Fizix said: Firstly Moe-influenced art style doesn't bother me too much provided its well drawn and everything else holds up. Take Madoka Magica, its fine used as an art style in that example. That said, large eyes in something like Clannad is a turn off, I find them strange looking.
This is Minky Momo, a magical girl anime from 1991. The term moe didn't exist then, and the moe boom in anime was over a decade away. Madoka doesn't have moe character design, it has cute character design. There isn't such a thing as moe character design.
It becomes more problematic when we are applying Moe to characterisation. This thing about Moe characters being designed to appeal to a desire to protect is presented as a positive, but I don't think it really is, especially when you look at the characters themselves.
Moe isn't something intrinsic to a character, it's a response the viewer has towards a character. The character could be anyone and the response could be based on anything. Many popular characters like Haruhi, Saber, Asuka, Marisa, Makoto (Idolmaster), Rin (Idolmaster CG), Hestia and Kurisu aren't characterized as weak, vulnerable, or stunted. Works with many female characters such as Touhou, Idolmaster, KanColle, Love Live, Girlfriend, Hidamari Sketch and Kiniro Mosaic have different kinds of characters that appeal to different people. If all the characters were intellectually and emotionally weak, the story and character interaction would suffer badly and sales would be dependent on only people who like that character type... but since the story and character interaction would be lousy, they probably wouldn't be interested.
However, what exactly do you mean by intellectually and emotionally weak characters? What would be examples of such characters?
I wonder and the only way to really prove it would be if one of these characters, mid way through a series was to stake claim to their independence, demonstrate independent enterprise, intelligence and take absolute control over their lives and possibly tell the main love interest/male character who is acting as their "protector" to back off because they want to do things for themselves and can look after themselves... pointing out that their assistance will be provided on their own terms. How would moe fans who talk about this feeling to protect react to her? Would they be behind that? Would they still like her as much? Would they see her as horrible and unreasonable?
The Japanese really couldn't care less about your feminist social experiments (which, like all feminist ideas, are based on faulty premises).
Hirshwell said: Moe is the cancer KILLING the industry.
No it isn't. |