Forum - View topicHey, Answerman! [2010-03-26]
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The_Q
Posts: 57 |
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Gotta forward this to every Kodomo no Jikan basher on this forum! 
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Seljuk
 Posts: 139 |
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If I hear one more person say that moe is a feeling of wanting to protect someone I am going to scream.
Or type in caps. Probably the latter. |
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TheTheory
 Posts: 1029 Location: Central PA |
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Agreed. I was disappointed last year when I got in the mood to make a BoBoBo purchase and discovered how little of it existed on R1 DVD. Very OOP R1 dvd, to boot. I can't imagine it being the sort of show most distributors would take a risk on--except perhaps Animeigo. I can cross my fingers, right?? |
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Jedi Master
 Posts: 400 |
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The problem is that people are so judgemental about what media others consume. In my own group of buddies I'm the anime guy. But not all members in my group have seen all my anime. The reactions different people have to me based on the anime I've previously shared with them demonstrates this. For example: Black Lagoon = I'm cool. 
Ikkitousen = I'm a perv. 
Gunslinger Girl = I'm a lolicon. 
Speed Grapher = I'm a freak. 
When They Cry = I'm dangerous. 
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4nBlue
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Would you be willing to tell your definition of moe (preferably not in caps) if you disagree. |
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coldspider
 Posts: 187 |
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Holy crap,I think Ben's response has just opened my eyes to this whole moe thing.Don't get me wrong,I very much doubt I'll start watching moe anime from now on,but I think I just got some major insight as to why people like this stuff.
Lain is my second favorite anime of all time,and.......I'll be damned,Lain herself is pretty goddamn moe.That isn't the reason at all why I love the series (I'm a cyberpunk fan,and Lain is cyberpunk at it's finest),but it's surprising to realize that my reaction to Lain Iwakura's character is supposedly the same reaction moe fans have to moe anime/characters.Anyone who's a big fan of Serial Experiments Lain learns to love Lain's character in such a pure way.It's completely inexplicable,but that's just the way it is. As far as AMVs go,I'm not a fan of Lady Gaga at all,but I'll be damned if this isn't one of the best AMVs I've ever seen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6jYvRfqqKE
Whenever people ask me about series like DBZ,Bleach,One Piece,etc. I always tell them that you either try to watch 1-3 episodes per day,or try to watch them in bunches - maybe 10 or 15 episodes - per month.Because yeah,these are some long-ass series we're talking about here and it is a pretty big commitment to sit down and watch these things.Not to mention that some of these shows aren't ending anytime soon. Let's take Bleach for example:I started watching the Soul Society arc back in July of last year,watched the end of it around late August,started the Bount arc around mid-September,and JUST finished it this January.I've gotta admit,the first half of the Bount arc scared me off a bit,that and the holidays got in the way too.And now I just started the Arrancar arc last month (12 episodes I think) and I've yet to resume. In a nutshell,there's PLENTY of episodes to watch and there really is no point in marathoning a crapload of episodes in back-to-back sessions.Just take a very casual approach and these types of series should be accessible to anyone. |
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vashfanatic
 Posts: 3489 Location: Back stateside |
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Um, except that in many, many moe series they are weaker, especially the ones based on dating-sims/H-games/whatever. They have trauma and issues and they need the man there to help solve them. I'm not sure "protect" is the word I'd use though; "take care of" seems closer, but that still implies weakness. She (sometimes he) needs you, and would be lost without you. You are the one in control. Now, shows like Azumanga Daioh (if you want to classify that as moe) and K-ON!, where there's nary a man in sight, may be rather different. But I'd still classify moe as "OMG UR SO KEWT SQUEE!!" more than anything. |
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EireformContinent
 Posts: 977 Location: Łódź/Poland (The Promised Land) |
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There was a time when I tried to show everyone how sophisticated taste I have, but one day I admitted that I'm not a connoisseur and I have the right to like what I enjoy.
