There is a certain amount of jargon and lingo involved in any niche interest; technical terms, fan slang, nicknames, cultural terms, etc. In the case of Yuri manga and anime, we also have a load of Japanese terms to deal with. And, as my readers know, I have coined some specific shorthand terms of my own that have been or currently being used on Okazu.

So, to provide a topic of discussion, a reference for future posts and a way of avoiding having to answer “what does xyz mean?” questions over and over, I’ve pulled out an old glossary we did for Onna! in 2005, updated and adapted it for readers of Okazu.

I have tried to be as general and understanding of language fluidity as possible, but my own biases will surely be apparent. This glossary represents *my* understanding of these terms on this date. These terms are always subject to opinion, change, linguistic drift and other factors, so please don’t bother informing me that that Wikipedia says different. (Thanks to Ana for clarification on moe.) And as time passes, some of these terms may become more or less used here on Okazu.

Anime: Pron. (ah-nee-may). A French word used by the Japanese to describe animation of all kinds. US fans of Japanese animation often use anime to describe Japanese works only.

Bian: Pron. (bee-ahn) Short for “Lesbian,” used primarily by the Japanese Lesbian community, since Rezu has a negative connotation, similar to that of “les” or “lesbo” in English. Related terms: Girls’ Love; Femmeslash; Yuri; Onna-doushi

Bishoujo: Pron. (bee-show-joe). Japanese for “Beautiful girl.” Refers to extremely good-looking girls featured in a series. Also used to describe a genre of games for males, which feature dating and/or sexual relationships simulations. Related terms: LFB; Moe (Not on this list, but related “Bijin”; Beautiful person, can be woman or man.)

Bishounen: Pron. (bee-show-nen). Japanese for “Beautiful boy.” Bishounen are artistically and often femininely rendered young men. Frequently shortened to “bishie” by western fandom. Related terms: LFG; Fujyoshi, (Not on this list but related Biseinen, for “beautiful man.”)

Boys’ Love: Current term, coined by Japanese publishers, for stories that feature male/male relationships. This term includes both sexual and romantic stories and is often shorted to BL. Related terms: Yaoi; Shounen-ai

Butch: In lesbian culture, a woman who looks and/or acts in a manner commonly understood as “masculine.” Related term: Tachi

Circle: A group of people who work together to produce doujinshi, games, novels or other works; some circles create parody material, others original. Related terms: Doujinshi

Doujinshi: Pron. (dough-jin-shee) Small-press or self-published works. Doujinshi are sometimes parodies of existing anime, manga, novels, games and even popular celebrities, but are also often original works. In Japan, there is a well-accepted undermarket of these works which often violate copyright as it is understood in the west. Related terms: Circle; Fan Art, Fanfic

EPL: Evil Psychotic Lesbian. Term coined by Erica to describe her favorite kind of character.

Fanart: Art based on copyrighted characters and situations, done by fans (usually not with the creator’s permission). Also written as Fan Art. Related terms: Doujinshi

Fanfic: Stories based on copyrighted characters and situations, written by fans (usually not with the creator’s permission). Also called Fan Fiction, or Fanfiction. Related terms: Doujinshi

Femme: In lesbian culture, a woman who looks and/or acts in manner commonly understood as “feminine.” Related term: Neko

Femmeslash: Stories by fans of western series that include female/female romantic or sexual relationships. Also written F/F. Related terms: Fanfic; Fanart; Shoujo-ai; Yuri; Slash; Girls’ Love; Onna-doushi

The Friedman Addendum to the Bechdel Test:

Does female character have agency?
Does she have society?
Does she have personality?
Is she merely a female-shaped male hero doing male hero things while being female?

Based on a correspondence with Alison Bechdel about media that pass the letter of the Bechdel Test, but not the spirit of the test. Erica has formulated these sentences to determine if a character is truly a “strong female” or just a woman doing male hero things in a skin-tight bodysuit. See: It’s A Woman’s World: Bodacious Space Pirates, Maria-sama ga Miteru and The Bechdel Test for reference.

