I’ve done my best to tag each series as liberally as possible, to enable those with certain tastes to find shows that meet said criteria. Thus, in order to avoid confusion, this is (hopefully) an exhaustive list of the various tags I use, and the meanings behind them, so you can better find what you are looking for! I will do my best to constantly update this list as I add more tags, and to then go back and re-tag older series to keep them up-to-date with this list.
All tags are surrounded in ‘single quotes’, since apparently underlined text doesn’t work...
Possible Content Warning/”Filter” Tags
Since tumblr doesn’t yet let you filter content to not see certain tags, the following tags will be used on all shows that don’t have the specified content. For example, the tag “filter: nudity” will be present for all series that don’t feature any form of nudity, so that by searching through the tag “filter: nudity”, it will act to hide any shows that feature nudity of any sort.
Most filter tags have two versions (they aren’t necessarily worded similarly though, so check the descriptions below): one that eliminates all instances of the specified content, no matter how brief or minor (good for serious triggers/aversions), and another that only filters out major instances of the specified content, but allows for brief or minor instances to be allowed (good for content preferences/minor triggers).
In addition to these tags, each show’s overview mentions what sorts of possibly explicit content may be present and, if said content is localized to a particular episode or season, which parts to avoid if you still want to enjoy it. Otherwise, it will just be said to be featured in “multiple episodes” if there are a few well-interspersed episodes that feature it, or else “throughout” if it is present in more than half the show. However, even shows that only have single, localized instances of explicit content will still be tagged accordingly (thus, even if a 4-season show has only one 5-minute graphic sex scene, it will still not show if one filters by sex or sexual implications)
‘filter: nudity’
Filters out all shows with any amount of nudity present (i.e. displaying a character in anything less than their appropriate undergarments).
‘filter: major nudity’
Filters out all shows with full-body or graphic nudity (i.e. displaying detailed bare genitals/breasts and/or depicting one or more fully-nude bodies). Does not filter out depictions of non-graphic & partial nudity.
‘filter: sexual implications’
Filters out all shows that depict or imply any sort of lewd, sexual, or otherwise provocative behavior between one or more characters.
‘filter: sex’
Filters out all shows that depict or imply the action of sexual intercourse between one or more characters. Does not filter out depictions of lewd, suggestive, or otherwise sexually provocative behavior that don’t involve sexual intercourse.
‘filter: pda’
Filters out all shows that depict or imply non-sexual, non-suggestive forms of physical intimacy such as kissing, spooning, or other instances of PDA. Note that the content or action doesn’t necessarily have to be “public” to be tagged, the filter just happens to encompass anything that is deemed equally or less-acceptable than what is commonly referred to as “pda” or “public displays of affection”
‘filter: intimacy’
Filters out all shows that depict graphic or intense bouts of non-sexual, non-suggestive, physical intimacy such as heavy making out, or extended periods of close snuggling. Does not filter out more casual depictions of affection such as non-lip kisses, short lip-kisses, hand-holding, or brief scenes of cuddling.
‘filter: shock’
Filters out all shows that include major jump-scares, or any intense depiction of a scene with the intention to elicit shock or fear. Includes shows that may have periods where there is an abrupt or rapid back-and forth change in volume or brightness that could possibly alarm or startle the viewer.
‘filter: violence’
Filters out all shows that include frequent depictions or implications of intentional harm or violence to other living beings. Does not necessarily include shows that use minor violence for comedic effect (such as intense cheek-pinching, ear-grabbing, or head-bopping).
‘filter: gore’
Filters out all shows that include graphic depictions of blood, gore, or injury. Does not include intense violence that is implied or depicted without accompanying gore.
‘filter: incest’
Filters out any show that implies or depicts any sort of non-platonic relationship between siblings, cousins, or other family members.
‘filter: bestiality’
Filters out any show that implies or depicts suggestive actions involving any non-human and/or any human depicted as having animal-like traits.
‘shoujo ai’ (alt. ‘shojo ai’, ‘shoujo-ai’, ‘shojo-ai’)
Sort of a “yuri-light”; this subgenre generally features f/f romance without any form of sex. Characters may be younger, and thus less mature, or their relationship may just be depicted in a very PG light. Generally not nsfw.
‘ecchi’
The borderline between shoujo and straight-up hentai; this subgenre may or may not feature any romance or actual sex, but does often feature plenty of “raunchy” sexual implications. Occurrences such as panty-shots or liberal boob-physics are likely to be plentiful here, so think a PG-13/R rating that’s generally nsfw.
