Top 25 Moeblobs You’re Crazy About

@ Actar

Well stated on both fronts.

The problem with moe is not moe, it's language. For example, people these days may ask for 'Kleenex' when they want tissue paper, because Kleenex is the brand most identified with from our generations. That may even be perpetuated down generations. But the point is that many people may not even know the term tissue paper. They don't even think that when they ask for a Kleenex, they're actually asking for any brand of tissue paper with which to blow their nose.

That is the same issue with Moe. It's become an unconscious term for unconscious people. Even the words you used 'it's impossible to escape moe' will strike those unconscious of their connotative understanding of the word as a threat, as if Moe is a threat to their beloved stories and characters. In reality all well-rounded characters have a moe trait by the very definition of the word. At some point, a character will do something that elicits a variation of the feeling you described. Male or female. I'd say even Alucard and characters like him could technically be described as having a moe trait :D

The term just suffered the consequences of overuse and misuse. When something is just used so much, nobody knows or cares what it means anymore. Like Saved By The Bell, Dead Ringer, and all sorts of other phrases that nobody cares to question its origins, they just use it in whatever context they understood it to be when they first heard it.

If I happen to be unconscious for a moment when I hear something about a show or manga, I may unconsciously adopt at least a portion of that person's beliefs on it rather than form my own perceptions from scratch. It's ironic that since I started ignoring reviews and such, I'm rarely ever disappointed by anything, because I take it on its own merit.

*Special note from previous discussion... Nana fits within that 'rarely' :) That one buried itself for me without the help of outside influence.

You do have a point, but while you can definitely wear out traditional 'moe factors', you can't wear out 'moe' itself, which has arguably been present since after Evangelion aired and the Sarin Gas Attack.

Previously, it was all about 'narrative consumption'. After Japan lost the war, the emperor was no longer thought to be as divine as he originally was and the 'grand narrative' was lost. It is argued that many turned to Anime to seek an alternate 'grand narrative', hence the popularity of Gundam and Space Battle Ship Yamato as these shows have their own vast universes and stories. At that time, doujins were mainly about people creating their own stories and plot lines with characters from the shows.

However, with the onset of Postmodernism (a concept whereby it has become more about the individual than the group/society), it has become more about the individual characters and 'moe factors', things that provide instances of stimulation. The 'moe factors' are drawn from a database of all the 'moe factors', such as Cat Ears, Glasses, Tsundere, Twin-Tail, Maid and hence the term 'Database Consumption'. Doujins reflect this change as there are far more doujins with erotic content nowadays and doujins revolving around single characters as opposed to the creation of new stories.

This being the case, any number of character traits can be seen as 'moe' and as I said earlier, 'moe' is more of a concept than an actual trait. It's a feeling of stimulation.

You mentioned Tsundere, which ironically is something that people found 'moe'.

So, while the popular 'moe factors' might change, 'moe' is here to stay for a long time unless something causes a great change in the mindset of people.

(For more about the 'Database Consumption' and research into 'moe', I highly recommend checking out the works of scholars such as Hiroki Azuma. It's a really enlightening read.)