Genres

    GenreDescription
    ActionA work typically depicting fighting, violence, chaos, and fast paced motion.
    AdultContains mature content that is suitable only for adults. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.
    AdventureExploring new places, environments or situations. This is often associated with people on long journeys to places far away encountering amazing things.
    ComedyA dramatic work that is light and often humorous or satirical in tone and that usually contains a happy resolution of the thematic conflict.
    DramaA work meant to bring on an emotional response, such as instilling sadness or tension. Novels that often show life or characters through conflict and emotions. In general, the different parts of the story tend to form a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. In other words, the story has a message that is bigger than just the story line itself
    EcchiPossibly the line between hentai and non-hentai, ecchi usually refers to fanservice put in to attract a certain group of fans.
    ErciyuanErciyuan, which means "two-dimensional space," is people who are fans and like to dress up as their favorite characters.
    Fan-FictionFan fiction, or fanfiction, is when fans write their own stories about a book, movie, or show they like. They're not authorized to do this, but they use the characters and world from the original story to create their own.
    FantasyAnything that involves, but not limited to, magic, dream world, and fairy tales.
    Fantasy RomanceIn fantasy romance, the main focus is on the love story, unlike other fantasy stories where love might be a smaller part of the plot. Both types include building a made-up world, but in fantasy romance, this is usually gentler and never takes over the main love story.
    GameNovels taking place in, or connected to, any form of games.
    Gender BenderGirls dressing up as guys, guys dressing up as girls. Guys turning into girls, girls turning into guys.
    HaremA series involving one male character and many female characters (usually attracted to the male character). A Reverse Harem is when the genders are reversed.
    HistoricalNovels whose setting is in the past. Frequently these follow historical tales, sagas or facts.
    HorrorNovels whose focus is to scare the audience.
    IsekaiIsekai is a type of fantasy subgenre where a character finds themselves unexpectedly transported from their own world into a completely new and unfamiliar one.
    JoseiCan be literally translated to [Woman]. Has a target women from 18-30. Female equivalent to seinen. Unlike shoujo the romance is more realistic and less idealized. The storytelling is more explicit and mature.
    MagicNovels containing magic.
    Magical RealismMagical Realism is when magical and unreal things happen in normal life stories. But the main point isn't just the magical parts of the story – it's more about what those magical things make the characters feel and do.
    Martial ArtsAs the name suggests, anything martial arts related. Any of several arts of combat or self-defense, such as aikido, karate, judo, or tae kwon do, kendo, fencing, and so on and so forth.
    MatureContains subject matter which may be too extreme for people under the age of 17. Content that deals with mature themes not suitable for a younger audience.
    MechaA work involving and usually concentrating on all types of large robotic machines.
    MilitaryNovels taking place in (or somehow connected to) the military.
    MysteryUsually an unexplained event occurs, and the main protagonist attempts to find out what caused it.
    Official CirclesNovels taking place in official circles.
    PsychologicalUsually deals with the philosophy of a state of mind, in most cases detailing abnormal psychology.
    RomanceAny love related story.
    School LifeHaving a major setting of the story deal with some type of school.
    Sci-fiShort for science fiction, these works involve twists on technology and other science related phenomena which are contrary or stretches of the modern day scientific world.
    SeinenSeinen means 'Young Man.' Novels that specifically targets young adult males around the ages of 18 to 25 are Seinen titles. Typically the story lines deal with the issues of adulthood.
    ShoujoA work intended and primarily written for females. Usually the story is from the point of view of a girl and usually involves romance and drama.
    Shoujo AiOften synonymous with yuri, this can be thought of as somewhat less extreme. [Girl's Love], so to speak.
    ShounenA work intended and primarily written for males. These works usually involve fighting and/or violence.
    Shounen AiOften synonymous with yaoi, this can be thought of as somewhat less extreme. [Boy's Love], so to speak.
    Slice of LifeNovels with no clear central plot. This genre tends to be naturalistic and mainly focuses around the main characters and their everyday lives. Often there will be some philosophical perspectives regarding love, relationships, life etc. tied into the novel. The overall typical moods for this type of anime are cheery and carefree, in other words, it is your 'feel-good' kind of anime.
    SmutErotic work of fiction that's mainly targeted toward females. Also focuses on love and relationships, etc.
    SportsAs the name suggests, anything sports related. Baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, golf, and racing just to name a few.
    SupernaturalUsually entails amazing and unexplained powers or events which defy the laws of physics.
    Suspense ThrillerNovels in the thriller genre that are particularly suspenseful.
    TragedyContains events resulting in great loss and misfortune.
    Travel Through TimeNovels taking place around the concept of time travel explore the theoretical idea of moving between different moments in time, either forward or backward.
    Two-dimensionalCharacters who live in a "Two-dimensional" space and want to dress up as their favorite characters.
    UrbanUrban are novels that happens in a city. But what really makes it special is that it’s not just about the city, it’s also about how the people live, their money situations, and their culture.
    Urban LifeUrban Life is a type of storytelling that happens in a city. But what really makes it special is that it's not just about the city, it's also about how the people live, their money situations, and their culture.
    Video GamesNovels taking place in, or connected to, video games.
    Virtual RealityNovels taking place in Virtual Reality. VR creates a computer-generated world filled with lifelike scenes and objects, tricking the user's senses into feeling fully surrounded by their digital environment.
    WuxiaThis is a genre specific to Chinese novels. It literally means [Martial Hero], dealing with martial arts and chivalry. Main character can't become an immortal, but rather stays human.
    XianxiaXianxia is a story with cultivation that can lead to a human becoming immortal through Taoist (in most cases) ways. If it doesn't mention the dao, odds are that it isn't a Xianxia.
    XuanhuanThis term is used for novels in an Eastern fantasy setting. In Xuanhuan, there are usually five basic elements (metal, wood, water, fire, and earth), Chinese-style gods, powerful animal monsters like foxes and tigers that can take on human appearances, etc... It's a mishmash of different elements, and sometimes Xianxia-like elements are present. It's easy to confuse Xuanhuan with Xianxia. Simple definition: Eastern-element Fantasy
    YaoiThis work usually involves romantic and intimate relationships between men.
    YuriThis work usually involves intimate relationships between women.