Fujyoshi: Female otaku, stereotypically obsessive over BL comics and related goods. They are seen on the streets of Japan and at comic events dragging small suitcases along behind them. Related terms: LFG

Girls’ Love: An analogue for Boys’ Love, Girls’ Love is sometimes used by Japanese publishers to create a new bookstore category for what is known in the west as Yuri series. Related terms: Yuri; Shoujo-ai; Boys’ Love; Femmeslash

Hentai: Pron. (hen-tie) Also called “H.” Hentai series are sexually explicit, with a focus on extremeness and fetishism, but the term is often used by western fandom to describe anything pornographic.

Josei: Pron. (joe-say) Animation and comics targeted to young women (high school to adulthood.) Josei series often include sexual relationships, but often focus on work-life balances, relationships and family, as well.

Ladies’ Comics: Pron. (ray-deezu koh-meek-kusu) Rediizu Komikkusu, i.e., Ladies’ comics, refer to manga targeted to adult females. These are mostly sexually explicit. Related term: OL Comics

LFB: Loser FanBoy. This is a term originally coined by Erica (who now uses Service instead) as an analogue to the Japanese word otaku since, in general, western fandom uses otaku as a term of pride. LFBs often have poorly developed interpersonal skills and/or interaction with the opposite sex and, therefore, have a tendency to see Yuri wherever two or more females exist in a series regardless of relationship, or any interest or desire between them. Saying a Yuri media is LFB-focused means the story is written with strong salaciousness and male gaze. Related term: Otaku, Service

LFG: Loser FanGirl. This is a term coined by Erica (who now uses Service instead) as an analogue to the Japanese word fujyoshi. LFGs are generally characterized by squealing and bouncing up and down in paroxysms of anime-, manga-, doujinshi- or goods-related ecstasy. Related term: Fujyoshi, Service

LGBTQ: Short for “Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans,Queer,” LGBT is a reasonably inclusive acronym for sexual/gender minorities and topics of interest to them. It is also sometimes expanded to include “A” for Asexual and/or Allies and/or “I” for Intersexed. Related, but not on this list: Sexual and Gender Minorities

Mahou: Pron. (mah-hoe) Japanese for “magic” in the witch/wizard sense. Mahou Shoujo = “magical girl.” This is the best-known subgenre of girls’ anime and manga, and refers to any series featuring a female protagonist who uses magical powers. Related terms: Shoujo

Manga: Pron. (mahn-gah) “Loose pictures.” Japanese term for comics and comic books. Also called Komikkusu.

Mangaka: Pron. (mahn-gah-kah) Person who creates manga. Related terms: Manga

Moe: Pron. (moe-eh) Moe comes from the verb moeru, “to bud or sprout,” used to describe the adoration of a “budding cuteness,” ie. young, innocent girls about to sprout (reach puberty, per se.) “Moe” from “moeru” “to burn” is a cognate, and sometimes used as a pun. It was originally coined to describe intolerable adorableness that made you want to explode, but was picked up by otaku who like anime and manga featuring children in eroticized situations. Moe characters tend to be young and/or drawn in a very cute, but sexual or sensual, way. Now the term has become generalized to anything that an otaku finds him/herself passionate about. Related terms: LFB; Bishoujo; Otaku

Mook: Pron. (moo-ku) Short for “magazine book,” mooks are glossy magazines that contain many art images. Newtype is an example of a popular anime-related mook.

Neko: Pron. (neh-koh). Possibly from the Japanese terms nemu + ko, “the girl one sleeps with.” Neko in a lesbian relationship is the woman who takes the female role. Neko also means cat in Japanese and there is likely to be some connection to the colloquial use of “pussy” and the fact that cats expect to be taken care of. Related terms: Femme

Nioi-ke: Pron. (nee-oy-keh) Something that “smells” like Yuri or BL, but isn’t really.

Nonke: Pron. (non-keh) A straight person, someone who is not “one of the family.” “Ke” is the same kanji as “house” (家) that is used for Mangaka or Judoka, or House of Windsor. (I.e., also “otaku.”) Use of “nonke” is indicative of the person speaking being “one of us,” that is to say, part of the LGBTQ community.

