29 terms
The genre decoder
Plain-English meanings for the labels. Tap any term for a full explainer.
Battle shonenAction series built on escalating fights, power-ups, rivals and tournaments. (Shonen itself is an audience, not a genre - see note below.)Sub-genre — read in depth →Brave series (yuusha)Sunrise's run of earnest, kid-friendly super-robot shows (GaoGaiGar and kin) built on courage and friendship.Sub-genre — read in depth →ChanbaraSwordplay action; samurai sword-fighting.Sub-genre — read in depth →Cri-fiCrime fiction: heists, detectives, gangsters and the underworld.Sub-genre — read in depth →CyberpunkHigh-tech, low-life futures: hackers, cyborgs, megacorporations, neon and rain.Sub-genre — read in depth →Dark fantasy / grimdarkFantasy with a bleak, violent, morally grey tone.Sub-genre — read in depth →DEMOGRAPHIC NOTEShonen (teen boys), Seinen (adult men), Shojo (teen girls), Josei (adult women) and Kodomo (children) describe the target AUDIENCE, not the genre. A 'seinen' title can be any genre at all - this is why they're kept out of the Genre columns.Note — read in depth →EcchiCheeky, risque comedy built on sexual innuendo - suggestive rather than explicit.Sub-genre — read in depth →Gag comedyRapid-fire absurdist jokes and parody, with plot a distant second.Sub-genre — read in depth →Gourmet / cookingFood as the central subject: cooking duels, gourmet journeys, loving dish descriptions.Sub-genre — read in depth →Harem / reverse haremOne lead surrounded by several romantic interests (reverse harem = one girl, many suitors).Sub-genre — read in depth →Heist / caperCrime stories built around an elaborate robbery or long con.Sub-genre — read in depth →Isekai'Another world': an ordinary person is transported, summoned or reborn into a fantasy or game world.Sub-genre — read in depth →Iyashikei'Healing' stories designed to soothe the viewer; gentle, low-conflict, calming.Sub-genre — read in depth →JidaigekiPeriod drama set in pre-modern, usually Edo-era, Japan.Sub-genre — read in depth →Magical girl (maho shojo)Girls granted transforming powers who fight evil; Sailor Moon is the template.Sub-genre — read in depth →MechaGiant piloted robots. 'Super robot' = invincible hero machines (Mazinger); 'real robot' = robots as gritty military hardware (Gundam).Sub-genre — read in depth →Military SFScience fiction centred on armed forces, tactics and the politics of war.Sub-genre — read in depth →MoeCuteness- and affection-driven appeal; 'cute girls (or boys) doing cute things'.Descriptor — read in depth →Shonen-ai / BL (yaoi)Male-male romance. 'Boys' Love' (BL) is the modern umbrella term; not used by any title in this sheet but a major category.Sub-genre — read in depth →Slice of life (nichijo)Everyday life with little overarching plot; the charm is in character and routine.Sub-genre — read in depth →Space operaGrand adventure across the galaxy: empires, fleets and star-spanning stakes.Sub-genre — read in depth →SpokonSports stories powered by guts, training and burning effort (sport + 'konjo', willpower).Sub-genre — read in depth →Spy-fySpy fiction: espionage, secret agents and intelligence intrigue.Sub-genre — read in depth →Tensei (reincarnation)A flavour of isekai where the hero dies and is reborn into the new world, usually keeping past-life memories.Sub-genre — read in depth →TokusatsuLive-action Japanese effects entertainment (Godzilla, Ultraman, the Power Rangers source shows); SSSS.Gridman is an anime homage to it.Genre — read in depth →Yankii / furyoDelinquent dramas about brawling school toughs and biker gangs.Sub-genre — read in depth →YokaiJapan's folklore spirits and monsters - a whole horror/supernatural tradition of its own.Sub-genre — read in depth →Yuri / GLFemale-female romance ('Girls' Love'). Also absent here but a significant category.Sub-genre — read in depth →