Manga terms

Here are some Manga terms that I have gathered from the internet mostly from the ALA website and WIKIPEDIA sources.


Manga-The Japanese word for comics. Outside of Japan it usually refers specifically to Japanese comics.

Anime(pronounced "annie-may")-Japanese style animation characterized by colorful characters from the Manga stories. DVD?Video format.

Shojo(Shouho)-Style of Manga inteneded for girls

Shonen(Shounen)-Style of Manga intended for boys

Mecha-Short for mechanical. Manga featuring any kind of technology such as weapons, advanced body armor, giant robots, vehicles, etc...

Magical Girl-Generally used to refer to the genre of stories, geared toward younger, preteen girls, which involve a schoolgirl who is given magical powers. She is given the power to transform inot a magical alter ego. These powers are usually given at the beginning of a story by a magical talking animal or mysteries stranger. A wand or cute piece of jewelry is used as part of her character makeup. She usually helps ordinary people with problems or works on saving the world.

Manga-ka-The writer or artist of a manga series, responsible for the main artwork.

Cosplay-(Cosplay contests) Costume Play. Fans dress up as favorite characters, usually at conventions and hold contests.

Dojinshi-Fanzine, fan art. Sometimes the drawings are based on an established character or series.

Hentai- Sexually explicit Manga.