OL Comics: OL is short for “Office Ladies” This subgenre of Ladies’ Comics usually features women in a semi-subservient position in a Japanese company. (OLs serve tea, change light bulbs and do many other menial tasks around Japanese offices. Some women take positions as OLs just to find a good husband.) OL Comics are commonly sexually explicit. Related term: Ladies’ Comics

Onna-doushi: Pron. (ohn-nah doe-shee) Onna-doushi means “women together.” Like Onna x Onna or Onna no ko x Onna no ko the term Onna-doushi is used by some lesbian circles to denote manga or dounjinshi stories with lesbian content, as opposed to Yuri. This term is similar to the western term F/F. Related terms: Shoujo-ai; Girls’ Love; Femmeslash; Yuri

Onnazuki: Pron. (ohn-nah-zoo-kee) Onnazuki means “woman lover,” and is often used to describe a person (most often male) who “loves” the idea of women, but isn’t so good at actually relating to them or getting a date, etc. A person who spends more time with time with bishoujo games and dating sims than actual women is likely to be onnazuki.

Otaku: Pron. (oh-tah-koo) This is a derogatory term Japanese people use to refer to people who collect or are fans of something obsessively, and who often have poor social skills and personal hygiene. Many Japanese anime and manga fans use it to describe themselves, often as a self-deprecatory joke. In western fandom, the word is used to describe anime and manga fans in general, and is often used with pride.

Reba: Pron. (ree-bah) Short for “reverse,” this Japanese term means women who switch between tachi and neko roles. Related terms: Tachi; Neko

Scenery Porn: A term coined by Sean Gaffney to describe long, lingering shots of well-animated scenery.

Service: A shortened form of the word “Fanservice”, which means “tropes, artistic and thematic styling added in to “serve” the perceived audience. For instance, a BL-audience might wish to see the male character shirtless, or a male audience might wish to have extended periods of thigh-gazing at schoolgirls in an anime. “Service” can be any quality that is added in to a series to “serve” the fetishes of the target audience, from a woman in a suit to a schoolgirl uniform that highlights secondary sexual characteristics. On Okazu, an overall Service score has now replaced both LFG and LFB scores for general, rather than specific, salaciousness.

Seinen: Pron. (say-nen) Animation and comics targeted to young men (late high school through early twenties.) They often are sexually explicit, but just as often dysfunctional, filled with fetishism over functional emotional and sexual relationships.

Seme: Pron. (seh-meh) The aggressor or instigator of a sexual relationship. Analogous, but not identical, to the western term “Top.”

Shoujo: Pron (show-joe) Also (incorrectly) spelled shojo. Shoujo is Japanese for “girl” and may be used on Okazu to refer to animation and comics targeted to girls. Shojo means “maiden” or “virgin,” not “girl.”

Shoujo-ai: Pron. (show-joe-eye) A term, coined by western BL fans, to describe series featuring female/female romantic relationships, as opposed to sexual relationships, as a way to distance themselves from the term Yuri. This term is not used in Japan, but is a literal translation of “Girls’ Love” which *is* being used in Japan, primarily by publishers. Related terms: Yuri; Girls’ Love; Femmeslash; Onna-doushi; Yuri

Shounen: Pron. (show-nen). Also (incorrectly) spelled shonen. Animation and comics targeted to boys.

Shounen-ai: Pron. (show-nen eye) An out-of-date term, sometimes (mostly formerly) used in the west by BL fans to denote “romantic” as opposed to “sexual” male/male relationships, but in Japan the phrase is used to denote adult males who like young boys. Related terms: Yaoi; Boys’ Love;

Slash: Stories by fans of western series pairing male characters in homosexual romantic or sexual relationships. The term comes from the phrase “Kirk/Spock.” Also written M/M. Related terms: Femmeslash; Yaoi; Shounen-ai;

SPCD: Stupid Plot Complication Disorder. A term coined jokingly by Erica to cover all unbelievable medical and behavioral disorders – like getting a deadly fever because one was out in the rain, or not being able to see men – used by anime and manga series to drive the story in the absence of a plot.

Story A: A term coined by Erica to describe the basic schoolgirl Yuri story plot in which a girl meets a girl, they realize they like each other, the end.

