If you've read some of my other hubs, you may have seen me talk about Japanese anime. So right out of the gate in my new hub series I've included a word that you'll learn soon in my Beginner's Guide: Otaku.

It's time for me to step away from Anime News Network, Surf the Channel and Veoh to educate the masses... I'm coming out of the closet, and I'm dragging you along into the world of Japanese animation! YOSH!

According to Wikipedia (you know how much I love the wiki) anime got it's start somewhere around 1917. Anime (ann-eh-may) is very popular in Japan, and not to be confused with an American "cartoon." In the 1930's Disney influenced Japanese animators with it's tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." By the 1970's manga (which is something like a comic book) were being transformed into anime.

There are so many genres of anime out there today! I am a fan of many genres, including the less accepted ones; namely yaoi, yuri and hentai.

• Slice of Life/School Life: Realistic style of animation that depicts everyday life situations including going to school, friend & family interactions and romantic aspects. Some examples would be: Lucky Star, Lovely Complex and Itazura na Kiss.
• Action/Adventure: Like Indiana Jones, except animated. Alot of fight scenes and dramatic deaths! Some examples would be: One Piece, Naruto and Cowboy Bebop.
• Comedy: Goofy or funny characters and silly situations would best describe comedy style animation. Character roles are exaggerated and there are often crazy faces associated with different emotions. Good examples would be: Welcome to the NHK and S.A.
• Drama: This genre typically deals with serious subjects like war, heart break and misfortune. It's more deep than normal romance but still has those same qualities. Some good dramas are: Perfect Blue, Paradise Kiss and one of my favorites, Monster.
• Fantasy/Magic/Supernatural: This genre is often included into all of the other genres. It can include vampires, witches, magic girls, cat-people or other animal people, and often includes a lot of Japanese background story dealing with religious beliefs in Japan. Examples are: Mushishi, Sailor Moon and Clannad.
• Horror: These typically include graphic violence and strong scenes of gore. Examples can be: Elfin Lied, Gantz and Ichi the Killer.
• Mystery: It's all about suspicion, lies, murder and solving the mystery! Good examples include: Crystal Blaze, Detective Conan and another of my favorites, Death Note.
• Psychological: These often include mind control, extreme drama, experimentation and deal with betrayal etc. Good examples include: Gunslinger Girls, Paranoia Agent and Serial Experiments Lain.
• Romance: One of my favorite genres! Cutesy, lovey and sad sometimes. Great examples include: Ai Yori Aoshi, Love Hina and Fruits Basket.
• Science Fiction: Usually involves the future, or machines like Mechs. Includes series such as: Appleseed, Mobile Suit Gundam and Code Geass.
• Sports/Tournament: Pretty self explanatory. This is all about sports like Kendo, Tennis etc.. Examples include: Prince of Tennis, Baki the Grappler and Capeta.
• Shounen-Ai: This anime focuses on male-male romantic relationships, and is not the same as Yaoi. An example would be: Antique Bakery (which I'm currently watching!)
• Shoujo-Ai: This anime focuses on female-female romantic relationships and is not the same as Yuri. An example would be: Kasimasi: Girl Meets Girl.
• Ecchi: Anime with a lot of teasing shots that do not actually include full on nudity. Big busty girls who get only the bottom part of their shirt blown away by some act of god.
• Yaoi: Gay male anime. Boys loving boys. The porno version, little or no plot in these.
• Yuri: Lesbian girl anime. Girls kissin' girls. The porno version, little or no plot in these.
• Hentai: Like porno, except animated. I'm not even going to dare going into a full explanation of what hentai can encompass!
• Harem: Anime that involves more than 2 guys/girls fighting for the affection of the main character. Great examples of this would be Ouran High School Host Club (male harem) and Sekirei (female harem, also very Ecchi, and at some points 18+)
• Kodomo: Anime that is made for younger children like Detective Conan and One Piece.

So, you may want to know: What the hell is an "otaku?"

Here we go:

• Otaku: Obsessed fan, the Japanese version of Geek or something close to an American "Trekkie" - They breathe, sleep and eat everything anime.
• Honorifics: The -san, -chan etc behind a characters name which explains the relationship/status between characters. Includes -san, -chan, -kun, -dono & -sama. -san is equal to calling someone Mr, Mrs or Miss followed by their surname. -chan is typically used when referring to your family, or someone close to your family whom you are familiar with or pets. -kun is usually used in association with boys or men that are of equal or lesser age. -dono is a lower status version of -sama which is used when referring to someone in high status, ie. the owner of a corporation you work for, a lord or lady, or a god. Kame-sama would most commonly be what Westerners call "God".
• Baka (Bah-kah): Basically, if you said this you'd be calling someone a "fool, idiot or dummy." Ahou (aah-hoe)may also be used in this context although the meaning is closer to "retarded."
• Cosplay: Dressing up or role-playing as an anime/manga character.
• Fansub: A person, or group who has translated a Japanese only anime, and provided sub titles in another language such as English or French. These people often do it for free before an anime is licensed in the United States. And I love them! Thank you all fansubbers!
• Kawaii: A term meaning cute, adorable or pretty. Often used to describe girls, animals or inanimate objects.
• OAV/OVA: Anime that is not typically released on television, and goes to the video market first. Usually original, and higher quality than a series because of a larger budget. Can also be spin-offs or specials of popular manga & anime.
• OP/OST: OP refers to the Opening Theme or Opening Song in anime. OST refers the the Original Sound Track for a whole anime series like the Hellsing OST- which is excellent music by the way.
• Sempai/Senpai: Another style of honorific, typically used when referring to someone who is your elder. Can also be someone in a club that is of higher level than you (like the club manager or leader.)
• Sensei: A person who is a teacher, doctor or another professional in various fields who is at a higher level than you.

Hopefully every week I am going to review an anime here on Hubpages. I've easily spent at least 2000+ hours watching series, and I want to put that time to good use too! Look forward to lots of links, pictures and movies that go along with my cynical reviews of some great anime. Thanks for reading! -Ms. Sooz