/a/
From The LURKMORE Wiki
The anime & manga board.
- One of the oldest boards on 4chan. It was created early in 4chan's history to provide a "worksafe" and anime-specific alternative to /b/. While the second most active worksafe board (after /v/), it doesn't even come close to matching /b/'s volume of posts. /a/ has something of a rivalry with /m/, which became quite open during the SaiGar competition, in which the smaller /m/ had a surprising amount of success. Though the rivalry has slipped in the background since the conclusion of SaiGar (with an extremely narrow /a/ victory), conflict between /m/orons and /a/ssholes could break out again at any time.
- A surprisingly common misconception about /a/ is that it actually deals with anime and manga, or at least exclusively so. At any given time a huge slice of /a/ doesn't talk about either, instead preferring visual novels (e.g. Tsukihime), other doujin games (Touhou), live-action shows (Kamen Rider) or just general horrible weeabooness. Most of these can provide flimsy rationales when confronted about the fact, such as an anime or manga about the series in question theoretically existing (which tend to materialize sooner or later for everything popular in Japan) - but don't be fooled. /a/ is mostly about otaku culture in general.
*Translator's Note
404 Girl
Abuse hand
Akagi
AMV
- An abbreviation for "Anime Music Video". /a/ looks upon the vast majority of AMVs with disdain, as most of them are conceived by talentless underage b& who do little more than cut clips and stitch them onto their favourite music tracks(e.g. Linkin Park, see Rule 757). These will often be posted to YouTube and contain fansubs but won't contain any synchronization. There are a few slight exceptions to this hatred, however, such as the "AMV Hell" series, and a few of the top rated videos on a-m-v.org.
- The Japanese counterpart to the AMV is a "MAD", which though appearing to be an acronym doesn't really stand for anything. Unlike AMVs, MADs are highly regarded by /a/ssholes for being both masterfully done, interesting and highly original, with some MADs consisting of nothing but self-made content. On the same token, some Japanese fans prefer AMVs over MAD shit because they're used to bad MADs and we're used to bad AMVs.
- In reality, AMVs are a sub-genre of MADs: MAD refers to any fan-made video, which means a MAD doesn't have to contain any music or anime.
Animu
- Derogatory of "anime", or Japanese cartoons. Usually used as a plural, as Oriental languages do not have plural forms for their nouns.
Anonymous of (place)
BADASS MANLY ANIME REVIEWER
Befriend
- Reference to Magical Lyrical Girl Nanoha, when Nanoha first tries to reason with enemies (like any good shoujo lead), followed by submission through acts of massive destruction (like any good shounen lead). Most of Nanoha's later friends meet her in this way, so 'befriending' people to death is a sort of trademark for her. This tendency ruined the shock of Nanoha blasting Tea (much to Subaru's horror) in the third season for some /a/ssholes, but all saw it as a rite of passage and a clear indication that Nanoha liked her. Nanoha's tactics have endeared her to some on /a/, who consider her one of the sweetest examples of GARMOE ever.
- In /a/, phrases like "you gonna get befriend'd" or "she'll befriend her" usually implies a sweet, adorable character (like Nanoha) is about to go apeshit all over someone. May also refer to lesbian sex, targeting Nanoha's pimp status among the mostly quasi-lesbian cast in fanwork.
Bible Black
- A famous H-game and hentai anime series known for a wide variety of faptastic fetish content (dickgirls, occult rituals, group sex, drugging, enemas, guro, etc.) and a shockingly semi-decent storyline. Now used as the /a/ alternative to /v/'s Battletoads when someone begs for a source, replacing the now-defunct Robotech.
Boku no Pico
- A hentai OVA featuring a shota trap named Pico, and also a stock-answer-to-request-of-source meme like the above Bible Black and /v/'s Battletoads. And sometimes it's used to form combinations with the other two, like Boku no Toads, Battle no Pico Black, Boku no Bible Battle, etc.
