Moe (slang)
Moe (?, pronounced [mo.e]) is a Japanese slang loanword that refers to feelings of strong affection mainly towards characters in anime, manga, and video games. Moe, however, has also gained usage to refer to feelings of affection towards any subject. Moe can lead to sexual feelings and desires; however, thinking too heavily about it is considered outside the scope. 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 have contributed positively to the Japanese economy. Contests both online, and in the real world exist for Moe-type 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 that embodies characters that appear in manga, anime, or video games, into enforcing who they are. 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 are things that one cannot possibly have a real relationship with, like fictional characters, idols, or inorganic substances. 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. Psychologist Tamaki Saitō identifies it as coming from the Japanese word for "budding", moeru (?). 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 (?) verb for "to sprout", moyasu (やす?), and its homonym "to burn", moyasu (やす?). Along the same line of thought, Kitabayashi has identified it to be a pun with the Japanese ichidan (一?) verb for "to sprout" moeru (える?) and its homonym "to burn" moeru (える?), 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 her height of popularity in 2channel, giving strength to the theory that the term stemmed from her name. Another reason why the term could have originated from Hotaru Tomoe is her background story. The term has been associated with characters that give off the aura that they need to be protected because they are vulnerable, and Hotaru fits that category; in the manga, a lab accident kills her mother and leaves Hotaru severely injured.
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