‘hentai’
This subgenre will usually feature actual sex or nudity between characters, and will absolutely be nsfw. There probably won’t be much that fits into this category on this blog; it will serve as more of a warning that “this show is basically just porn”, but if that’s what you’re looking for...
‘slice of life’ (alt. ‘slice-of-life’, incl. ‘drama’)
This subgenre usually entails shows that don’t have much of an overarching plotline, and instead resorts to showcasing the everyday lives of the various characters. The characters themselves and their various relationships are usually the main focus of the show, and things are generally pretty ordinary and realistic when compared to real life. ‘drama’ is similar to (and mutually inclusive with) slice-of-life, but often includes some over-arching plot (or frequent multi-episode plot-arcs at the very least) that highlight one or more inter-personal conflicts, and is usually more serious or, well, dramatic, than other typical slice of life series.
‘magical girl’
This subgenre is usually one of the cliches that people think of when they think “anime”: the protagonist (who is typically female, with a larger supporting cast of female friends), who has up until now been an ordinary schoolgirl, receives some magical powers through a twist of fate, and she (and possibly her friends) are asked to save the world from some mysterious evil. The clash between good and evil is usually the main focus of the show, and there is no limit to how crazy things can get.
‘action’ (incl. ‘action/adventure’ and ‘dark action’)
This subgenre is incredibly broad, typically defined by its large amount of action/fight sequences. ‘action/adventure’ is the cross between characters having some larger adventure in mind, and resorting to fighting as a means to arrive at their destination. ‘dark action’ is usually a cross between the apocalyptic or supernatural horror genre, and the intense, plentiful, and intricately choreographed fighting of the action genre.
‘fluff’ (alt. ‘fluffy’)
Generally refers to the “warm fuzzy feeling” that you feel when two characters are really enjoying time together. Generally involves cuddling, hand-holding, or possibly kissing, among other things, but these are not necessary for instances of fluff.
‘fanservice’
Not to be confused with any form of intimacy/the ecchi genre, fanservice is typically any instance of non-cannon or out-of-character behavior that is depicted purely for fans to gawk at the characters. The cliche “swimsuit/pool/beach” episode is an example of fanservice, as are instances of characters having sexual fantasies about other characters. Rule of thumb: if the scene exists purely for the benefit of the viewer, and not for the benefit of other characters in-universe, it’s fanservice.
‘subtext’
Describes instances where there are behaviors that could be read as gay crushes/romance/relationships/etc., but nothing is ever stated explicitly to confirm it.
‘canon relationship’ (alt. ‘canon relationships’)
Any instance of two characters being in a canon and explicitly stated romantic/sexual relationship together. The main characters themselves need not necessarily be the ones to state the nature of their relationship, but somewhere the words “dating” or “girlfriend” (among a few other possibilities) must be uttered in a serious manner to describe the relationship. The opposite of subtext.
‘crush’ (incl. ‘unrequited love’)
Includes instances where one character is explicitly stated to have romantic or otherwise not strictly platonic feelings for another character, regardless if anything comes about as a result. Crushes need not necessarily be explicitly stated to be included (i.e., just because a character doesn’t utter “I think I’m in love with Ai-chan...” doesn’t mean it won’t be tagged). ‘unrequited love’ includes instances where the object of A’s affection explicitly does not return A’s feelings, though doesn’t necessarily need to tell A about this, or even know that A has feelings for them.
‘love triangle’
Encompasses any general relationship where three or more characters have romantic feelings for each other that conflict in some way. It may be that A and B both have feelings for C, and C must choose between A and B, or that while A has feelings for B, B instead has feelings for C (and C may even have feelings for A!). These conflicting feeling-webs may be incredibly intricate, and include up to 8 different characters, but the trio is the common example.
‘miscommunication’
Any time a major conflict occurs as a result of someone misunderstanding someone else. Often amusing in comedic situations, and downright frustrating in dramatic situations. Shows abusing miscommunication for the sake of adding dramatic tension or even to drive entire dramatic plotlines is a personal pet-peeve of mine, so I’ve chosen to tag any series that do so.
‘ymmv’ (”your mileage may vary”)
Shows in which, for one reason or another, there is a good chance that my opinion of the show (either positive, negative, or neutral) may significantly differ from yours.
‘personal recommendation’
Shows that are my personal favorites, and that I would highly recommend.
‘happy ending’
Shows where the ending is happy, or at least hopeful and indicative of happiness to come. (As opposed to those bittersweet or heartbreaking endings that sometimes catch you off guard...)
