GEEKTIONARY

As Japan has grown into a world economic power, second only to the United States, its culture also has grown in influence throughout the world. In particular, Japanese anime and manga have developed an international audience that includes millions of readers and viewers in the United States, Europe, and beyond.

Anime and manga also have influenced American comic books and movies. In comparison with classic American comic books, manga has a broader range, including the use of unconventional story lines, adult themes, and experimental storytelling methods. This influence can be seen in the work of Frank Miller, the Power Puff Girls, and The Matrix.

Afro Samurai (proper noun)
A manga featuring an African American hip-hop samurai.

The soundtrack for the AFRO SAMURAI anime was produced by Wu-Tang Clan member RZA.

AMV (noun)
Short for anime music video. Seen in abundance on Youtube.com, where fans make music videos using clips from anime.

anime (noun)
Japanese animation that is usually more adult in nature and more complex than American cartoons.

animegao (noun)
Also known as a doller. A person dressed in cosplay that is also wearing a facemask that is meant to look like an anime character.

anime eyes (noun)
Large eyes, usually accompanied by a small mouth, as seen in manga and anime; many people in Japan have tried to imitate through plastic surgery.

GEEK FACT

In anime and manga, you may notice that the characters always have a wide variety of hair colors, whereas Japanese people have naturally dark hair. The reason this is done is to be able to easily differentiate the characters and still be able to draw them simply. This may have in turn led Japanese people to dye their hair to match anime characters.

aniparo (noun)
Anime parody. It is a type of anime that is a parody and usually uses a super deformed style.

Fans around the world create their own ANIPARO, and the quality is not always professional.

baka (noun)
A common Japanese word often used in anime and manga that means “stupid.”

So many Westerners now know the meaning of the word “BAKA” that the Japanese have been forced to use different words to insult us to our faces.

GEEK QUIZ

Manga is read by people of all ages in Japan and is a $4 billion industry. That is a lot of manga. On average, how long does it take a Japanese reader to read three hundred pages of a manga comic?

a. Twenty minutes
b. Thirty minutes
c. Forty minutes
d. One minute

Astro Boy (proper noun)
Created in 1952 by Osamu Tezuka as a manga, would later become the first anime in 1963. Astro Boy is a robot with black underpants and a pointy haircut who was adopted by Professor Ochanomizu and fights evil.

bishojo (noun)
A type of Japanese video game that features anime-style girls with gameplay similar to a “Choose your own adventure” story but with romantic or erotic content.

bishounen (noun)
The anime and manga term for a “pretty boy” or a man with feminine looks.

bosozoku (noun)
Japanese motorcycle gangs that modify their bikes, engage in reckless behavior, and dress in outfits such as colored jumpsuits. Portrayed in the manga and anime Akira.

Kaneda’s BOSOZUKU gang fights against the clown motorcycle gang in Akira.

bunkoban (noun)
A manga book that is novel-sized and larger in length than a normal manga book.

catgirl (noun)
An anime or manga character that is a girl with cat ears and a tail, very popular among fans.

chibi (noun)
A term in manga and anime for a little character or a childlike version of a character.

Clamp (proper noun)
A famous all-female manga creation team that has worked together since the 1980s and has created works such as Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and Cardcaptor Sakura.

compilation movie (noun)
An anime film that puts together footage from the television show, condensing a longer story line into the length of a short movie.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is an example of a COM-PILATION MOVIE.

Daidarabotchi (proper noun)
A huge nature spirit in Japanese myth that was also seen in the anime Princess Mononoke as the Night Walker.

The DAIDARABOTCHI once put Mount Fuji and Mount Tsukuba on a scale to weigh them.

dattebayo (phrase)
Naruto’s catch phrase meaning “Believe it” in the English-dubbed anime, but has no real meaning in Japanese.

Death Note (proper noun)
An anime, manga, and live-action movie about a demonic notebook that has the power to kill whoever’s name is written within. The story centers around a game of cat and mouse between the owner of the notebook, Light, and the one tracking him down, L.

After seeing the movie DEATH NOTE, I threw out all my notebooks so my girlfriend couldn’t kill me.

GEEK FACT

Geek Confessions
My father found a notebook in my great uncle’s drawer. It was titled the “Death Book” and contained the birth dates and death dates of hundreds of celebrities and friends and family members. Next to all of our names — even the young ones like me — there was our name, our birth date, and our “death date” followed by a question mark. Creepy.

Doraemon (proper noun)
A manga character that is a time-travelling robotic cat, named the “anime ambassador” of Japan by the Foreign Ministry.

