here:
Moe (
萌え,
Moe? /mo'e/, pronounced "mo-eh" literally "budding", as with a plant) is a
Japanese slang word originally referring to
fetish for or
love for characters in
video games or
anime and
manga. For example, 眼鏡っ子萌え,
meganekko-moe, "glasses-girl
moe", describes a person who is attracted to fictional characters with eyeglasses. The term has come to be used as a general term for a
hobby, enthusiasm, or fetish (non-sexual)—鉄道萌え,
tetsudou-moe, "train
moe", is simply a passionate interest in trains.
"
Moe!" is also used within anime
fandom, and even in some anime itself (such as in
Ouran High School Host Club), as an
interjection referring to a character the speaker considers to be a
moekko. As with most aspects of fandom, manga and anime itself can be critical or supportive of
moe otaku depending on a specific writer's opinion.
Bishōjo anime and
moe are occasionally treated as synonymous "genres", although this usually depends on the perception of how
blatant the designed appeal of the show seems.
Both the spellings
moe and
moé are used in English.
[1] Readers of English unfamiliar with Japanese words may be inclined to confuse the standard
romanization moe with the name "
Moe" and try to pronounce it as one
syllable, [moʊ] or [məʊ]. Some writers add an accent mark in an attempt to indicate that the word should be pronounced as two
morae, "mo" and "e".
The most common features include youthfulness as a physical trait (younger age or
pigtails) or as an emotional trait (naive or innocent outlook) and some obvious sympathetic weakness the character works hard to correct (extreme clumsiness or a life-threatening disease) but never really succeeds to get rid of.
However, most artists define
moe not as a reference to a character so much as any personality that elicits a protective or loving response from the audience. For instance, being naive is very often considered as a favoured feature, but characters who have complicated and extremely deep thoughts may also be considered as
moe depending on the audience. Appearance aside, the personality of moekko can vary widely; a tomboy or a sarcastic cynic could be considered
moe given a specific audience. Some of the more popular
moekko actually have a few traits that do not traditionally fit into the label, and others have gained such a following by accident.
For example,
Kyoko Otonashi,
Yomiko Readman, and
Mizuho Kazami are in their twenties or older, yet are often technically considered
moe although they are not very young girls. In more unusual situations,
Guilty Gear's
Bridget,
Happiness!'s Jun Watarase, and
∀ Gundam's
Loran Cehack (who are all very convincing
male crossdressers) have famously been accepted by many
moe fans as they fulfill many of the typical traits found in moekko.
Due to the upraising of female otaku, such as
fujoshi, the term may also be applied to male characters as well, commonly in
shōjo reverse harem anime such as
Kyou Kara Maou and
Ouran High School Host Club, where all the hosts are
moe types; cool type, loli
shota type,
twincest or "forbidden brotherly love" type, prince type, silent protective type, etc. Shōjo
dating sims and other shōjo games like
Animamundi emphasise
moe.
Although
moe is strongly (sometimes negatively) identified with male fandom they can share characteristics of female lead characters in shoujo, especially uncertainty, cuteness, and innocence. Just as
yaoi relationships usually feature a more submissive character (
Uke) paired with a more dominant character (
seme),
moekko style girls are typically paired with
oneesama in
yuri. In addition many series have characters and themes which are remarkably similar to
Shōjo, although moe style series are initially aimed squarely at adult males due to most being on television during late broadcast hours.
Moe focusing on younger characters is often confused with or even equated with
lolicon, and
shota but for many fans there is a subtle yet distinct line that separates them. To many
moe-loyalists, the point is on supporting and watching rather than to imagine being actively involved with the character, with sexual implications being awkward or distasteful. This is sometimes explained as having a 'big brother complex' (which ironically can also have sexual connotations). More generally, many fans insist moe is
implicitly non-sexual but, like most types of manga and anime, is sexualized after the fact by other fans again.
Critics complain
moe fandom tend to embrace characters who are nonthreatening and cute, or embrace a warped interpretation of some female characters in the form of a self-created idol.
the criminal panda has spoken*
haha i havent said that in a while...