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I keep hearing the terms Type A viewers and Type B viewers in discussions and chat.

What do they mean? What is a Type A viewer and what is a Type B?

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    I'll also note that there is a bit of a connotation for being labeled a Type B fan.
    – Mysticial
    Feb 1, 2013 at 16:57
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    Never heard of such term. Can you specify where you heard about it? I.e. I'm pretty sure in Italy it's not commonly used (yet).
    – chirale
    Jun 3, 2013 at 9:27
  • @chirale: I heard it a lot in Anime & Manga Chat, as well as English speaking anime related forums.
    – Madara's Ghost
    Jun 3, 2013 at 15:18

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These terms are used a bit inconsistently, but what I'm answering here should be fairly uniform across a lot of the English-speaking community. I can't tell where the terms originated, but it might be an analogy to blood types, which are important in Japanese culture. It could also be a reference to Type A and B personality theory.

Type A

Type A fans are mostly interested in story. They choose anime because they think the story is interesting and the environment is immersive. The characters exist to drive the story, but their own characteristics are less important than the story. Many don't like the trend towards moe anime over the past decade (see What does 'moe' mean?). They tend to be fans of genres like action, mystery, and drama. They often watch longer or older shows.

Shows that might appeal to Type A fans include Monster, Serial Experiments Lain, Eden of the East, and Fullmetal Alchemist.

Type B

Type B fans are mostly interested in the characters. They view the story as a way to explore the lives of the characters, rather than interesting in-and-of itself, and it can become a distraction if it is too complicated. Moe anime are primarily targeted at this group of viewers. They tend to be fans of genres like comedy and slice-of-life, and tend to watch shorter and more recent shows.

Shows that might appeal to Type B fans include K-On, Highschool of the Dead, Strike Witches, and A Certain Magical Index.

There are some major omissions from this categorization, and it's hard to say that anyone is actually one or the other type. Even most people who self-identify as one or the other type will still watch and enjoy a good show that doesn't match their type.

It's also worth noting that some people like to add the criterion of fanservice, and say that Type B fans like shows with more fanservice. I am not doing so here because this is often disputed by type B fans themselves.

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    Apparently this originated from a thread on 2ch (I haven't been able to find the orginal thread), but it was notably popularized by Sankaku Complex.
    – кяαzєя ♦
    Feb 1, 2013 at 17:43
  • In which category would you put the Twelve Kingdoms anime?
    – StackedCrooked
    Feb 4, 2013 at 13:43
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    @StackedCrooked I don't think every anime falls into one or the other, and I haven't watched Twelve Kingdoms so I can't say for certain. Based on the summary it looks like the sort of thing a type A fan would like, but I really don't know. Ultimately, I don't think it's terribly useful to try to describe individual series as one or the other category, because most anime really don't fall in only one or the other category.
    – Logan M
    Feb 4, 2013 at 16:34
  • This is really good categorizing. Type B sounds like character moe(kyara-moe). @StackedCrooked I love Twelve kindoms's story(Type A) and Syusyou is my waifu(Type B).
    – kumagoro
    Aug 24, 2014 at 23:21

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