FAN TERMS GLOSSARY
(some original, some borrowed)
Afternoon Glow - Appleism, extreme yellow and orange filters applied to scenes to suggest afternoon/evening softness. Usually turns out unnatural looking. Used pretty exclusively by J-dramas.
BGM - background music. I might call it score if I'm feeling filmy.
BOA Cycle - Appleism, short for Bar-Office-Apartment, which sums up the interior locations of most J, K, and T-dramas. Each has variants, i.e., Bar can be restaurant/café,/tent-by-the-side-of-the-road, basically any food/drink hangout where characters repeatedly go unwind. Office can be a school, hotel, resort, whatever occupation the characters have. Apartments can be houses, dorms, etc. BOA Cycle gets boring very easily, as characters will keep having the same conversations in the same locations.
Cardboard - a character written into the script solely for the sake of complication. Has little to no morals or conscience.
Fanservice - plot elements with no development or significance. Included only to please/amuse fans.
the Gaze - popularized by Nancy Reagan, a look of absolute love, adoration, and affection between the hero and heroine. Actors and actresses able to do it, I call Gazers.
Jump the Shark (JTS) - "the point in a TV show where the plot veers off into ridiculous story lines or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations, undergoing too many changes to retain the original appeal of the series."
KE - Kitagawa Eriko, one of my favorite J-writers. I watch so many of her dramas, it's now become necessary to use an abbreviation for her.
Moving - JTS category, a character moves for no logical or necessary reason.
"Sekachu" - short for "Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu." Because who wants to write that every time?
Stock Character - a handy, generic personality that you've seen a million times. Not always Cardboard, can be expanded and developed.
Sunlight Spill - Appleism, any shot that showcases sun rays coming through windows, doors, etc. My favorite kind of natural lighting.
They Did It - JTS category, characters sleep together with little to no explanation.
Time Jump - Appleism, insanely popular form of JTS where anywhere from mid to late series, the plot jumps a few years into the future. Usually disrupts flow and suspension of disbelief.
Vanilla - mediocre. Only mildly satisfying and nothing to write home about.