Asterisk

An asterisk (*; from Late Latin asteriscus, from Ancient Greek ἀστερίσκος, asteriskos, "little star") is a typographical symbol or glyph. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as star (as, for example, in the A* search algorithm or C*-algebra). In English, an asterisk is usually five-pointed in sans-serif typefaces, six-pointed in serif typefaces, and six- or eight-pointed when handwritten. It can be used as censorship. It is also used on the internet to correct one's spelling, in which case it appears after or before the corrected word.

The asterisk is derived from the need of the printers of family trees in feudal times for a symbol to indicate date of birth. The original shape was seven-armed, each arm like a teardrop shooting from the center.

In computer science, the asterisk is commonly used as a wildcard character, or to denote pointers, repetition, or multiplication.

Usage

Censorship

When toning down expletives, asterisks are often used to replace letters. For example, the word 'fuck' might become 'f*ck' or even '****'.

The Asterisk War

The Asterisk War: The Academy City on the Water (学戦都市アスタリスク, Gakusen Toshi Asutarisuku, lit. "Academy Battle City Asterisk"), is a Japanese light novel series written by Yuu Miyazaki and illustrated by Okiura. Media Factory has published 8 volumes since September 2012 under their MF Bunko J imprint. A manga adaptation with art by Ningen began serialization in Media Factory's seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive from January 2013. It has been collected in two tankōbon volumes. An anime television series adaptation by A-1 Pictures began airing on October 3, 2015. The first half of the anime television series adaptation airs from October to December 2015 and has been licensed by Aniplex of America in North America. The second half will begin airing in April 2016.

Plot

Rikka, also known as Asterisk, is The Academy City on the water, the world's largest stage for battles and tournaments, including the "Star Wars Festival." Amagiri Ayato, a Starpulse Generation, arrived at Rikka at the behest of the Student Council President of Seidoukan Academy, Claudia. During his time at Rikka, he incurrs the wrath of the "Petalblaze Witch" Julis, and ends up having to duel her. The greatest academy fight begins here!