About Licensed Terms

Finding the appropriate version of the licensed term that should be used in the synopsis can be confusing, especially considering each and every entry faces different circumstances. This section provides guidance in assessing licensed terms and when to use them. A flowchart is provided for easier reference; it is recommended that you read through this section and the Special Cases section first to effectively utilize it.

Special Cases

How should I determine the licensed term?

In order of preference:

Anime

• Check the Licensors field under the entry's Information section. This is your key to knowing which licensor's site to look at.

• Take a look at DVD/Blu-ray synopses or summaries on reputable online retail stores, preferably the licensor's site or Amazon. If previews of the DVD/Blu-ray are available, it is better to directly see the synopsis or summary on the back of the case. Make sure to confirm in the images that the DVD/Blu-ray is published by the stated licensor.

• Check legal streaming sites such as HIDIVE, Funimation, Crunchyroll, etc.

• Use the information already provided on MAL. While it can be assumed that it has been reviewed by database moderators, it is a good practice to verify this information yourself.

• Use English official websites, if available. Encyclopedic websites such as AnimeNewsNetwork (ANN) and English/Japanese Wikipedia are also good places to consult, but make sure to cross-check their information and verify they have references.

Manga

• If background information is available, check it to see if the entry is licensed. This is your key to knowing which licensor's site to look at. Otherwise, try to do some research yourself to know whether the entry has been licensed or not. If you decide to add background information, the sources you reference will be just as important to verify the terms, so be sure to include them.

• Take a look at manga synopses or summaries on reputable online retail stores, preferably the licensor's site or Amazon.

• Check legal reading platforms such as Crunchyroll, MangaBox, VIZ Jump, etc.

• Use the information already provided on MAL. While it can be assumed that it has been reviewed by database moderators, it is a good practice to verify this information yourself.

• Use English official websites, if available. Encyclopedic websites such as AnimeNewsNetwork (ANN) and English/Japanese Wikipedia are also good places to consult, but make sure to cross-check their information and verify they have references.

For both anime and manga, it is possible that the licensor may be inconsistent with their terminology usage. Be mindful of these discrepancies when doing research.

When to use the licensed term?

• Character titles, including nicknames

  • Use Loser Tsuna not Dame-Tsuna. (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)

• Original terms from the series

  • Use Mystic Eyes of Death Perception not Chokushi no Magan/Mystic Eyes of Direct Death. (Kara no Kyoukai Movie 1: Fukan Fuukei)

• Names of places

  • Use Starlight Academy not Starlight Gakuen. (Aikatsu!)

• Names of clubs, groups, and organizations

  • Use Team Rocket not Rocket-dan. (Pokemon)

When should I not use the licensed term?

Aside from the aforementioned aspects, character names should always be spelled based on the MAL character database. For example, in Dragon Ball, Kuririn is used and not Krillin. Why?

If the character you are writing about does not have their own database entry, translate the character's name yourself by using official sites, Japanese Wikipedia, or manga raw scans and follow MAL's romanization guidelines. For more details, consult the Name and Conventions section of the Style Guide.

Style Guide

Please note there are no romanization guidelines for Korean and Chinese. As such, Korean and Chinese character names that are not in the database should be determined based on the licensed translations of the entry. If the entry is not licensed, follow the suggestions in Case #3 from the Special Cases section.

Special Cases

If a published Rewrite synopsis in a related entry uses a term different from the licensed term, do I use that term in my synopsis?

First, evaluate if using that version of the term is valid by verifying whether the term is from the original release or the most recent/current licensor's translation. If it does not fall under either case, use the licensed term in your synopsis and report the inconsistency of the published Rewrite synopsis in the anime-fixes or manga-fixes channel in the MAL Rewrite Discord server. If you are not a member of our Discord server, then you may notify Red-Comet.