Forum - View topic

ANNCast - Ar-moe-geddon

F*** It, can I really ask you all question that is bothering the hell out of me??? When did the term moe replace "cute & innocent" for character traits??

Cecilthedarkknight_234 wrote:

F*** It, can I really ask you all question that is bothering the hell out of me??? When did the term moe replace "cute & innocent" for character traits??

Well it didn't, so that would indicate that you might not know what you are talking about.

It describes "moe" as more of a feeling, rather than a genre or adjective.

It describes "moe" as more of a feeling, rather than a genre or adjective.

ANN_Bamboo wrote:

It describes "moe" as more of a feeling, rather than a genre or adjective.

Exactly! You can say the brony phenomenon is an expression of western moe. Even Kannagi and Haruhi director, Yamakan described it as such--that you can be, or feel, moe over anything, even mecha!

I liken it to something analogous to the feeling of "oohh.. shiny!", a sort of more primordial attraction

Is it really that difficult to figure out why people might get offended when they are basically being called socially-awkward-losers-who-can't-get-real-girlfriends simply because they like a certain kind of anime? What is the point of saying that other than to be a bully and put other people down? Nobody is saying a critic has to like moe; but there is no good reason for a critic to insult people that do like the genre. I don't like reality TV shows, but I don't go around insulting people that do like reality TV. What would be the point of that? The only reason a person would do that is to feel superior by putting other people down. Calling people "loser nerds" for liking a certain kind of anime (or whatever kind of entertainment or hobby they like) is really uncool.

Also, a good critic is a person that judges a work of art on its own terms. That means the critic needs to ask himself what he thinks the work of art was trying to achieve and then judge it based on how well he believes it achieved its own goals. For example, one wouldn't give a moe show a bad review for not being deep and philosophical when that is clearly not what the moe show set out to achieve in the first place. That would be just as absurd as giving a bad review to a James Bond movie for not being more like 2001: A Space Odyssey. The James Bond movie was never even attempting to be like 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's fine to have personal preferences for certain genres, but when you're reviewing something you need to review it on it's own terms. It's not fair to give something a bad review just because you personally don't like the genre it's in.

Okay, let me ask the following about the word and how it can be applied in anything. If the word moe is meant to describe this sense of feeling good or positive about what you see and it can be applied in virtually anything period, then why do few people outside of certain communities that share specific interests such as anime use that term? Why is this a term not widespread enough where anyone everywhere will casually use it as part of vocabulary to describe anything that happens to make them feel good?

Maybe there's an obvious answer to that question and I'm not realizing it, but I want just to get to the bottom of why a term with a supposedly broad definition is not applied broadly enough. I mean, Bamboo from what I understand likes sports (and if I'm wrong, she can feel free to correct me) but I don't know if I can imagine her casually using the term moe in vocal conversation to describe when she feels good about whatever sport she sees.

If I am reading this correctly, you are going with the assumption that Zac has NEVER rated a show with heavy moe elements higher than "blarg". That is disingenuous and quite frankly hypocritical. You are doing exactly the same thing to Zac that you are accusing him of. You are also singling out Zac as one voice in the internet as if he personally is keeping you down. Apparently you didn't bother listening to the podcast.

Quote:

If I am reading this correctly, you are going with the assumption that Zac has NEVER rated a show with heavy moe elements higher than "blarg". That is disingenuous and quite frankly hypocritical. You are doing exactly the same thing to Zac that you are accusing him of. You are also singling out Zac as one voice in the internet as if he personally is keeping you down. Apparently you didn't bother listening to the podcast.

I didn't say anything about Zac in my post. You are projecting.

Okay, let me ask the following about the word and how it can be applied in anything. If the word moe is meant to describe this sense of feeling good or positive about what you see and it can be applied in virtually anything period, then why do few people outside of certain communities that share specific interests such as anime use that term? Why is this a term not widespread enough where anyone everywhere will casually use it as part of vocabulary to describe anything that happens to make them feel good?

Maybe there's an obvious answer to that question and I'm not realizing it, but I want just to get to the bottom of why a term with a supposedly broad definition is not applied broadly enough. I mean, Bamboo from what I understand likes sports (and if I'm wrong, she can feel free to correct me) but I don't know if I can imagine her casually using the term moe in vocal conversation to describe when she feels good about whatever sport she sees.

laceblade wrote:

I find Zac's take on the voyeurism in K-ON! kind of fascinating, because I didn't feel that way at all watching it. I think that take is entirely related to the male gaze. I was absolutely invested in the actual characters, their friendship, and the music they made together. That is the only reason I watched the show. (I am straight, idk if that matters.)

Zac isn't the first person I've heard the voyeurism angle from concerning K-ON!, in particular. In this type of anime, the viewer's presence is completely irrelevant. If K-ON! was an anime with pantyshots all over the place and the camera focusing in on them (I.E. "Male Gaze"), that would be voyeuristic, but K-ON! isn't that kind of show. The characters aren't girls you're looking at through a keyhole. It's more like you are the room that Yui, Mio, Ritsu, Mugi, and Azusa are eating cake and drinking tea in.

Shots like these are hardly uncommon in anime and especially in a show about girls like K-ON, but you won't find them in any show which are aimed to kids for example and that for a reason.