Moe or Moé (萌え pronounced mo-EH) is a Japanese slang word originally referring to a sometimes fetishistic feeling of affection for or sexual attraction to female characters in video games, Japanese anime and manga -- either individually or as a group. For example, 眼鏡っ娘萌え, meganekko-moe, "glasses-girl moé", describes a person who has a thing for (fictional) girls with glasses.

Since then, the term has come to be used as a general term for "hobby" or "mania" or "fetish"; 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, as an interjection or exclamation referring to a character the speaker considers moé, somewhat like a male version of the fangirl "Squee!" "Moe-anime" is slang for of anime in which (usually clueless and weedy) male characters feel moe towards female characters. This is not a true genre, although it is often identified with bishoujo anime, especially harem anime.

"Moé" directed at younger characters is often confused or even equalised with borderline lolicon but for many fans there is a subtle yet distinct line that separate them. To many moé-loyalists, the point is on supporting and watching rather than to imagine being actively involved with the character; some find hentai of such characters quite distasteful. Their position is like that of an protective elder brother to a younger sister, another common complex which can have sexual or nonsexual connotations.

A girl with 'moé' characteristics often fufills the uke equivalent in yuri. (See Also: Bishoujo)

Origins

The term's origin is not known. Some say it stems from a name of an anime heroine. Others believe that it was a wordplay of "moéru" (燃える), literally meaning "to burn", but figuratively interpreted "to burn with passion". (I.e., "to be madly in love".)

The popularity of the concept started with Hayao Miyazaki's Clarisse from his film Castle of Cagliostro in the late 1970s. She was the first female character to be parodied in doujinshi which later became a common practice for later female idols. The concept kept growing and reached its current form with the recent wave of heavy fanservice shows currently in the anime market. These shows are often called Moé shows.

Criticism

Miyazaki who is a feminist is completely opposed to the often submissive qualities that these idols are portrayed with. His idea of having female protagonists who were cute were also portrayed as very strong and resourceful as a response to the more traditional gender roles that are assigned to women in Japan. The otaku on the other hand tended to assign a more traditional role often as a means to easier achieve their wish fulfillment fantasies. In response to the otaku fetishization of cute female characters Miyazaki stated:

"It's difficult. They immediately become the subjects of rorikon gokko (play toy for Lolita Complex guys). In a sense, if we want to depict someone who is affirmative to us, we have no choice but to make them as lovely as possible. But now, there are too many people who shamelessly depict (such heroines) as if they just want (such girls) as pets, and things are escalating more and more." (1)

The difference between the otaku view on cute females and Miyazaki's ideal (which was used as a basis for the otaku ideal) is a subject for some superflat artists most notably Cannabis' (aka Tastuyuki Tanaka ) "Linda^3" series in Cannabis Works, or according to some theories much of the imagery deconstructing the moé fetish (with Ayanami Rei being the idol in this work) in Hideaki Anno's film End of Evangelion.

External links

• Ask John: "What is Moé?"
• Hayao Miyazaki on Heroines
• Towards a Catography of Japanese Anime: Anno Hideaki's >>Evangelion<< -Though an interview dealing with evangelion the article sheds light on the origins of the Moé phenomonon
• Superflat Cultural Critic Hiroki Azuma Describes Otaku Aesthetics