This guide is intended as a place to learn about the various kinds of Japanese media. It will also include links to external sites.

_{Article on Anime.}

Anime is a medium of animation produced in Japan.
While some westerners, especially casuals, will claim that the term doesn’t only apply to Japanese animation; this is false. It should only be used to describe Japanese animation.
Most anime is traditionally animated (2D), as opposed to CG. Their way of animation is also fairly different from most western animation.

• aniDB
  • The best anime database online. It has information on almost everything in anime. It also happens to include information on releases from… alternate sources...
• AniList
  • This one is more user-friendly than aniDB. It’s just a place to keep track of what you watched.
• MyAnimeList
  • MAL is/was one of the most popular choices for keeping track of anime. After it got bought, it started losing popularity. Just use AniList.
• Kitsu
  • Mix of twitter and AniList. Just stick to AniList.

_{Article on AMVs.}

Anime Music Videos are a strange niche. When most people hear AMV, they think of the really bad ones. However, the good AMVs are really well made. I recommend just looking at the best rated ones.

• AMV.org
• AMVNews.ru

_{Article on Manga.}

A comic medium. Most manga is black and white (which is done to save money and time) and are published in magazines.

• Baka-Updates
  • This is similar to aniDB, but specifically for Manga. It includes information on releases from Scanlation groups.
• AniList
  • Includes a section for Manga.
• MyAnimeList
  • Includes a section for Manga.
• Kitsu
  • Includes a section for Manga.

_{Article on Visual Novels.}

Visual Novels are an interesting kind of media. Depending on who you ask, they’re either video games or their own medium entirely. I’m of the opinion they’re too different from games to be considered games.

• The Visual Novel Database
  • This is honestly the only decent DB for VNs. It’s also the only decent place to keep track of VNs.

_{Article on Light Novels.}

Light Novels are short books (“Light” “Novels” heh) typically targeted at teens. The most popular series go on for dozens of Volumes.

I don’t know of any Light Novel databases unfortunately.

This section is a work in progress.

• VGMdb
  • It’s the only database that has a kind of focus on Japanese music.

_{Article on Vocaloid.}

This isn’t a genre, rather it’s a product. A vocal synthesizer… or in other words, a virtual singer.

WIP

• The original guide was much longer… and bad. This more “compact” version I prefer.