Ecchi is a slang term in the Japanese language for playfully sexual actions. As an adjective, it is used with the meaning of "sexy", "dirty" or "naughty"; as a verb, ecchi suru means "to have sex", and as a noun, it is used to describe someone of lascivious behavior. It is softer than the Japanese word ero, and does not imply perversion in the way hentai does.
Censorship with artificial light rays is one common method to hide some elements in anime television series. The degree of censorship can vary widely across television stations, even among those broadcasting the series at the same time.
Hentai is a style of Japanese pornographic anime and manga. In addition to anime and manga, hentai works exist in a variety of media, including artwork and video games.
A wide variety of hentai merchandise is commonly sold in specialized stores in Japan.
A depiction of a male homosexual couple from the January 1928 edition of Hentai shiryō
The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife (1814), a well-known example of Japanese erotic art (shunga)
An example of a censored heterosexual hentai illustration