On an ambassadorial mission, there was an international incident when DORAEMON was placed on the menu at a Cantonese restaurant.

doujinshi (noun)
A manga that is a one-shot and usually published independently by an amateur.

DOUJINSHI is very popular in Japan, but in America it would be compared to pornographic fan fiction.

Dragon Ball (noun)
There are seven magical Dragon Balls. Once all are found, a dragon appears and grants a wish.

dub slang (noun)
When an anime is dubbed in English but slang words are added, such as “you trippin’ ” or “he so fine.”

Duel Monsters (proper noun)
The fictional card game in the manga and anime Yu-Gi-Oh! where players use cards to fight each other using monsters. The Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game is based on this game.

The actual Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game is not exactly like DUEL MONSTERS because the fictional game must serve the plot of the story.

ecchi (noun)
Manga and anime that is sexual in nature, from pin-up girls to fanservice to breast groping.

educational manga (noun)
A type of manga for teaching, such as Falcon’s Computer Hacking

EDUCATIONAL MANGA is about as entertaining as anything educational, which means its not.

Espers (noun)
A powerful group of aging but childlike psychics who were the schoolmates of Akira, the deadly telepath from the manga and anime Akira.

The word “ESPERS” comes from the term ESP (extrasensory perception).

Evangelion (proper noun)
Also known as Evas or EVA. The humanoid mechas in Neon Genesis Evangelion that are biologically integrated with the pilot.

The pilot of an EVANGELION must have his or her soul synchronized with the mecha, which causes the pilot and mecha to experience the same physical sensations, including pain.

eyecatch (noun)
In anime, the screen that plays right before and right after commercial breaks and includes the name of the anime and sometimes interesting info about the characters or story.

The EYECATCH used for Pokemon includes a guessing game to test whether the viewer can guess a Pokemon’s name from its silhouette.

face fault (noun)
A character’s facial expression in anime and manga of exaggerated surprise or anger.

Even though it was an American production, the Teen Titans cartoon had a very anime style and the characters displayed FACE FAULTs.

fanservice (noun)
In an anime or manga, when there are elements of a sexual nature that are not relevant to the story.

fansub (noun)
An anime that has been translated and subtitled by fans. Copyright laws make it illegal to distribute fansubs in many countries, and it is therefore controversial.

figure moe zoku (noun)
An otaku who is obsessed with their toy collection.

filler (noun)
Episodes in an anime that serve no purpose in the story line and are used to give the manga time to catch up with the anime, because the manga may take longer to produce.

Geass (proper noun)
From the anime and manga Code Geass, a unique special power given to a human by an immortal that will grant the human immortality and the ability to pass on Geass to another. Also called the “Power of King.”

Bob was offered GEASS, but after taking a good look at the world around him, passed it up.

genga cel (noun)
An original anime cell before it’s been colored or edited.

ghost hack (verb)
To hack into a person’s brain through their cybernetic implants or cyberbrains and disrupt their reality, sometimes forcing them to perform crimes such as assassination, as seen in Ghost in the Shell.

Goku (proper noun)
The main character in the anime and manga, Dragonball, who begins as a child from another planet and eventually becomes an adult with powerful abilities such as emitting energy blasts, as seen in the series Dragonball Z.

GOKU’s alien tail was cut off many times before finally being permanently removed.

Gundam (noun)
A mobile suit, the most famous of which is the RX-78-2 Gundam, used by the Earth Federation to fight the Principality of Zeon.

harem (noun)
A genre in manga and anime where a single male character is surrounded by multiple females and sexual situations and drama ensues.

hokuto shinken (noun)
A martial art used by Kenshiro, star of the anime and manga The Fist of North Star, that allows the user to harness energy and touch certain pressure points, causing the victim to explode, be split in half, or something else equally disgusting.

The average person uses 30 percent of his or her body strength, while someone trained in HOKUTO SHINKEN uses 100 percent.

hunter-warrior (noun)
Bounty hunters in the manga and anime Battle Angel Alita that also serve as law enforcers due to the lack of police.

itasha (noun)
Cars that are painted with anime or video game characters who are mostly girls.

jutsu (noun)
A supernatural technique, skill, or trick used by the ninja in Naruto by harnessing chakra, which is a ninja’s basic energy source.

Kamehameha (proper noun)
An energy attack emanating from the hands used mainly by Goku in DragonBall.

kawaii (adjective)
Sometimes called super kawaii. In Japanese, kawaii means “cute.” Emphasizes very girly childlike themes such as ornately ruffled dresses, cartoon characters, and commercial logos, plus stuffed animals and toys.

kemonomimi (noun)
A concept in manga/anime where the people, usually girls, have animallike features such as cat ears.