Cabbage
Card Crusher
- Card Crusher (A.K.A Rude Dude, ZoomJap, rude asian, rudeazn) is another editting fad on /a/, which also spread to other boards. Like the God Hand edit, it is very easy to replace the template with whatever anime or situation in Paint or similar. Started out from this video. The original comic (in Japanese) featured Konata asking if Kagami wanted a chocolate cornet. In response to Kagami's insecurity, Konata crushes it in her hand (like the guy in the video crushing the business card) while making a hilarious face with some very flaring nostrils. /a/ has found this quite funny, and in return started to edit the panels to feature other anime like Kaiji (Andou crushing his stars) and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (various). This (8211664) is one example of some such edits.
Clannad
Code Geass
Cowboy Bebop at his Computer
- Short lived /a/ meme which migrated from /v/. Originated from a newspaper clipping about Cowboy Bebop, with the caption "Video Kid: Cowboy Bebop at his Computer".
- Obviously Ed, the depicted character, is neither male nor called "Cowboy Bebop". The format for this meme is reasonably obvious: the name of the series is posted, and the gender of the possessive pronoun is reversed.
Darks
DDR DDR
Decantering
Elevens
- Slang for the Japanese, and a very minor, but prevalent meme on /a/. Originally came from the anime Code Geass, where the nation of Britannia (an alternate universe version of Britain) at one point in history evolved into a superpower and conquered the world. Part of its foreign policy is to promote social inequality, whereby annexed countries and their people are rebranded with numbers to distinguish them from their natural superiors: Japan is "Area 11" and its people "Elevens" and do "Eleven" things. See also Euphemia Li Britannia (note: SPOILERS).
Death Note
Ever17
fansubbers = stupid
Four Chan Magazine
GAR
Genuflect
Ghost Slide
Giovanni
Guitar Ninjas
Gununus
Gurren-Lagann
Grinbitch
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
Hive Mind
Homo Thread
I Am Boss
- Comes from the anime Minami-ke. The phrase is seen on the T-shirt of the middle-sister; Kana; in the first episode of the series. The phrase “I Am Boss” is an example of mild Engrish, and is the result of Japanese-speakers attempting to embellish a piece of clothing with a phrase in a foreign language for the sake of being stylish. Though technically an example of Engrish (as any English-speaker would make it “I Am The Boss”), attempts at English by people who only speak an Eastern language usually end with the phrase being far more mutilated than seen here.
- “I Am Boss” has almost become a staple of /a/, almost coming close to Nice Boat. Many Anonymous on /a/ often affectionately refer to Kana as “mai bossu” (a derivative of the term “mai waifu”). Kana's title as "Boss" has also led her to be compared with other characters, such as Big Boss from Metal Gear Solid.
- "I Am Boss"-shirts are currently available for purchase over the Internet.
I'd her horns
I'm the Sexiest
- A fanart image set based on DragonBall Z. The short set is a spoof on the final battle of the Namek arc, as there is no serious fighting and the characters are drawn in an impossibly gay style, somewhat similar to Yaranaika. The set is posted almost religiously on /a/, with threads always starting with the title page seen here. The title page has in turn been shopped to fit other characters, occasionally with new titles like "I'm the Negotiator" for Roger Smith from Big O. Also source of the very minor meme "You should ask Yamcha that."
Jun Watarase
Just as Planned
Kagami Sip
Kanon
Kyoto Animation
LOL GAINAX
LOL GONZO
Lucky Star
Mai Waifu
Make yourself taller
Mango
- Derogatory of "manga", or Japanese comics. Even then, weeaboos are still pronounce it wrong.
Makoto
Mod Memes (/a/)
Moon Language
- Essentially, since almost all weeaboos are a bunch of NEETs and lazy fat people who don't have the effort to even learn the language of their hobby's origin, Japanese is as alien to them as America to the rest of the world. Thus, since Japan is both on the other side of the world and has a language that is opposite in many ways to English, it has been dubbed as "moonspeak", "moon language", or general "moon". As much as 4chan has historically tried to attract the Japanese crowd and even has a Nihongo page for them, /a/ and its faggotry denounces all Japanese keyboards who dare make their way on the board, much like how the Japanese are xenophobic.
- Even though Japanese uses a pseudo-alphabetic system of writing, you cannot get by even several sentences without meeting all Japanese learners' worst nightmare, the kanji. Kanji are blocks of strokes borrowed from the Chinese a thousand or so a years ago and has since been incorporated into the Japanese language. Because of their complexity and sometimes appearing hordes at a time, /a/ has dubbed these characters as "moon runes". Also, moon runes can also be applied to the Chinese language in general, which is basically made up entirely of these runes.
