FAQ
Do you encounter some Japanese lingo that you do not understand? If so, these groovy FAQs are just for you!
Q1: What is a doujin?
Ans: These are fan artists who publish doujinshi (fan-drawn manga) of a series they are fond of, for fans. Nothing is too much or too little, and everything is fueled by these artists' imaginations. They range from cute G-rated to intense R-rated manga and the art differs greatly between doujins. Groups of doujinshi artists are known as circles.
Q2: What do filler episodes mean?
Ans: Filler episodes usually appear when the anime needs to slow down as it is soon about to catch up with the manga. As such, they only occur with long running series such as One Piece or Bleach. Most of the time filler episodes are not related to the main storyline nor are written by the author of the manga and may cause contradictions, so fans mostly treat them as not canon.
Q3: What is Vocaloid?
Ans: Vocaloid is singing voice synthesizer program where you can create vocals and melodies from a recorded voice. Popular voices that are personified include Hatsune Miku, Megurine Luka, Kagamine Rin and Lena and KAITO, just to name a few.
Q4: What does 'canon' mean?
Ans: Canon refers to the material accepted as factual in the universe the story is set in A.K.A. the storyline and characters created by the author. Alternate universes, character quirks and fanfics created by fans are not canon.
Q5: What is a seiyuu?
Ans: First, you travel via Route 12 to this amazing place called Hiiragi High School Academy, where the future generation of talents working hard for their opportunities to shine in the world of entertainment gather. Once you've stepped foot, please find its General Office and ask for a girl called Kino Hime. Actually, it would be better if you could have Hime's best friend Todoroki Tsukino to assist you. Hime would be in a better position to explain to you what a seiyuu is. If you're still confused, just read 'Seiyuu ka!'...
Q6: How do you make rice pink and fluffy?
Ans: Hmm...just a second….(turns around) Erm, Kaori-san? Can I ask you a quick question...regarding rice? Yes, you remember the bento you had at the rooftop the other day? The one where the rice was all pink and fluffy? Eh, you don't recall eating any rice that's pink and fluffy? No, I'm the one to say sorry. Pardon the intrusion. Who am I? It's not important. Thanks anyway.
(turns back) I don't know how.
Q7: What is a Coscard?
Ans: Coscards are essentially the business cards of the Cosplay society. They typically are the same size as business cards, and contain information such as your nickname and your usernames on the multiple different social media platforms that you are on. Coscards are useful as you can easily exchange information with new friends, and they are also handy when you have been photographed and wished to be tagged on Facebook or the like.
Q8: What is a Lolita?
Ans: Lolita refers to a group of people who dress in lolita fashion. Lolita fashion originated from Japan, and is based on the Victorian-era. The main lolita looks focuses on puffy skirts helped by the use of petticoats, forming a cupcake shape. There are many types of lolita styles; Classic lolita, Gothic lolita, Sweet lolita, and Punk lolita. Classic lolita is a more mature style, simple and neat. Gothic lolita is characterized by dark clothing, dark makeup, and red lipstick. Sweet lolita is the cutesy style, comprising of pastel colors, and anything kawaii. Punk lolita adds punk elements to the lolita, making use of tattered fabric, chains, studs, etc. There are many other sub styles, but these four are the 'main'.
Ans 2: (Groovy version) They’re just like a lollipop. Small and cute. But their looks can be deceiving as they can be sweet or sour. But I suggest you stay away from them. They can be quite dangerous to approach. You don’t want the labeled as a stalker, pervert or a lolicon. Huh? The crumbs? The donut box? Oh, her. This girl on my lap is Shinobu. She’s adorable right? What? You’re saying she’s dangerous? No, definitely not. I know she is a vampire and all but who can resist such cuteness. Mofu tofu~ Moe~
Q9: What do fan-arts mean?
Fan-art is basically art work done by fans. Fans take a character and add certain style elements of their own to the character. For example, drawing a character in chibi form, or drawing a manga/ anime character in realistic form, and vice versa.
Q10: What is a maid cafe?
