Moé
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese slang
word. It means "a rarefied pseudo-love for certain fictional characters (in anime, manga, and the like) and their related embodiments." Patrick W. Galbraith notes that it is a pun derived from a Japanese word that literally means "budding," as with a plant that is about to flower, and thus it can also be used to mean "budding" as with a preadolescent girl. Since the word is also a homonym
for "burning" pronounced , there is also speculation that the word stems from the burning passion felt for the characters. The word has come to be used to mean one particular kind of "adorable", one specific type of "cute", mainly as applied to fictional characters.
The word is occasionally spelled Moé, and was originally related to a strong interest in a particular type or style of character in video games, anime
or manga
. "Moe!" is also used within anime fandom
as an interjection
. Girls who are moe are called from the honorific "娘" meaning "female child".
are 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
(Tomoe is written as 土萌, relevant kanji is the same) or Moe Sagisawa from the 1993 anime Kyoryu Wakusei. Psychologist Tamaki Saitō
identifies it as coming from the Japanese word for "budding". Ken Kitabayashi of the Nomura Research Institute
has defined moe as "being strongly attracted to one's ideals" Kitabayashi has identified the word "moe" to be a pun with the Japanese verb for "to sprout" and its homonym
"to burn" . Along the same line of thought, Kitabayashi has identified it to be a pun with the Japanese verb for "to sprout" and its homonym "to burn" , which mean "to burn" (in the sense of one's heart burning, or burning with passion). Galbraith states that the term came from 2channel
in the 1990s, discussing female characters who were "hybrids of the Lolicon
(Lolita Complex) and bishoujo (beautiful girl) genres". This describes exactly Hotaru Tomoe, and coincides with Hotaru Tomoe's height of popularity in 2channel, giving strength to the theory that the term stemmed from her name.
Comiket
organiser Ichikawa Koichi has described Lum Invader
of Urusei Yatsura
as being both the source of moe and the first tsundere
.
According to Hiroki Azuma
, as Rei Ayanami
became a more prominent character among fans, she "changed the rules" governing what people regarded as moe-inspiring. The industry has since created many characters which share her traits of pale skin, blue hair and a "quiet personality".
-moe, "glasses-girl moe", describes a person who is attracted to fictional characters with eyeglasses
The archetype moe character is used in some anime and manga, such as Miyuki Takara of Lucky Star. The term moe is often also used to describe either a character who is, or a form of media containing, moekko, therefore Lucky Star is a moe-anime for example.
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
. 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.
every year since 2002. 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:
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. 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.
also known as loli. Jason Thompson of Otaku USA
regards moe when applied to young female characters or people as being an offshoot of the lolicon phenomenon and the role of cuteness in Japanese culture
. Scott Von Schilling sees moe in this sense as being indicative of men in their thirties "longing for fatherhood".
In response to the growing otaku fetishization of cute female characters in anime and manga, Japanese animator and self-avowed feminist Hayao Miyazaki
has stated:
Enomoto Nariko, a yaoi
author and manga critic says that "male fans cannot experience moe until they have fixed their own position". Tamaki Saitō explains that a male fan's "position" is his position as a subject
, which the male fan must establish before he can desire an object
. In this view, moe characters are agents of the male fan's desire. Enomoto Nariko compares male fans to fujoshi
, who she says are primarily attracted to phases of a relationship, for example the point at which a friendly relationship becomes romantic.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
word. It means "a rarefied pseudo-love for certain fictional characters (in anime, manga, and the like) and their related embodiments." Patrick W. Galbraith notes that it is a pun derived from a Japanese word that literally means "budding," as with a plant that is about to flower, and thus it can also be used to mean "budding" as with a preadolescent girl. Since the word is also a homonym
Homonym
In linguistics, a homonym is, in the strict sense, one of a group of words that often but not necessarily share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings...
for "burning" pronounced , there is also speculation that the word stems from the burning passion felt for the characters. The word has come to be used to mean one particular kind of "adorable", one specific type of "cute", mainly as applied to fictional characters.
The word is occasionally spelled Moé, and was originally related to a strong interest in a particular type or style of character in video games, anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
or manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
. "Moe!" is also used within anime fandom
Fandom
Fandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest...
as an interjection
Interjection
In grammar, an interjection or exclamation is a word used to express an emotion or sentiment on the part of the speaker . Filled pauses such as uh, er, um are also considered interjections...
. Girls who are moe are called from the honorific "娘" meaning "female child".