Tachi: Pron. (tah-chee) From the Japanese term tachiyaku, the player of a male role in Kabuki. In lesbian relationships, tachi “play” the male role. Related terms: Butch

Tankoubon: Pron. (tan-koh-bohn) A collected volume of manga chapters. Usually five or so chapters of a serialized manga make up a tankoubon. Related term: Manga

Uke: Pron. (Oo-keh). The receiver or seductee, in a sexual relationship. Similar, but not identical to, the western term “Bottom.”

Yaoi: Pron. (yah-oh-ee or yah-oy) Comes from “YAmanashi, Ochinashi, Iminashi” (“No climax, no ending, no meaning.”) Originally used by western BL fans to denote series featuring sexually graphic male/male relationships, as opposed to romantic ones, but now used to describe the entire genre. No longer commonly used in Japan, where the term “Boys’ Love” has superseded it. Related terms: Boys’ Love, Shounen-ai; Slash

Yuri: Pron. (you-ree) Japanese for “lily.” From the word Yurizoku, (“lily tribe”) coined in the 70s to describe lesbians. Formerly used in the west to denote series with explicit female/female sexual relationships, but now more often used to refer to any work that contains a lesbian character or relationship, whether sexual or romantic. Yuri  as a genre, is the only genre of Japanese anime and manga that has roots in all of the demographic genres, and can be found in all genres. The symbolism of the lily is common in lesbian as well as non-lesbian created works that include lesbian themes. Related terms: Shoujo-ai; Girls’ Love; Femmeslash; Onna-doushi

Yuri Goggles: A phrase jokingy coined by Erica for the process through which fans make Yuri where there is little or none in the actual series. Similar to “beer goggles,” Yuri goggles make a series or a couple seem more Yuri the higher you turn them up.

A special special guest today – Katie, who has been a our mistress of PR at Yuricon for several years now. This is her first review here on Okazu, and I’m thrilled to pieces to have it. Presenting for your reading pleasure, a review of Dragonaut by somebody who knows what they are talking about! Yaaay!

Dragonaut: The Resonance is a new anime by GONZO. The very barebones of the plot is that in the future, a dragon crash-landed on Earth, destroying a shuttle about to launch for a routine Moon-to-Earth flight. Different factions on Earth reacted in different ways, and several years later there are two major players in the game: ISDA and the Gillard army.

ISDA was formed to research and understand the dragons, and the Gillard army, based out of Mars, stockpiled most of the system’s resources. The ISDA is where we meet our protagonist, Jin, and where he meets his love interest, Toa. The fighters of ISDA, or Dragonauts, bond with dragons that have hatched from the original dragon’s eggs. The infighting in this organization, their uneasy treaty with the army, and the teen melodrama of the Dragonauts and their dragons, drive the series.

If you’ve seen Speed Grapher, a previous GONZO anime series, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect from Dragonaut. For the first seven or so episodes, you’ll wonder why you’re watching the show, laugh at the unintentional comedy, and marvel at just how unrealistic animators can make boobs. Then, some time in the eighth episode, the ball drops, and it suddenly and inexplicably becomes good. For Dragonaut, it’s more like the very end of the 10th episode, but the analogy is still sound.

As for Yuri, there’re three possibilities, one ambiguous couple and one ambiguous unrequited thing. Warning: Dragonaut is full of every Yuri cliche in the book.

Ambiguous relationship that is described officially as “sisterly”, but involves suggestive posing? Check. One half of the couple dies, and the other one goes psycho? Check. Unrequited, unacknowledged, possibly tragic love that is only revealed as the last breath of a traitor who dies redeeming herself? Check. (Yes, this is a cliche!) The lesbians die while supporting the main, heterosexual relationship? Check.

The ambiguous relationship is Akira and her dragon, Machina. Akira is a butch-ish tomboy with rough manners, and Machina is the exact opposite of her in almost every way. Machina is also, unfortunately, one of the giant boob characters of the anime. For all the cliches, they’re actually rather well-developed for this type of anime. They’re the most sane and balanced of the group, they act as support characters to Toa and Jin, and nobody thinks their relationship is strange. Akira is especially gung-ho about rescuing Jin’s dragon girlfriend–I wonder why? Sadly, though, someone has to die, and it turns out to be Akira. Machina goes crazy and blows everything up.