Kyuubi (proper noun)
The nine-tailed demon fox that is sealed within Naruto, who draws upon its power. Once enough power is drawn from the fox, it will be released from Naruto.

light novel (noun)
Japanese novels that are written for junior-high and high-school students that are less serious than conventional novels and usually include numerous illustrations. Light novels are often adapted in animes and mangas.

LIGHT NOVEL publishers are always looking for new talent and receive thousands of submissions each year.

lolicon (noun)
A genre in manga that depicts girls, usually childlike, in an erotic manner.

love pillow (noun)
A large pillow from Japan with a picture of a sexy anime girl printed on it that is used as a sex toy. The girl’s version is a “boyfriend pillow” that includes two “arms” to hold the girl.

Forget the LOVE PILLOW, what’s the Japanese word for “straightjacket?”

mahou shoujo (noun)
A genre in anime focusing on magical girls with special abilities who fight evil, such as Sailor Moon.

If Claire were a MAHOU SHOUJO, she would be Sailor Mercury because they both share a love of knowledge.

maid café (noun)
Cafés in Japan where the waitresses dress as maids or other outfits for fans of anime and manga.

MAID CAFÉ is another example of the brilliant and perverted nature of the Japanese mind.

manga (noun)
Comic books produced in Japan that read from right to left. Manga has revolutionized the comic book industry because of its dynamic techniques and adult-themed storylines.

Now that I have drawn this short manga comic, instead of calling me Cecily, you have to refer to me as MANGAKA.

Sayo is such a MANIAKKU she never stops talking about Naruto and always shows us clips from the show.

mecha (noun)
Giant mechanical vehicles or robots controlled by a human pilot. Very popular in anime and manga. Seen in Robotech, Evangelion, and the movie Avatar.

I need a navigator for the MECHA I created from thousands of tinker toys; so who is with me?

GEEK QUIZ

Did you notice that Goku used to have a monkey-like tail? The reason is because he is an alien. Goku from the anime and manga Dragon Ball is an extraterrestrial species named what?

a. Betazoid
b. Saiyan
c. Ocampa
d. Bakkataru

mecha musume (noun)
A term in manga and anime for girls wearing mech equipment or other types of hardware.

The anime Strike Witches features MECHA MUSUME girls using mechanical devices on their legs to grant them special powers such as flight and super strength.

MEGANEKKO is from two Japanese words and translates as “glasses girl.”

moe (noun)
A Japanese term for someone who has an interest or even an attraction to a manga or anime character or type of character. Can also refer to a young female anime/manga character.

John never had a MOE-like attraction to anime girls. He saw himself as more of a robosexual.

Naruto (proper noun)
Title character of a popular anime and manga about a boy ninja who has a nine-tailed demon-fox spirit within him giving him special abilities but also making him sometimes more violent and aggressive. Naruto has also spawned light novels, video games, and a trading card game.

Neo-Tokyo (proper noun)
Tokyo of the future, usually after an apocalypse, that is the setting for many manga and anime, including Akira.

NEO-TOKYO was built after the destruction of Tokyo and is now filled with terrorists and gangs.

nouvelle manga (noun)
An art movement that combines the elements of manga and Franco-Belgian art.

I don’t want to hang out with Pierre at the café with his snobby NOUVELLE MANGA friends.

Oh Dae-su (proper noun)
The main character in the manga and movie Oldboy, who was imprisoned for many years without knowing his crime before being suddenly released to chase down his captor.

Spolier Alert: OH DAE-SU probably wishes he was never released from his prison given what happened later.

GEEK QUIZ

Never get a tattoo in another language unless you make sure you know what it means. What does your favorite anime character’s name mean? The word “naruto,” from the main character in the manga and anime Naruto, is translated as:

a. Storm ninja
b. Fox ninja
c. Anxious boy
d. Japanese fish cake

Oiroke (proper noun)
The technique created by anime and manga character Naruto that is based on sexiness and his ability into transform into a naked girl.

If men had the transformative ability of OIROKE, most would be in the women’s locker room half the day.

omake (noun)
Special features on an anime DVD, including deleted scenes, documentaries, bloopers, and sometimes special comedy scenes.

One Piece (proper noun)
One Piece is a very popular manga and anime about a boy named Monkey D. Luffy who wants to impress his hero, the pirate Red-Haired Shanks, and find the legendary treasure, known as “One Piece” and become the Pirate King. Because he ate the Devil’s Fruit, Monkey becomes dead-weight in water, but he is able to stretch and inflate his body.

