Chibi is Japanese for "small child" or "short person." Also called super deformed (SD), chibi is an anime style characterized by small body proportions and a large head. Chibi characters have a 1-to-2 head-to-body ratio, meaning their heads are wider than their shoulders and proportionately equal to, or slightly larger than, their bodies. Chibis express outlandish motions and express emotions that normal-sized human characters do not; for example, when chibis are excited in love, they have wavy limbs and a heart beating outside their chests.
Shoujo, or shonen, is often referred to as girls anime, because its drawing style and stories often reflect what girls are interested in, such as animals, romance and magic. Examples include "Tokyo Mew Mew" and "Cardcaptor Sakura." Shoujo, which also goes by the name shojo, often features girls under the age of 20 as the protagonists. Many of the colors in Shoujo manga are pastels or shades of blue, pink, purple and green. Shoujo anime generally has more realistic details such as eyes that are not as large and proportionate limbs.
Mecha anime focuses on what the name implies: mechanics. Mecha anime features robots, machinery and science fiction, as well as large-scale battle scenes, as shown in the "Gundam" series. In Real Robot mecha anime, robots are useful tools powered by humans, whereas Super Robot mecha anime often features larger-than-life robots as monsters with minds of their own. The drawing style usually involves sharp angles and dark colors to create a science-fiction world. Characters have a more realistic look.
Gekiga, or "dramatic pictures," is known as the dark drawing style of the anime world. Gekiga is often bloody in its portrayal of the everyday lives of ninjas and assassins. The drawing style is realistic, deviating from the traditional large-eyed style of anime drawing. Gekiga anime portrays graphic images of death and assaults and often push the envelope of what is acceptable in anime and manga. One of the most well-known Gekiga animes is "Children's Island" by Yoshihiro Tatsumi.
Hentai, or Ero, anime is an anime style that features nudity and sex-oriented scenes. Hentai is marketed toward individuals who are 18 and older because of how graphic they can get. Bloody-nosed males and nude females are the focus, and many of the stories explore virginity, intercourse exploration and even rape. Less graphic anime uses bright colors and softer body features, but violence-based Hentai uses darker hues and angular body types.
Bishounen, or "pretty boy," anime features stylish men as the protagonists. Men in Bishounen anime have long hair, trendy clothes and feminine facial features along with a slight build. The Bishounen genre of anime, like Shoujo anime, appeals to a female audience, because the men are emotional and can relate to feminine emotions. The characters in Bishounen anime are often sensual but do not cross the line to sexual. Characters in Bishounen anime are long and lean, and pastel colors create a dreamy, female-oriented world. Bishounen anime also has a division known as Yaoi, or boy-love, which features male-oriented romances.
Anthromorphic anime is an anime style that features animals with human characteristics, as shown in "Wolf's Rain" and even Disney movies such as "Robin Hood" and "Jungle Book." Anthro anime either has animals acting as humans or humans with animal characteristics like "Inuyasha," whose main character is part dog. Foxes, wolves, dogs, cats and rabbits are the main animals in anthro anime.