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[Hide] (763.8KB, 848x1200) Welcome to Flying Dog Is.land, a kemono imageboard!
What is (a) kemono?
The word "kemono" (jap. ケモノ — "beast/animal") refers to anthropomorphic characters in anime, both as the individual specimen and the concept as a whole. It should not be confused with kemonomimi (jap. 獣耳 — "animal ears"), which refers to mostly human characters with animal features.
So, like furries?
Yes, and no.
While the kemoner (jap. ケモナー — "kemono fan") community shares the core subject and has some similarities with its western counterpart, it came into existence and developed independently, and has significant cultural differences, most easily recognized by the art style, but going far beyond that.
Just like anime as a whole is distinctive from western animation despite both dealing in the same medium and often influencing each other, kemono community and kemono works are their own flavour of love towards anthro characters. They should not be folded into the larger furry community.
In fact, as there is already no shortage of places and communities dedicated to the western furry works*, including imageboards**, please, avoid using this website for sharing or extensively discussing non-kemono works.
Okay, but how do I even tell what is and what isn't kemono? Does it have to be Japanese?
The work being created by the Japanese author is the most definitive way to classify it as kemono. Outside extreme cases of westaboo, any Japanese depictions of anthro characters are automatically classified as kemono.
However, kemono characters don't necessarily have to be Japanese. Although Chinese and Korean "beastman" (兽人/수인) fans have more interaction with the larger furry community, and it is increasingly common to see them use the loanword "fúruì/pori" (福瑞/퍼리) to refer to anthro characters, their communities are still largely steeped in Asian culture, and have much more identity in common with kemono than western anthro.
Overall, whether a specific work can be considered kemono depends on the style and the culture expressed by the work itself, more so than the nationality of the author. A condition most Chinese and Korean artists successfully fulfil.
Last edited by badmin