Genres

Anime has many genres typically found in any mass media form. Such genres include action, adventure, children's stories, comedy, drama, erotica (hentai), medieval fantasy, occult/horror, romance, and science fiction. Most anime includes content from several different genres, as well as a variety of thematic elements. Thus, some series may be categorized under multiple genres. For example, Neon Genesis Evangelion might be considered to fall into the genres of post-apocalyptic, mecha, drama, and shonen-ai. A show may have a seemingly simple surface plot, but at the same time may feature a far more complex, deeper storyline and character development. It is not uncommon for an action themed anime to also involve humor, romance, and even social commentary. The same can be applied to a romance themed anime in that it may involve an action element, or in some cases brutal violence.

The following is a list of the major genres and designations that are specific to anime and manga:

Genres with Western Counterparts:

• Action/Adventure: Anime that primarily focuses on martial arts, sword fighting, or other action oriented material. Examples: Ninja Scroll.
• Horror: Anime or manga which contains darker themes or science-fictional characters. Examples: Vampire Hunter D series or Wicked City.
• Progressive: "Art films" or extremely stylized anime. Examples: Voices of a Distant Star or Byosoku 5 Centimetre.

  Demographic Genres:

• Shojo: Japanese for 'young lady' or 'little girl'. Refers to anime or manga targeted at girls. Examples: Fruits Basket or Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch.
• Shonen: Japanese for 'young boy'. Refers to anime or manga targeted at younger boys. Examples: Dragon Ball Z or Digimon.
• Seinen: Japanese for 'young man'. Anime or manga targeted at teenage or young male adults. Examples: Oh My Goddess!, Outlaw Star or Cowboy Bebop.
• Josei: Japanese for 'young woman'. Anime or manga that is aimed at young women. Examples: Gokusen.
• Kodomo: Japanese for 'child'. Anime or manga that is aimed at young children. Examples: Doraemon, Hello Kitty, Keroppi, Pokemon or Panda-Z.

  Thematic Genres:

• Bishojo: Japanese for 'beautiful girl'. A blanket term that can be used to describe any anime that features pretty girl characters. Examples: Magic Knight Rayearth.
• Bishonen: Japanese for 'beautiful boy'. A blanket term that can be used to describe any anime that features "pretty" and elegant boys and men. Examples: Fushigi Yugi or most CLAMP shows.
• Sentai: Literally "fighting team" in Japanese. Refers to any show that involves a superhero team. Examples: Cyborg 009.
• Robot/Mecha: Anime or manga featuring super robots. Examples: Mobile Suit Gundam, Mazinger Z or Full Metal Panic!.
• Post-Apocalyptic: Anime dealing with a post-apocalyptic world. Examples: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Trigun, Akira, Wolf's Rain, or Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.
• Maho shojo: Subgenre of shojo known for 'Magical Girl' stories. Examples: Sailor Moon.
• Maho shonen: Male equivalent of Maho Shojo. Examples: D.N.Angel.
• Moe: Anime or manga featuring characters that are extremely perky or cute. Examples: A Little Snow Fairy Sugar.
• Expertise: Anime that deals with a specific topic in depth, such as Eyeshield 21 and football, Hikaru no Go and the game Go, Yakitate! Japan and bread-making, etc.

  Romantic Genres:

• Harem: A genre where several girl characters are attracted to a single boy character (or sometimes to multiple boy characters). It is more often than not a Shonen Anime and may be considered a sub-genre. Examples: Ranma 1/2 or Love Hina.
  • Reverse Harem: As a Harem anime, but where several boy characters are attracted to a single girl character (or sometimes to multiple girl characters). It is more often than not a Shojo Anime and may be considered a sub-genre. Examples: Ouran Host Club or Fruits Basket.
• Ecchi: Japanese for 'indecent sexuality', derived from the pronunciation of the letter 'H', (the origin of the term is not well known, even in Japan.) Contains sexual humor, and some fan service. Examples: Love Hina, Oruchuban Ebichu or He Is My Master.
• Shojo-ai/Yuri: Japanese for 'girl-love'. Refers to anime or manga that focus on love and romance between female characters. It is often being replaced by the term "Girls Love" (GL). Yuri is like Shojo-ai, but sometimes involves older characters or explicit sexual activity. Examples: Revolutionary Girl Utena or Kannazuki no Miko.
• Shonen-ai: Japanese for 'boy-love'. Refers to anime or manga that focus on love and romance between male characters. The term "Shonen-ai" is being phased out in Japan due to its other meaning of pederasty, and is being replaced by the term "Boys Love" (BL). Examples: Loveless, Gravitation.
• Hentai: Japanese for 'abnormal' or 'perverted'. While Western audiences may use the term to refer to pornographic anime or erotica, in Japan the term used to refer to the same material is typically Poruno or Ero.(NOT recomended for under the age of 18!)
• Yaoi: Like "Shonen-ai" but often involving older characters and explicit sexual activity.(NOT recomended for under the age of 18!)