The unrequited thing is Nanami. For the first third or so of the season, Nanami makes very few appearances, and seems very innocuous. She’s just a cute assistant to Yuuri Kitajima, an ISDA scientist. All of her appearances are related to Yuuri, and she seems very interested in being close to her, and winning her approval. In episode 13 or 14, we find out that Nanami is a Gillard spy. She kidnaps Toa, knocks Yuuri out, and escapes to the Mars base. It’s clear that she’s a bit conflicted about having hurt Yuuri, and after speaking with Toa about her love interest, she decides to double-cross Gillard and set Toa free. Garnet, a Gillard bodyguard, kills her before she can. The Yuri part of this is that she says “Sempai” (sempai=Yuuri) when speaking of the one she loves, and dies with Yuuri’s name on her lips. Speaking of Garnet, she also is the one who kills Akira. This is one giant-boobed character who _seriously_ hates lesbians.

If you can get through the first third of the series, it definitely becomes something worth watching, but there’s no happy ending for any of the Yuri-ish characters.

Ratings:

Art: 7, would have been higher if not for the giant scary boobs
Story: 6, surprisingly good for what it is, with some twists. You’ll see most of them coming, but not from too far off.
Yuri: 4
Series: 5 Mostly the character design and the obligatory onsen episode. It’s also equal opportunity service, with as much cute naked guy as cute naked girl.

Overall: 7

Thank you Katie! Feel free to write for Okazu anytime. ^_^

It’s come to my attention that some of you have sent me email that was swallowed by my spam filter. If you emailed me in the last week or two and have not heard back (usually I at least tell you “Yes,” “No,” “Thank you” or “Haha, you funny”) it is not because I am ignoring you. It is because I never saw your mail.

Please email me once again and I’ll do my best to assist you. I’ve reset my spam filter – hoipefully I’ll catch your email this time. My apologies for any inconvenience.

This is me, prostrate before the gods of anime that at *last* there’s something on worth watching!
m(__)m

I didn’t actually have any expectations for Mnemosyne – Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi, (Daughters of Mnemosyne.) I like Noto Mamiko plenty, but her presence in a series is not, for me, a guarantee of future results. But about 20 seconds into the opening sequence for Mnemosyne I knew we had a winner. ^_^

Mnemosyne, named after the Greek deity associated with memory, is a horror-thriller about an undead detective named Asougi Rin. The anime opens with her death, although there’s no way to know if it’s her first or just another one along the way. It’s a pretty harsh death. After that, with no explanation, we see her casually avoiding work as a third-rate private detective. While out looking for a lost cat, Rin finds a lost human. Among other things, he’s suffering an identity crisis, so he and Rin set off to find his self. Which brings her into close encounter with a sadistic torturer and zombies.

There is a lot of blood and violence in Mnemosyne and the torture – while not explicitly shown – is still graphic enough that the squeamish need not apply.

But. Rin. Let’s add all her good qualities up: 1) she is an adult female, bucking the recent trend; 2) wears a suit (and glasses which, yes, I also find attractive); 3) is more than competent at hand to hand combat; 4) Not above a spot of really nasty violence and; 5) Is completely nuts because she can’t be killed.

Bing! Bing! Bing! We have a winnah!

I also strongly approve of the fact that Noto Mamiko uses a much more normal range of her voice than her usual breathless bishoujo version. This sounds more like the way she actually talks than anything else I’ve heard her do. (Marimite fans will might also be pleased that she’s joined by the voice actors for Touko, as her assistant and Kashiwagi, as the folorn lost human. Or they might be traumatized.)

Yuri is presented as service. It will likely remain service throughout. There’s really no reason to expect it to be anything *other* than service. Not that that’s ever stopped Yuri fans before…. Rin is tortured sexually, with some groping and piercing (I know it’s very, very wrong, but I thought Rin with all the piercings was kinda hot – but then, I like my women pierced…) and there was a little service-y play between Rin and her assistant Mimi. I hope Laura will turn out to be an EPL – she’s already evil and psychotic, so she just has one quality to go.

This is not a nice anime. It’s nasty, full of violence, torture, blood, death, and other grim. It’s also full of the most competent adult females in anime for about 4 years. I accept your gift, gods of anime! On behalf of all of us real women who like our women animated, I accept!