When the ONE PIECE treasure is found, supposedly “a grand battle that engulfs the entire world” will commence.

otaku (noun)
A fan with an obsession, often unhealthy, for manga, anime, or video games.

OVA (noun)
Short for original video animation. Anime made for the direct-to-video market.

Panzer Kunst (proper noun)
A martial-arts style used by cyborgs, as seen in Battle Angel Alita.

After a PANZER KUNST battle, don’t call an ambulance, call Radio Shack.

Puppet Master (proper noun)
An artificial intelligence that can hack into and manipulate the minds of others, as seen in The Ghost in the Shell.

Racer X (proper noun)
A masked racer in Speed Racer, revealed to be Rex Racer, the older brother of Speed Racer who anonymously helps out Speed on the racetrack.

RACER X is the brother who everyone thought died? What is this — a soap opera?

Rock (proper noun)
A recurring manga and anime character created by Osamu Tezuka, seen in around sixty mangas and anime, including Astro Boy and Metropolis . Rock is defined by his black hair and dark sunglasses.

Ryuk (proper noun)
A Shinigami in Death Note of frightening appearance that is responsible for the death note coming into the hands of Light Yugami, who is chased by world renowned detective, L.

scanlation (noun)
Scanning a manga and placing it on the Internet with a translation.

Team, we need to complete all the SCANLATIONS before being bombarded with hate mail from angry otaku.

scenery porn (noun)
Used in anime for scenery that is high in quality and displayed in long-lasting shots.

My mom found my stash of Home and Garden under my bed. Now she knows I’m into SCENERY PORN.

Kikuko Inoue is a famous SEIYUU, known for her voice acting in Gundam, Ranma ½, Sailor Moon, and dozens of other anime.

settei sheet (noun)
Anime Studios use these sheets as a guide to draw the anime in the same style as the manga.

Shinigami (proper noun)
As seen in the manga and anime Death Note, they are Death Gods that kill humans to prolong their lives; they are the originators of the titular death note.

The personification of death, the SHINIGAMI was brought from Europe to Japan in the nineteenth century.

shinobi (noun)
A ninja, or ninja in training, in Naruto. Shinobi is also a Sega game series that was first introduced as an arcade game in 1987.

The SHINOBI in Naruto have special abilities such as mind control and generating lightning.

shipping (noun)
A practice among fans of anime and manga who passionately desire and lobby for two characters to become romantically involved.

SHIPPING was extensive during The X-Files run, when fans desperately wanted Mulder and Scully to hook up.

Soul Reaper (proper noun)
From the anime and manga Bleach. Soul Reapers are members of a military group that brings souls to the afterlife. They fight against Hollows, who are uncooperative souls.

sukeban (noun)
Dangerous and troublesome Japanese schoolgirl gangs with dyed hair and modified school girl outfits, sometimes potrayed in manga and anime.

Don’t mess with the SUKEBAN, or they will make you pay for enjoying that hentai comic.

GEEK QUIZ

What is the name of the Japanese anime that was re-edited for American audiences and turned into Voltron: Defender of the Universe using new plots and dialogue?

a. Voltage: Electric Wars
b. Beast King GoLion
c. Lion Tetsuo
d. Super Happy Robot Hour

super deformed (noun)
A style of manga where the characters have small, fat bodies and oversized heads.

superflat (noun)
An art movement originating with Takashi Murakami using manga and anime art styles that are flattened to send a message of shallow consumer culture.

super robot (noun)
A genre in anime and manga involving giant mechas that are usually controlled by pilots. Originated from Tetsujin 28-go (Gigantor), which was a 1950s manga.

tankobon (noun)
An umbrella term in manga for a book format that is the equivalent of a graphic novel.

Ranma ½ was collected into thirty-eight TANKOBON books with ten chapters each.

GEEK QUIZ

What is the name of the best selling manga of all time?

a. One Piece
b. Slam Dunk
c. Naruto
d. Dragon Ball

Unico (proper noun)
A manga and anime character that is a small unicorn created by the famous Osamu Tezuka, who also created Astro Boy.

yandere (noun)
A term that applies to manga and anime meaning someone who is nice at first before becoming violent and angry. Appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam and has been criticized for its use in School Days and When They Cry.

A real YANDERE, the first time I met my ex-stepfather he gave me an Eskimo Pie. The second time, he convinced my mother to force-feed me fatty pot roast until I vomited.

yuri (noun)
A genre in manga involving a sexual relationship between two women.

Ok, well, I understand YURI. See, that’s a NORMAL fantasy — girl on girl action, not guy on girl robot action. And no tentacles.