Anime & Manga Facts and Discussion

[Gweener]

Understanding Anime & Manga

Comic art from Japan contains symbolism, traditions, signals and a distinct style that may be unfamiliar to new readers.

Feel free to discuss and point out what you have observed or learned. and remember, the more you read/watch, the more you learn.  

[Gweener]

I have always found astrology to be entertaining, so I found it interesting that in Japan, blood type is similar to one's astrological sign in the U.S. It denotes personality and likely strengths and weaknesses, and is used to predict compatibility with other people.

It is another character indicator in manga that is often included as part of a character description or discussed in conversation.

Here's a brief overview:
Type A: A team player, industrious, trustworthy, needs leadership, can be flexible
Type B: Independent, creative, honest, emotional, can be irresponsible
Type O: Ambitious, a planner, romantic, focused on status, can be superficial
Type AB: Diplomatic, organized, sensible, moral, can be unforgiving  

[ChainsawDooM]

I'm type AB. I guess that stuff fits alright, for me.  

[Gweener]

Did you know that a nose bleed in anime means arousal!?  

[Hazumu-san]

Moe is a Japanese term used in connection with manga or anime to describe something precious, usually (but not always) the ideal of youthful and innocent femininity. Written with the kanji for "to bud or sprout" (萌), the concept covers a range of ideal behaviour for youthful female characters in manga or anime. To be moe, a character can be eager or perky, not overly independent, and call forth a desire in the viewer to protect them and nurture them. The term is also used to describe any preciously cute item; there is an animal mascot character store in Tokyo called Moe.

There is a lot of debate over the crossover between moe fandom and lolicon. While the crossover exists among fans and products the two genres are not synonymous.

(from lexicon on Anime News Network)  

[Gweener]

Emotions play a big part in manga...
some common visual symbols:
> Sweat drop(s)= nervous
> Pulsing vein near forehead= anger
> Blush= embarrassed
> Prominent canine tooth= animalistic behavior, losing control
> Dog ears/tail= begging
> Drool= leering
> Ghost drifting away from the body= fainting
> Snot bubble= asleep
> Shadow over face= extreme anger
> Glowing eyes= intense glare
> Nosebleed= aroused
> Ice/Snow= on the receiving end of cold or cruel behavior
> Chibi/ super-deformed character= extreme emotional state  

[Hazumu-san]

Those are all really good visual cues Gwee! Now I will have to think of some more things hmmmm...  

[Gweener]

How about honorifics (keigo)?
They can get confusing...
depending on the situation and speakers; usually used at the end of a person's name to indicate age, gender, and social standing.
There's the 2 types of speech that affect verb structure: plain speech (used with immediate family, close friends, and kids) and the customary polite speech. Also, there are three levels of honorifics added onto names and nouns:
sonkeigo- exalted terms (most often used in reference to the addressee, including their families, possessions, and house)
kenjogo- humble terms (used in reference to the family, possessions, and house of the speaker)
teineigo- polite terms (used without reference to either participant in the conversation and are more common in formal conversation)

Honorifics used at the end of a last name(formal) or end of first name(less formal):
-san: toward any older person, usually a man
-kun: toward anyone of equal status, most common among males
-chan: toward younger, usually female, friends; has a sense of diminutive
-sama: carries greater weight than -san, used with very distinguished, noble classes, especially historically
(no honorific): only used between intimate friends or spouses; indicates a very close relationship

Want me to continue?  

[Hazumu-san]

I found this on Wiki, isn't it interesting that honorifics can be used in so many ways?

San (さん), sometimes pronounced han (はん) in the Kyoto area, is the most common honorific and is a title of respect similar to "Mr.", "Miss", "Mrs.", or "Ms." However, in addition to being used with people's names, it is also employed in a variety of other ways.

San is used in combination with workplace nouns, such that a bookseller might be addressed or referred to as honya-san ("bookstore" + san), and a butcher as nikuya-san ("butcher shop" + san).

San is sometimes used with company names. For example, the offices or shop of a company called Kojima Denki might be referred to as "Kojima Denki-san" by another nearby company. This may be seen on the small maps often used in phone books and business cards in Japan, where the names of surrounding companies are written using san.

San can also be attached to the names of animals or even inanimate objects. For example, a pet rabbit might be called usagi-san, and fish used for cooking can be referred to as sakana-san. Both uses would be considered childish (akin to "Mr. Rabbit" in English) and would be avoided in formal speech.

Online, Japanese gamers often append a numeral 3 to another player's name to denote san (e.g. Taro3 conveys Taro-san), since the number three in Japanese is pronounced "san".  

[LittleTnCo]

Wow! So much stuff to learn. pirate I don't know if my mush mush brain can handle it right now. I'll have to come back and check it out after I'm feeling better.