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Moe (slang)
Moe (Japanese: 萌え; pronounced [mo.e] ⓘ), sometimes romanized as moè, is a Japanese word that refers to feelings of strong affection mainly towards characters in manga, anime, video games, and other media directed at the otaku market. Moe has also gained usage for feelings of affection towards any subject.
Moe is related to neoteny and the feeling of "cuteness" a character can evoke. The word moe originated in the late 1980s and early 1990s in Japan and is of uncertain origin, although there are several theories on how it came into use. Moe characters have expanded through Japanese media, and the concept has been commercialised. Contests, both online and in the real world, exist for moe-styled things, including one run by one of the Japanese game rating boards. Various notable commentators such as Tamaki Saitō, Hiroki Azuma, and Kazuya Tsurumaki have also given their take on moe and its meaning.
Moe used in slang refers to feelings of affection, adoration, devotion, and excitement felt towards characters that appear in manga, anime, video games, and other media (usually Japanese). Characters that elicit feelings of moe are called "moe characters". The word has also evolved to be used regarding all kinds of topics. Included in the meaning of the word is the idea that "deep feelings felt towards a particular subject" is used in cases where a simple "like" is not enough to express the feeling. The common feature in all feelings of moe is that the subject of such feelings is something that one cannot possibly have a real relationship with, like a fictional character, a pop idol, or an inorganic substance. It can be considered a kind of "pseudo-romance", but it is not always seen to be the same as "romance".
The term's origin and etymology 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 Kyōryū Wakusei. The term first became popular in 1993-94 among users of Japanese bulletin board systems.
Psychologist Tamaki Saitō identifies it as coming from the Japanese word for "budding", moeru (萌える). 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 godan and ichidan verbs for 'to sprout', moyasu (萌やす)/ moeru (萌える), and their homophone 'to burn' (in the sense of one's heart burning, or burning with passion), moyasu (燃やす)/ moeru (燃える).
Anthropologist Patrick Galbraith cites Morikawa Kaichirō, who argues that the term came from internet message boards such as NIFTY-Serve and Tokyo BBS in the 1990s, from fans discussing bishõjo (beautiful girl) characters. Galbraith argues that moe has its roots in the development of bishõjo characters in Japanese subcultures in the 1970s and 80s. This was exemplified in the lolicon boom of the 1980s, a "fertile ground" for the "budding desire for fictional characters".
Comiket organiser Ichikawa Koichi has described Lum from Urusei Yatsura as being both the source of moe and the first tsundere. The character of Clarisse from Hayao Miyazaki's The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) has also been cited as a potential ancestral example, with Lupin acting like an older brother to Clarisse and taunting Count Cagliostro for marrying someone half his age. According to culture critic Hiroki Azuma, as Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion 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 characters have expanded within the Japanese media market. In 2003, the market for moe media such as printed media, video, and games was worth 88 billion yen; roughly one-third of the estimated 290 billion yen otaku market in Japan. In 2009, Brad Rice, editor-in-chief of Japanator, said that "moe has literally become an economic force" saying that more products use some element of moe in order to sell better. Rice also goes on to say that moe is used to get anime and manga works out to "hardcore fans who buy excessive amounts of items related to the character of their desire."
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Moe (slang) AI simulator
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Moe (slang)
Moe (Japanese: 萌え; pronounced [mo.e] ⓘ), sometimes romanized as moè, is a Japanese word that refers to feelings of strong affection mainly towards characters in manga, anime, video games, and other media directed at the otaku market. Moe has also gained usage for feelings of affection towards any subject.
Moe is related to neoteny and the feeling of "cuteness" a character can evoke. The word moe originated in the late 1980s and early 1990s in Japan and is of uncertain origin, although there are several theories on how it came into use. Moe characters have expanded through Japanese media, and the concept has been commercialised. Contests, both online and in the real world, exist for moe-styled things, including one run by one of the Japanese game rating boards. Various notable commentators such as Tamaki Saitō, Hiroki Azuma, and Kazuya Tsurumaki have also given their take on moe and its meaning.
Moe used in slang refers to feelings of affection, adoration, devotion, and excitement felt towards characters that appear in manga, anime, video games, and other media (usually Japanese). Characters that elicit feelings of moe are called "moe characters". The word has also evolved to be used regarding all kinds of topics. Included in the meaning of the word is the idea that "deep feelings felt towards a particular subject" is used in cases where a simple "like" is not enough to express the feeling. The common feature in all feelings of moe is that the subject of such feelings is something that one cannot possibly have a real relationship with, like a fictional character, a pop idol, or an inorganic substance. It can be considered a kind of "pseudo-romance", but it is not always seen to be the same as "romance".
The term's origin and etymology 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 Kyōryū Wakusei. The term first became popular in 1993-94 among users of Japanese bulletin board systems.
Psychologist Tamaki Saitō identifies it as coming from the Japanese word for "budding", moeru (萌える). 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 godan and ichidan verbs for 'to sprout', moyasu (萌やす)/ moeru (萌える), and their homophone 'to burn' (in the sense of one's heart burning, or burning with passion), moyasu (燃やす)/ moeru (燃える).
Anthropologist Patrick Galbraith cites Morikawa Kaichirō, who argues that the term came from internet message boards such as NIFTY-Serve and Tokyo BBS in the 1990s, from fans discussing bishõjo (beautiful girl) characters. Galbraith argues that moe has its roots in the development of bishõjo characters in Japanese subcultures in the 1970s and 80s. This was exemplified in the lolicon boom of the 1980s, a "fertile ground" for the "budding desire for fictional characters".
Comiket organiser Ichikawa Koichi has described Lum from Urusei Yatsura as being both the source of moe and the first tsundere. The character of Clarisse from Hayao Miyazaki's The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) has also been cited as a potential ancestral example, with Lupin acting like an older brother to Clarisse and taunting Count Cagliostro for marrying someone half his age. According to culture critic Hiroki Azuma, as Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion 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 characters have expanded within the Japanese media market. In 2003, the market for moe media such as printed media, video, and games was worth 88 billion yen; roughly one-third of the estimated 290 billion yen otaku market in Japan. In 2009, Brad Rice, editor-in-chief of Japanator, said that "moe has literally become an economic force" saying that more products use some element of moe in order to sell better. Rice also goes on to say that moe is used to get anime and manga works out to "hardcore fans who buy excessive amounts of items related to the character of their desire."