Origins
The term's origin and etymologyEtymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
are 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
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
(Tomoe is written as 土萌, relevant kanji is the same) or Moe Sagisawa from the 1993 anime Kyoryu Wakusei. Psychologist Tamaki Saitō
Tamaki Saito
is a Japanese psychologist. Saitō is Director of Medical Service at Sofukai Sasaki Hospital in Funabashi, Chiba.Saitō is notable for his study of hikikomori, a term he coined; he is internationally recognized as Japan's leading hikikomori expert....
identifies it as coming from the Japanese word for "budding". Ken Kitabayashi of the Nomura Research Institute
Nomura Research Institute
Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. , often called NRI, was established in 1965, now employs about 4,700 people, and is Japan's largest Consulting and IT consulting firm....
has defined moe as "being strongly attracted to one's ideals" Kitabayashi has identified the word "moe" to be a pun with the Japanese verb for "to sprout" and its homonym
Homonym
In linguistics, a homonym is, in the strict sense, one of a group of words that often but not necessarily share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings...
"to burn" . Along the same line of thought, Kitabayashi has identified it to be a pun with the Japanese verb for "to sprout" and its homonym "to burn" , which mean "to burn" (in the sense of one's heart burning, or burning with passion). Galbraith states that the term came from 2channel
2channel
is a Japanese textboard. In 2007 there were 2.5 million posts made every day. Launched in 1999, it has gained significant influence in Japanese society, comparable to that of traditional mass media such as television, radio, and magazines. As of 2008, the site generates revenue upwards of ¥100...
in the 1990s, discussing female characters who were "hybrids of the Lolicon
Lolicon
, also romanised as lolikon or rorikon, is a Japanese portmanteau of the phrase "Lolita complex". In Japan, the term describes an attraction to underage girls or an individual with such an attraction...
(Lolita Complex) and bishoujo (beautiful girl) genres". This describes exactly Hotaru Tomoe, and coincides with Hotaru Tomoe's height of popularity in 2channel, giving strength to the theory that the term stemmed from her name.
Comiket
Comiket
, otherwise known as the , is the world's largest self-published comic book fair, held twice a year in Tokyo, Japan. The first Comiket was held on December 21, 1975, with only about 32 participating circles and an estimated 600 attendees. Attendance has since swelled to over a half million people....
organiser Ichikawa Koichi has described Lum Invader
Lum Invader
is a fictional character and the female protagonist from Rumiko Takahashi's manga and anime series Urusei Yatsura. She is often believed to be the main protagonist of the series due to her iconic status. However, Takahashi has stated that Ataru Moroboshi is the main character. She is named Lamu in...
of Urusei Yatsura
Urusei Yatsura
is a comedic manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi that premiered in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in 1978 and ran until its conclusion in 1987. Its 374 individual chapters were collected and published in 34 tankōbon volumes. The series tells the story of Ataru Moroboshi, and the alien...
as being both the source of moe and the first tsundere
Tsundere
is a Japanese character development process that describes a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time. The word is derived from the terms , meaning to turn away in disgust, and meaning to become 'lovey dovey'...
.
According to Hiroki Azuma
Hiroki Azuma
, born May 9, 1971 in Mitaka, Tokyo is a Japanese cultural critic.-Biography:He received his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo in 1999 and became a professor at the International University of Japan in 2003...
, as Rei Ayanami
Rei Ayanami
is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, a Japanese anime from Gainax. She is the First Child and pilot of the Evangelion Unit 00....
became a more prominent character among fans, she "changed the rules" governing what people regarded as moe-inspiring. The industry has since created many characters which share her traits of pale skin, blue hair and a "quiet personality".
Words for common anime-based examples of moe character types and their fans
, MeganekkoMeganekko
is a Japanese word which translates to "glasses girl"....
-moe, "glasses-girl moe", describes a person who is attracted to fictional characters with eyeglasses
- メイド萌え, Meido-moe / Shitsuji-moe, a stereotypical anime maid, butlerCosplay restaurant, are theme restaurants and pubs that originated in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan around the year 1999. They include and , where the service staff dress as elegant maids, or as butlers. Such restaurants and cafés have quickly become a staple of Japanese otaku culture. Compared with service at normal...
, or other western-themed servant - ツンデレ萌え, TsundereTsundereis a Japanese character development process that describes a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time. The word is derived from the terms , meaning to turn away in disgust, and meaning to become 'lovey dovey'...
-moe, describes a person who is attracted to fictional characters with a character personality that is tough on the outside, but actually caring - 妹萌え, Imouto-moe, "younger sister moe", describes a person who most likely has a sister complex
The archetype moe character is used in some anime and manga, such as Miyuki Takara of Lucky Star. The term moe is often also used to describe either a character who is, or a form of media containing, moekko, therefore Lucky Star is a moe-anime for example.
Moe characteristics
- large eyes (1/5 size of face)
- small nose
- flat face
- tall iris
- body 5.7 heads tall
- thin limbs
- large head
- colorful hair
- bangs over eyes
- neotenized face
- anime antenna hair called
Commercial application
With moe anthropomorphism, moe characteristics are applied to give human elements to non-human objects. The GradiusGradius
The Gradius games, first introduced in 1985, make up a series of scrolling shooter video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper...
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
Otomedius
is a side scrolling shooter by Konami which featured personification of space fighters from various Konami games. The main characters are mostly females, designed by Mine Yoshizaki, with a set of equipment resembling space fighters from side-scroller games by the same company like Gradius,...
