Ecchi
Ecchi (エッチ), also romanized as etchi, is an often used euphemism in Japanese language for erotic fantasy and sexual innuendoes. As an adjective it is used with the meaning of "dirty", "naughty", "frivolous"; as a verb (ecchi suru), with the meaning to do something dirty, naughty, frivolous or to sleep together; or as a noun, to describe someone that is seen as ecchi. It's a synonym for ero (from Eros) and does not have such a harsh meaning as hentai.
Outside of Japan it also describes certain types of manga and anime which are seen as softer variants of hentai (Japanese pornography).[1][dubious – discuss] It actually does not show any sexual intercourse or primary sexual characteristics, but have many sexual themes or undertones − usually found in comedic Shōnen/Seinen manga and harem anime.[2][3]
Etymology
The purported origin of the Japanese word is the Latin alphabet letter "H".[4] The most common theory states that it derives from the first character of the word hentai (変態),[5] and indeed the two words have similar meanings.
Japanese usage
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The origin of the term ecchi is uncertain. Ecchi in Japanese is attached to the Japanese pronunciation of the Roman letter "H" which is the first letter in the Japanese word "Hentai", which may be backronym.
The word sekkusu is also used in Japan for sex, and Japanese native words for sex (such as 性交 seikō) are often replaced by words of foreign origin such as sekkusu or neologisms such as ecchi. The nuance of ecchi varies with context, but in general the word itself is comparable to the English words "naughty" or "dirty" (when used as an adjective). The prefix "H-" is sometimes used to refer to pornographic genres: H-anime, H-manga, etc.
In manga and anime
While in Japanese the term can refer to anything perverted, it is also used to describe somewhat gentler hentai or erotic content, which usually is seen as rampant fan service in manga and anime.[6] In comparison to hentai which "is anime erotica" and was adapted "among coy fans and distributors who preferred to use a foreign term for their pornography" in the west, the abbreviation ecchi is seen as softer in meaning than the full term. Calling a Japanese boy "H" might be flirtatious, as opposed to the more insulting "hentai."[7]
[...] Bezeichnet erotische Darstellungen. Im Vergleich zu Hentai weniger explizit.
[...] [Ecchi] refers to erotic depictions. In comparison to hentai, it is less explicit.— Sebastian Keller, Der Manga und seine Szene in Deutschland von den Anfängen in den 1980er Jahren bis zur Gegenwart: Manga- mehr als nur große Augen[1]
Ecchi is meant to be a milder version of hentai and features anime anatomy but avoids explicit content by barely hiding the critical spots.[8] Usually it is used in works that have a focus on comedy and is often described as its own genre, depicting the typical elements.[2][3]
References
- ^ a b Sebastian Keller: Der Manga und seine Szene in Deutschland von den Anfängen in den 1980er Jahren bis zur Gegenwart: Manga- mehr als nur große Augen, GRIN Verlag, 2008, ISBN 9783638940290, p. 127
- ^ a b Robin E. Brenner: Understanding manga and anime. Libraries Unlimited, 2007, ISBN 978-1-59158-332-5, p. 89.
- ^ a b Ask John: Why Do Americans Hate Harem Anime?. animenation.net. May 20. 2005. Note: fan service and ecchi are often considered the same in wording
- ^ Cunningham, Phillip J. (1995). Zakennayo!. Penguin Group. p. 30.
- ^ "エッチ" (in Japanese). 語源由来辞典.
- ^ Robin E. Brenner: Understanding Manga and Anime. Libraries Unlimited, 2007, ISBN 1591583322, p. 295
- ^ Jonathan Clements, Helen McCarthy: The anime encyclopedia: a guide to Japanese animation since 1917, Edition 2, Stone Bridge Press, 2006, University of California, ISBN 1933330104, p. 30
- ^ TV Tropes – Ecchi, December 3, 2010[unreliable source?]