Ratings:

Art – 7 A little artsy at times, but otherwise good
Story – 7 Sufficiently grim
Characters – 8
Yuri – 4
Service – 108

Overall – 8

I mentioned that Mnemosyne was out and Sean Gaffney asked if this was the Yuri series to end all Yuri series this season. I said no, there was just some breast groping service. And the lead female wore a suit. And it had an EPL. Then I re-read what I had written and said, “Yes. Yes it is.” ^_^

Martial arts. The perfect palette on which to blend skill, fortitude, perspicacity, teamwork and hideously adorable cuteness. Add a dash of Yuri and you have a really thin excuse for a review of Bamboo Blade!

Kendo takes a great deal of subtlety and skill. You can’t just hit a person with the shinai. Footwork, timing, strike location and force all must be precise. Like all martial arts, Kendo takes most of a lifetime to understand and master. (Where “master” is meant as “not come even close to mastering.” It’s a cliche’ in the martial arts – all of them – that the more you know, the more you know how little you know. And no, I am not talking out my ass in fortune cookies here. I taught MA for about 10 years. Trust me – the more you know, the less you know.) So, of course it stands to reason that a hideously adorable fifteen-year old would be practically a world-class kendoka. Wait, no it doesn’t.

And that’s the hand-wave in Bamboo Blade. Little Tamako is in truth, an anime-obsessed master of this difficult art, so of course her high school Kendo club wants, no, *needs,* to get her. And they do, which signals a major turn-around for the Muroe High Kendo club. They are able to recruit some new members, and in honor of Tama’s sentai leanings, assign a color to each of the members.

As Tama’s training seeps osmotically into the rest of the team, they become more focused and more skilled. Bubbly Kirino, the half-assed club president and flaky Saya find themselves winning matches more, beginner Miya-Miya is able to channel her tremdous hidden rage into Kendo and clumsy Azuma finds a group that will accept her for who she is and offer her support. In other words – it’s a “team” anime, where every character has backstory, but we all “gambatte” and win. There will be cliff-hangers here and there, but no real tension. Tama-chan is simply too cute to worry about. Everything will always be all right.

Our excuse for reviewing this series at all is a girl named Reimi who obsessively stalks and photographs Miya-Miya (Kendo “Black”.) Miya-Miya is already the craziest, most mentally unstable character in the show – Reimi’s stalking does not help. Miya-Miya assumes it to be some kind of rivalry, but in fact, Reimi’s in love with Miya-Miya. It’s not really a nice love. Reimi’s admiration does more damage than good. But it’s okay. It’s an excuse to review Bamboo Blade. :-) There’s a nice helping of “obvious” pairability between Kirino and Saya as well, so although they aren’t a couple, it’s easy enough for those so inclined to pretend they are.

Bamboo Blade is not cutting-edge or anything. (Ecch, no pun intended.) It’s a formulaic, yet-another-one-of-those-sports-series that fill Japanese manga and anime shelves. The lessons are “keep trying,” “be a team” and “guts=win.” Same as pretty much every other sports anime. The only difference is that the “win” part is really secondary to the story. Since Tama-chan is a priori way superior to everyone, that’s not an issue. It’s the journey and her experiences hanging out with other kids her age that’s the important bit. Sure, it’s nice that the team is getting better, but that’s just an added benefit. This takes a lot of pressure off the characters – and the viewers. They don’t have to succeed despite outrageous odds and tremendous hardship, and we don’t have to watch them suffer.

Here’s an example. Tama-chan is off to her first training camp. Her father is concerned because there will be boys there. That’s it. And Tama-chan’s biggest concern? That her father go nowhere near the TV and digital recorder, so she doesn’t miss an episode of her favorite shows. Feels nice and relaxed, doesn’t it? It is. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7 Moe cute
Story – 7
Characters – 8 Except the teachers who are impossible to respect
Yuri – 1
Service – 5 Individual episodes go as high as 7.

Overall – 7

I like the fact that we occasionally see real Kendo techniques. And I defy anyone to tell me that they don’t want to hug Tama-chan. A fun anime about five female Kendoka – does there really need to be anything else?