For me now it's (usually) not important what someone like but how he/she express that. It seems that people who can discuss about their favourites without swearing and deriding their interlocutors and keep themselves and their favourites at the healthy distance are more mature than those "die hard" fans who attack everyone who don't agree with them. It's nothing wrong with liking Naruto, DBZ or e v e n m** (no, I can't write that word!) but the point is: how you express that. |
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dewlwieldthedarpachief
 Posts: 751 Location: Canada |
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I agree up until that last statement. People are always asking each other about their hobbies and interests because they want to try and get an idea of who it is they're talking to. And though that may be an ultimately futile exercise, it's the way a social group works. I don't see what the problem is with being defined by what you like, at least as long as there's some perspective; maybe that's the real issue here. |
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dizzon
 Posts: 338 |
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There is a pretty interesting documentary titled Manga Mad over on hulu that I just finished not to long ago, its about an hour long and it covers a wide variety of manga and anime related topics. Towards the end they even bring up the concept of moe in which two different self-proclaimed Japanese otaku define moe as a feeling of love, one of them specifically says "moe means love".
I personally don't care how its defined, I mean its a slang word it can mean whatever to whomever. I just thought it was interesting that if I remember correctly, in this documentary at least, moe is assumed to be love and even more specifically can be seen as a sexual feeling. |
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Mohawk52
 Posts: 8202 Location: England, UK |
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Seljuk
Posts: 139 |
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I just really don't think it's that simple. Melissa from the responses hit the nail on the head for me: "Although most moe shows fit into the category of "cute girls doing cute things and little else," I believe it is the connection made between the viewers and the characters that makes the genre so popular. It becomes less about plot, and more about how the characters interact to shape their personalities. Usually their personalities are not very complex, and can fit into one of the categories of moe characters. Moe can easily be compared to idols in Japan, or boy bands in western side of the world. The "characters" are all non-threatening (or "endearingly threatening," as with tsundere or bad boys), provide the individual with an outlet for their fantasies, and basically give a bit of false attention to make up for a lack of attention they receive in the real world. Moe characters rarely end up getting "taken" by anyone in their worlds, to keep the appeal to the fans that the character is theirs alone to be with. It's a bit much to say it's just a girlfriend replacement, but... I can't think of any better way of putting it. The fans can shower their characters with affection that would have no other outlet, without fear that there would be backlash from that person." I think that's the biggest part, combined with the innocence the vash described: "1) "moe"is a feeling of wanting to go "aw!" at how cute/innocent/sweet/vulnerable/adorable someone is. This is everywhere, and is subjective. Nor is there anything wrong with it. 2) "moe" became a descriptor for traits that inspire said feeling. There are many, many of these, and are also subjective. They tend (unfortunately) to often include passivity, youth, virginity, and the need to have someone else take care of you. Not always - this is subjective. What inspires moe in some doesn't in everyone." It's just not so simple. Defining it as just 'to protect' doesn't even cover it. |
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Mohawk52
Posts: 8202 Location: England, UK |
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It's the feeling one usually gets when seeing a cute kitten, rabbit, puppy, hamster. It's also the feeling loving parents feel when seeing their young child performing in their first school play, or later receiving their graduate degree, or maybe watching them get married, or later still cuddling their first grandchild. What gets on my tits is when the lolicoms call their jolly "moe" to try and hide the fact it's blatant lolicom bollox, that's the basic injury to the term to me. |
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tuxedocat
 Posts: 2183 |
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This is also what I have noticed in a lot of series that are commonly described as "moe" (like Air, for instance). I try not to use the term. since I am not really all that sure what counts as "moe" anymore, though the word seems to pop up more in connection to shows that pander to one sex or another. These shows seem to be a bit too heavily targeted toward a specific demographic. I can kind of understand why some people call these shows a cancer that is killing the industry. Too many shows saturating an already genre-specific audience seems very risky to me. But I guess these shows are only one aspect of "moe". I love ARIA. Does that mean I am a moe fan? I have heard that series described as "moe". If so, then the biggest moe character in that series would be the setting! I can see why this show would attract the moe-otaku crowd. However the characters never fall into the needy/little-sister trope that many of the other shows do. In fact, I think the show is empowering to women. Maybe that's only my perception though.... |
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The King of Harts
 Posts: 6712 Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia |
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Hey, can we do this: Let's ban the word Moe. Nobody knows what it means and what hell does it matter anyways?
Here's a tip for ya: stop trying to come up with a label for it and just watch the damn show and see if it's entertaining? If you like it, yay! If you don't, boo! Whether it's "moe" or not should be the last thing you care about. I hate how anime fans have to label every goddamn thing they watch. Ew, that's moe/loli/punk/mech/fanservice/blah blah blah. Why is everyone so narrow-minded?! Rant done. |
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