Maid cafes are cafes where the staff cosplay in maid outfits, and treat customers as masters/mistresses in a private home. There are also butler cafes. When you first enter the cafe, the maids (or butlers, depending on your type of cafe) will greet you with "Welcome home, Master/Mistress". The cafe menus are more or less similar to normal cafes, but with one large difference. For the maid cafes, the maids will often decorate the customer's order with cute designs at their table.
Ans2 : (Groovy version) I suggest you refer to Usui from Seika High School to clarify your doubts. What, you don’t know who he is? Um, try to find either a group of girls shrieking with glee in the hallway, or retrace the steps of any girl who you see running and crying away, or you can find him in the student council office. He’s the good looking blonde guy. I heard that he frequents a maid cafe in another town, with some three stooges. I am sure he’s an expert in that field. Ah you could also ask the Student Council President, Misaki-san, about it as well. I saw her attending to customers like an actual maid at her class’s booth during cultural festival. I am sure she would know a few things about a maid, maybe even a maid cafe.
Q11: I'm always confused with the girls from Love Hina and K-ON!. Am I the only one?
Ans: Erm, please say you're just kidding. They don't even look remotely similar in any way. Besides, K-ON! has a glaring near-absence of the male gender (except for the very rare appearance of a male teacher).
Q12: J. Fluffysheep writes a lot of letters, is he lonesome?
Ans: Wait...do you think 4 to 5 letters count as a lot? Then what is a hundred, Mount Fuji? Anyway, you could consider writing to him if you feel that he needs an actual friend. Applications are open.
Q13: Who is prettier? Zelda Princess or Mario Princess?
Ans: If you zoom in both of their faces a few times, they would probably look no different from each other.
Q14: Which anime has more characters? Dragonball or One Piece?
Ans: How soon do you need an answer? I might have to search for a calculator that is capable of a million-digit input.
Q15 What is bishonen?
Ans: Bishonen literally translate to beautiful young boy. In manga and anime it is frequently used for males whose features borders on feminine beauty. "Bishonen" is sometimes shortened to "bishie".
Do you encounter some Japanese lingo that you do not understand? If so, these groovy FAQs are just for you!
Q1: What is a doujin?
Ans: These are fan artists who publish doujinshi (fan-drawn manga) of a series they are fond of, for fans. Nothing is too much or too little, and everything is fueled by these artists' imaginations. They range from cute G-rated to intense R-rated manga and the art differs greatly between doujins. Groups of doujinshi artists are known as circles.
Q2: What do filler episodes mean?
Ans: Filler episodes usually appear when the anime needs to slow down as it is soon about to catch up with the manga. As such, they only occur with long running series such as One Piece or Bleach. Most of the time filler episodes are not related to the main storyline nor are written by the author of the manga and may cause contradictions, so fans mostly treat them as not canon.
Q3: What is Vocaloid?
Ans: Vocaloid is singing voice synthesizer program where you can create vocals and melodies from a recorded voice. Popular voices that are personified include Hatsune Miku, Megurine Luka, Kagamine Rin and Lena and KAITO, just to name a few.
Q4: What does 'canon' mean?
Ans: Canon refers to the material accepted as factual in the universe the story is set in A.K.A. the storyline and characters created by the author. Alternate universes, character quirks and fanfics created by fans are not canon.
Q5: What is a seiyuu?
Ans: First, you travel via Route 12 to this amazing place called Hiiragi High School Academy, where the future generation of talents working hard for their opportunities to shine in the world of entertainment gather. Once you've stepped foot, please find its General Office and ask for a girl called Kino Hime. Actually, it would be better if you could have Hime's best friend Todoroki Tsukino to assist you. Hime would be in a better position to explain to you what a seiyuu is. If you're still confused, just read 'Seiyuu ka!'...
Q6: How do you make rice pink and fluffy?
Ans: Hmm...just a second….(turns around) Erm, Kaori-san? Can I ask you a quick question...regarding rice? Yes, you remember the bento you had at the rooftop the other day? The one where the rice was all pink and fluffy? Eh, you don't recall eating any rice that's pink and fluffy? No, I'm the one to say sorry. Pardon the intrusion. Who am I? It's not important. Thanks anyway.