- Also see its separate article Moonspeak.
MoonTube
- /a/'s nickname for Nico Douga Douga or NicoVideo, a website like YouTube only most of the shit has been replaced with much more appealing uploads like anime episodes or MADs. The website was originally created so the gaijin who also use YouTube and comment on Japanese uploaded videos would go away; not surprisingly, the presence of many /a/ssholes upset many of the Japanese viewers. Unlike YouTube, the quality of compressed NicoVideo films isn't shit, so many Anonymous prefer to watch anything uploaded to YouTube there instead. Users who registered on the website early in 2007 are allowed unlimited access to videos, but those who registered later may have bandwidth restrictions during peak hours. NicoVideo first became a widely used tool by /a/ssholes during Summer 2007, where it was the first and only place to get Gurren-Lagann episode RAWs mere hours after the show aired on television. Later, it played a prominent role in spreading the Nice Boat meme, with many Anonymous spamming the unique shout-box feature, which allows phrases to marquee across the screen. NicoVideo also hosts non-anime related material, which introduced many Anonymous to their first taste of real Japanese culture. The name "MoonTube" is a combination of the word "moonspeak" (Japanese) and "YouTube".
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Multi-Track Drifting
Narutu Sand Ninjas
- Taken from a newsreport of a horribly lulztastic death. On March 8, 2008, Codey Porter, a 10 year-old boy in Everett, Washington stuck his head into his sandbox to prove to his friends he had power over sand just like Gaara from Naruto. He stuck his head under the sand so long that he stopped breathing and was shipped to the hospital. Though Anonymous lol'd hard at how the kid had incapacitated himself under only a foot of sand, the real lulz came on the night of March 10, when it was reported that he had died in a hospital. The news report stated he got the idea from Naruto, only mispronouncing it as "Narutu Sand Ninjas." To top it all off, the clips from the show they used as examples were taken from a Linkin Park AMV. Shoops of Codey as Gaara were made, Anonymous laughed in the face of the dead and distressed, and was made worthy a Darwin Awards nomination.
- For the news report: http://youtube.com/watch?v=b49450J6MhY
Nice Boat
Nightshift
- Or better known as "Nightshift /a/". Oldfags often lament at the declining quality of /a/ as newfag summer continues to plague all of 4chan, but one day (or night rather) a very interesting discovery was made. If /a/ssholes resist the calls of sleep and continue to browse /a/ long into the morning hours, /a/'s quality improves exponentially. As if someone suddenly turned back the clock of time, the nightshift turns the /a/ of 2008 into the /a/ of 2005 - threads stay on longer, more people are Anonymous, average intelligence increases and civil discussion is possible. The theory for why /a/ is truly better at night is that newfags, most of which are underaged b& or college freshmen, are usually asleep during the morning hours. For Eurofags, nightshift /a/ is actually during their daytime, leading to views that most newfags are Britannians. Nightshift /a/ usually stars anywhere between 7:00 GMT and ends 13:00 GMT on weekdays except Friday, 9:00 GMT to 12:00 GMT on weekends except Sunday.
NOW I'VE LOST IT
- I KNOW I CAN KILL
- THE TRUTH EXISTS BEYOND THE GATES
- These ridiculous lyrics come from the first opening of DARKER THAN BLACK, a series that tries damn hard to be cool. Other borderline Engrish quips include the mumbled, "GANG BANG SON OF A GUN" as well as, "JUST HOWLING IN THE SHADOWS". "NOW I'VE LOST IT" is something of a stimulus to /a/'s hivemind, triggering Anonymous to post the entire song as well as its many variations.
Nutbladder
OH GOD SHANA IS HOT
Oh ho, why not whore ourselves?
OM NOM NOM
- Affectionate nickname for Nishizawa Ayumu of Hayate the Combat Butler. Every episode features her in at least one scene eating non-stop. Cute, demoted to a hamster, and rarely having a spotlight, she wins the hearts of Anons everywhere who wish her more screen time as well as the love of her crush (...or so they do). Nickname usually suffixed with -tan.
- This nickname has also been extended to other anime characters that eat often and have almost the same characteristics as Ayumu, including Mello of Death Note.
