 | This entry introduces the meaning and usage of the term "Lifan". For the history and current status of Lifan, please see "Adult Animation”. |
|---|
| “ | Watch Omoteban for fanservice, Roufan for details, and Lifan for the plot. | ” |
(Japanese)
Hentaiis a term used in otaku slang for a specific type of animated program, as opposed to "SFW Anime".
AtArea 11andChina, the term "Lifan" has different interpretations among otakus in Area 11 and the Chinese-speaking world.
Lifan in Chinese
In the ChineseACGcircle, the term "Lifan" is a completely different concept from the Japanese "裏番". The "Lifan" referred to in the Chinese-speaking world does not come from the Japanese word "裏番", nor is it a misunderstanding of "裏番" produced, but rather by the Chinese ACG otaku circle themselvescoininga word that happens to clash with the word "裏番" in Japanese.
In fact, some Chinese otaku who first encountered the coined term "Lifan" and use it constantly have no idea that the word "裏番" exists in Japanese.
The coining of the term "Lifan", although unrelated to the word "裏番", the character "Li" (里) itself originates from the meaning of the word "裏" in Japanese, which means "backside, behind, hidden, dark, or out of the light." The term "Lifan" thus means "anime that is unsuitable for public broadcast due to erotica or sensitive content." In China, especially in the ACG field, it is used as a synonym for "erotica" or "suggestive" anime.
"Lifan" is used in Chinese to refer to18+ adult eroticaAdult AnimationOVA. Its forms are mainly divided into original works and manga adaptations,Galgameadaptations, etc. However, most Lifan are adapted from galgames or adult manga; the number of original works is small, and in recent years, there has been a trend of increasing adaptations from novels.
Note that Lifan is different fromEcchi anime, the latter is at most still "SFW Anime", they are at most still 'mainstream anime', just with a lot of fanservice and pushing the boundaries (although the difference between some ecchi anime and hentai is only a hair's breadth), while hentai features genitals and explicit H-scenes."
"Riban" in Japanese
In Japanese, "
This term was originally a professional term in the Japanese television industry. It originally referred to programs on other stations that were broadcast at the same time and location as the programs on one's own television or radio station. Starting with "コント55号の裏番组をぶっとばせ!", it became well-known to the Japanese public."
The relative concept of "Riban" is "Omoteban". "
The so-called "Omote" and "Ura" are both relative concepts. Generally, the standard used to define "Omote" and "Ura" depends largely on the popularity of the program, but it is not absolute. From a television station's perspective, its own program is naturally the "Omoteban," while programs on other stations at the same time slot are "Riban." From the public's perspective, programs with high ratings and popularity are "Omoteban," and other programs broadcast at the same time are "Riban." From an individual's perspective, one's favorite program is the "Omoteban," while other programs broadcast at the same time are "Riban."
Simply put, "Riban" is the less popular of two programs broadcast simultaneously; conversely, "Omoteban" is the more popular one.