(turns back) I don't know how.
Q7: What is a Coscard?
Ans: Coscards are essentially the business cards of the Cosplay society. They typically are the same size as business cards, and contain information such as your nickname and your usernames on the multiple different social media platforms that you are on. Coscards are useful as you can easily exchange information with new friends, and they are also handy when you have been photographed and wished to be tagged on Facebook or the like.
Q8: What is a Lolita?
Ans: Lolita refers to a group of people who dress in lolita fashion. Lolita fashion originated from Japan, and is based on the Victorian-era. The main lolita looks focuses on puffy skirts helped by the use of petticoats, forming a cupcake shape. There are many types of lolita styles; Classic lolita, Gothic lolita, Sweet lolita, and Punk lolita. Classic lolita is a more mature style, simple and neat. Gothic lolita is characterized by dark clothing, dark makeup, and red lipstick. Sweet lolita is the cutesy style, comprising of pastel colors, and anything kawaii. Punk lolita adds punk elements to the lolita, making use of tattered fabric, chains, studs, etc. There are many other sub styles, but these four are the 'main'.
Ans 2: (Groovy version) They’re just like a lollipop. Small and cute. But their looks can be deceiving as they can be sweet or sour. But I suggest you stay away from them. They can be quite dangerous to approach. You don’t want the labeled as a stalker, pervert or a lolicon. Huh? The crumbs? The donut box? Oh, her. This girl on my lap is Shinobu. She’s adorable right? What? You’re saying she’s dangerous? No, definitely not. I know she is a vampire and all but who can resist such cuteness. Mofu tofu~ Moe~
Q9: What do fan-arts mean?
Fan-art is basically art work done by fans. Fans take a character and add certain style elements of their own to the character. For example, drawing a character in chibi form, or drawing a manga/ anime character in realistic form, and vice versa.
Q10: What is a maid cafe?
Maid cafes are cafes where the staff cosplay in maid outfits, and treat customers as masters/mistresses in a private home. There are also butler cafes. When you first enter the cafe, the maids (or butlers, depending on your type of cafe) will greet you with "Welcome home, Master/Mistress". The cafe menus are more or less similar to normal cafes, but with one large difference. For the maid cafes, the maids will often decorate the customer's order with cute designs at their table.
Ans2 : (Groovy version) I suggest you refer to Usui from Seika High School to clarify your doubts. What, you don’t know who he is? Um, try to find either a group of girls shrieking with glee in the hallway, or retrace the steps of any girl who you see running and crying away, or you can find him in the student council office. He’s the good looking blonde guy. I heard that he frequents a maid cafe in another town, with some three stooges. I am sure he’s an expert in that field. Ah you could also ask the Student Council President, Misaki-san, about it as well. I saw her attending to customers like an actual maid at her class’s booth during cultural festival. I am sure she would know a few things about a maid, maybe even a maid cafe.
Q11: I'm always confused with the girls from Love Hina and K-ON!. Am I the only one?
Ans: Erm, please say you're just kidding. They don't even look remotely similar in any way. Besides, K-ON! has a glaring near-absence of the male gender (except for the very rare appearance of a male teacher).
Q12: J. Fluffysheep writes a lot of letters, is he lonesome?
Ans: Wait...do you think 4 to 5 letters count as a lot? Then what is a hundred, Mount Fuji? Anyway, you could consider writing to him if you feel that he needs an actual friend. Applications are open.
Q13: Who is prettier? Zelda Princess or Mario Princess?
Ans: If you zoom in both of their faces a few times, they would probably look no different from each other.
Q14: Which anime has more characters? Dragonball or One Piece?
Ans: How soon do you need an answer? I might have to search for a calculator that is capable of a million-digit input.
Q15 What is bishonen?
Ans: Bishonen literally translate to beautiful young boy. In manga and anime it is frequently used for males whose features borders on feminine beauty. "Bishonen" is sometimes shortened to "bishie".