Moe

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Moe (萌え^?, /mo.e/, pronounced "mo-eh" literally "budding", as with a plant) is a Japanese slang word originally referring to a strong interest in particular types of character in video games or anime and manga. For example, 眼鏡っ娘萌え, meganekko-moe, "glasses-girl moe", describes a person who is attracted to fictional characters with eyeglasses. "Moe!" is also used within anime fandom as an interjection referring to a character the speaker considers to be a moekko. It is even used in some anime, such as Ouran High School Host Club, Ai Kora, Lucky Star, Kaichou-wa Maid-sama!, and K-ON. There are various interpretations of what moe is today. Joseph L. Dela Pena argues that moe is a pure, protective feeling towards a character^[1],

Both the spellings moe and moé are used in English.^[2] Some writers add an accent mark in an attempt to indicate that the word should be pronounced as two morae, "mo" and "e", but this usage does not conform to any standard of romanization. Compare bokeh (other non-standard romanization).

Origins

The term's origin and etymology is unknown. Anime columnist John Oppliger has outlined several popular theories describing how the term would have stemmed from the name of anime heroines (such as Hotaru Tomoe from Sailor Moon or Moe Sagisawa from the 1993 anime Kyoryu Wakusei).^[3] Psychologist Tamaki Saitō identifies it as coming from the Japanese word for "budding".^[4]

Commercial application

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With moe anthropomorphism, moe characteristics are applied to give human elements to non-human objects. The Gradius video game series features a spaceship in the name of Vic Viper. For a spin-off game, moe is applied to Vic Viper to create Otomedius.^[5] Moe characters have expanded within the Japanese media market. In 2004, the market for moe media such as printed media, video, and games was worth 88 billion yen. This is roughly one-third of the estimated 290 billion yen otaku market in Japan.^[6]

Moe contests

Japanese magazine Dengeki Moeoh runs a column called "Moeoh Rankings" which features the top 10 moe characters of the month, as determined by reader votes.^[7]

Saimoe

One such contest is the Anime Saimoe Tournament, which has been organized by members of 2channel every year since 2002.^[8] Moe characters entering within the fiscal year starting July 1 and ending June 30 the following year are eligible. Each tournament has at least 280 moe characters. They must have any of the following qualifications:^[9]

• Anime newly broadcasted in Japan on TV or internet over 5 stories or a half of the full stories in that period
• OVAs (Original Video Animations) newly released in Japan in that period
• Anime films newly screened in Japan in that period

Spin-offs of the Saimoe Tournament include RPG Saimoe, which exclusively features video game characters, and SaiGAR, a competition between the manliest men of anime; despite the participation of Takamachi Nanoha in SaiGAR 2007.^[10] In 2006 and 2007, the Saimoe Tournament became an increasingly international event; 2channel users obliged foreign otaku by putting up an English version of their rules page.^[9]

Criticism

In response to the otaku fetishization of cute female characters, Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki stated:

See also

• Figure moe zoku
• Cuteness in Japanese culture
• Moe anthropomorphism
• Moe sangyo
• Moeru Eitango Moetan
• Moe book

References

External links

Anime and Manga portal

• Towards a Cartography of Japanese Anime: Anno Hideaki's >>Evangelion<< - Through an interview dealing with Evangelion the article sheds light on the origins of the Moe phenomenon
• Superflat Cultural Critic Hiroki Azuma Describes Otaku Aesthetics
• Mondo Japan 2004: New language from OTAKU world "MOE"