- It should also be noted that OM NOM NOM is also a standalone meme used for pictures that involves eating or nibbling.
One Piece
Perspective
- See also the different term PERSPECTIVE. (Note the capitalization.)
- Started in a topic where the OP posted a picture of Chun-Li's naked ass, then went on to talk about something unrelated. At the end of his post, he put something along the lines of "Also, man chest" in spoiler tags, illuminated for all to see using the ">>" code. Several Anonymous looked Chun-Li for a while, then realized that her left cheek resembled the outline of a chest, and the seperation between cheeks the countour of an arm connected to a shoulder. After numerous "bricks were shat" and "can't unsee it" comments, another picture featuring Griffith from Berserk appeared, with slightly more believable proportions (the "neck" was't as thick on this one), causing more surprise among Anonymous. From time to time, both pictures appeared and Anonymous continued to express surprise and sexual confusion.
Pimp
Pizza Hut supports the rebellion!/Pizzabutt
Promotions
Put it in
- A minor meme based on an the 4th episode of Excel Saga. The episode parodies visual novels and dating sims with its "Love Poemy" game, for which nearly every single decision has a "put it in" option in addition to the other two more reasonable options. Has mostly been replaced by Genuflect.
QUALITY
Robotech
- Previously standard answer in /a/ to newfag requests to identify an anime; more often than not when asking about a picture of Sanada-san from UFO Princess Valkyrie. Now mostly defunct, and replaced by Bible Black.
- Robotech is not actually an anime, but rather a "series" made in America by merging three completely unrelated mecha anime (Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada) with results that are generally held in poor regard by both /a/ssholes and /m/orons.
Ronery
Rozen Maiden
SaiGar
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Spinzaku
- A shop meme, spawned on 11 April 2008 after the airing of Code Geass R2 episode two. Kururugi Suzaku, well known to /a/ as a faggot with a disgusting affinity for bending the laws of physics, did a quadruple flying kick to Lelouch during their climatic standoff at the end of the first season. The move was somehow more outrageous than any of Suzaku's previous physical feats, garnering great lulz for the many /a/ssholes.
Sunrise
THIS SHIT WILL NEVER WORK
- An ironic forced meme that tried to subdue other forced memes but ended up as one itself. Usually accompanied by a crazed picture of Washizu Iwao with his "RON RON ROOOOOON!!!" face. Recently tried to subdue the rise of the non-existent anime "Ghost Slide", but is only adding fuel to the fire.
Touhou
Tsukihime
Tsundere
Tuffdawgz
Utawarerumono
...You Lost Me.
You should be able to solve this.
Yami
Yandere
Your resistance only makes my penis harder!
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series
- A series of heavily edited videos of the anime Yu-Gi-Oh! with the dialog redubbed by a sound-alike to create a derisive parody. They would not be notable if it weren't for the fact that they have spawned several popular memes, including "IN AMERICA", "Screw the rules, I have green hair/money!", and "EGYPTIAN LASER BEAMS". Most denizens of /a/ are familiar with these memes, even if they haven't seen the videos from which they originated. Much of YGO:TAS has actually been fansubbed back into Japanese, lols ensued.
Zabuza Sword Cannot Be Beat
- A line from a laughable American commercial for a pair of toys based on the manga and anime series Naruto. The "Zabuza Sword" is a huge sword wielded by Zabuza Momochi, one of the early villains of the series. Also in the commercial is a "Shuriken Shooter", inexplicably pronounced "Sharkan Shooter" by the boy portraying Sasuke Uchiha (one of the main characters of Naruto). In the commerical the Actor playing Zabuza wields the sword (Which is scaled down to 1/4 it's orignal size) and cuts through several paper targets, the Sasuka actor then throws the Shuriken Shooter throw a single target and the Zabuza actor drops the sword looking dejected. Obviously all Zabuza had to do was walk over to the kid and wring the little shit's neck to beat him.(see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFoCjM57wxs)
- Ironically, soon after the commerical aired, Zabuza's sword reappeared in a much later chapter of the manga, now wielded by a former student of Zabuza who is Sasuke's new minion (see macro to the right). This resulted in many lulz on /a/ and elsewhere on the Internets.