. 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
Otaku
is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
market in Japan.
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.Saimoe
One such contest is the Anime Saimoe Tournament, which has been organized by members of 2channel2channel
is a Japanese textboard. In 2007 there were 2.5 million posts made every day. Launched in 1999, it has gained significant influence in Japanese society, comparable to that of traditional mass media such as television, radio, and magazines. As of 2008, the site generates revenue upwards of ¥100...
every year since 2002. 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:
- 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. 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.
International Saimoe League
The International Saimoe League, also known as ISML, is a worldwide online popularity moe contest.Criticism
There are various interpretations of what moe is today and in the past. Joseph L. Dela Pena argues that moe is a pure, protective feeling towards a female character, without the sexualization of loliconLolicon
, also romanised as lolikon or rorikon, is a Japanese portmanteau of the phrase "Lolita complex". In Japan, the term describes an attraction to underage girls or an individual with such an attraction...
also known as loli. Jason Thompson of Otaku USA
Otaku USA
Otaku USA is a bimonthly magazine, published by Sovereign Media, which covers various elements of the "otaku" lifestyle from an American perspective...
regards moe when applied to young female characters or people as being an offshoot of the lolicon phenomenon and the role of cuteness in Japanese culture
Cuteness in Japanese culture
Since the 1970s, cuteness, in Japanese the noun , has become a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture, entertainment, clothing, food, toys, personal appearance, behavior, and mannerisms...
. Scott Von Schilling sees moe in this sense as being indicative of men in their thirties "longing for fatherhood".
In response to the growing otaku fetishization of cute female characters in anime and manga, Japanese animator and self-avowed feminist Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
has stated:
Enomoto Nariko, a yaoi
Yaoi
In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, . The English equivalent is . also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by...
author and manga critic says that "male fans cannot experience moe until they have fixed their own position". Tamaki Saitō explains that a male fan's "position" is his position as a subject
Subject (philosophy)
In philosophy, a subject is a being that has subjective experiences, subjective consciousness or a relationship with another entity . A subject is an observer and an object is a thing observed...
, which the male fan must establish before he can desire an object
Object (philosophy)
An object in philosophy is a technical term often used in contrast to the term subject. Consciousness is a state of cognition that includes the subject, which can never be doubted as only it can be the one who doubts, and some object or objects that may or may not have real existence without...
. In this view, moe characters are agents of the male fan's desire. Enomoto Nariko compares male fans to fujoshi
Fujoshi
Yaoi fandom refers to readers of yaoi , a genre of male-male romance narratives aimed at a female audience, and more specifically those who participate in communal activities organized around yaoi, such as attending conventions, maintaining or posting to fansites, creating fanfiction or fanart,...
, who she says are primarily attracted to phases of a relationship, for example the point at which a friendly relationship becomes romantic.
See also
- Figure moe zokuFigure moe zokuis a Japanese term which refers to "Otaku who collect figurines". Japanese journalist Akihiro Ōtani claimed that this group was composed of potential criminals. Originally, the term wasn't related to lolicon, but instead to agalmatophilia, since the figurines were not alive.-Summary:In Japan, the...
- Moe anthropomorphismMoé anthropomorphismis a form of anthropomorphism where moe qualities are given to non-human beings, objects, concepts, or phenomena. In addition to moe features, moe anthropomorphisms are also characterized by their accessories, which serve to emphasize their original forms before anthropomorphosis...
- Moe sangyoMoe sangyoliterally means "budding business," and refers to the current boom in entertainment industries relating to otaku- primarily anime, manga, and video games. The word "moe" literally means "budding" or "sprouting," but has come in otaku culture to refer to a crush, fetish, or infatuation with a...
- Moeru Eitango MoetanMoeru Eitango Moetanis a series of English language study aid published by SansaiBooks in Japan. Targeted at otaku, it attempted to teach English words using examples drawn from computer games and anime....
- Mugen PuchipuchiMugen PuchipuchiMugen Puchipuchi is a Japanese virtual bubble wrap keychain toy by Bandai . “Mugen” means “infinite” in Japanese while “puchipuchi” means “bubble wrap” and also refers to the sound of the bubbles being popped. The toy is designed to mimic the sensation of popping bubble wrap for infinite number of...
- Moe bookMoe bookA moe book is a type of instructional book using bishōjo characters for tutorial purposes, with some illustrated in comic book format.A close American counterpart would be the M16 issued during Vietnam War.-History:...
- OtakuOtakuis a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
External links
- Towards a Cartography of Japanese Anime: Anno Hideaki's >>Evangelion<< - Through an interview with Hiroki AzumaHiroki Azuma, born May 9, 1971 in Mitaka, Tokyo is a Japanese cultural critic.-Biography:He received his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo in 1999 and became a professor at the International University of Japan in 2003...
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"
- New York Times article on Moe phenomenon