t be satiated by the prequel film MAPPA’s releasing, but every moment with;these characters has been welcomed with open arms by a universal community.
Dakaretai Otoko Ichii Ni Odosarete
Score: 7/10
Dakaretai Otoko Ichii ni Odosarete is a shounen-ai gay anime that follows the story of Saijou Takato. Saojiou was considered the most huggable person. However, his title was snatched by a newbie actor Azuyama and his charming smile. One day, Azuyama caught Takao drunk and bribed him for silence. While Takao was drunk Azuyama took him to his apartment and videotaped him naked. In order for him not to tell everyone of Takaos shameful night, he asks Takao if he can hug him.
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Sumika Murasame And Ushio Kazama
This anime features two best friends, Sumika and Ushio. Sumika is apparently in love with her best friend but doesn’t confess because she fears rejection, mostly because Ushio has a type and Sumika just isn’t it.
While this is listed as yuri, I thought it was worth putting on this list because of the interesting plot and overall love triangles popping up throughout. They essentially start a lesbians club in their school, and that’s pretty good for what’s supposedly supposed to be a yuri anime.
This anime is worth looking into for the interesting plot alone, but I think the character’s relationships over the course of the anime could rope in a few viewers as well, as it is filled with drama and LGBT love that is actually pretty pure despite the usual yuri expectations.
Whispered Words
From Buff Swimmers To Queer Rock Icons These Are 5 Of The Best Gay Anime Of All Time
This post is also available in: Español
Though Japanese animation, or anime, is known for having more queer characters than American television, the representation isnt always the best. The boys love or yaoi genre tells stories of men falling in love but theyre made for straight women, and generally are unrealistic.
And while there are a lot of queer characters on TV, Japan still has some homophobia to work through. A common yaoi trope is Im not gay, Im just really into this one guy ; but Im otherwise straight, I swear! Another, more unfortunate trope, is rape. Sometimes the protagonist seeks the company of other men because they were raped as a teen or young adult.
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Other times, you get a situation like;Love Stage!!, an anime where the relationship starts because the more dominant man cant control himself and almost rapes the other man who then forgives him and falls in love with his almost-rapist.
But, as with anything, there are always people who do it right. So with that in mind, here are five of the best gay anime ever.
1. Yuri!!! On Ice
2. Gravitation
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3. No. 6
4. Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Free! Eternal Summer
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5. Loveless
What are some of your favorite gay anime?
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