Moé: Encyclopedia II - Moé - Perception

Moé - Perception

Although moe is strongly (sometimes negatively) identified with male fandom they can share characteristics of female lead characters in shoujo, especially uncertainty, cuteness, and innocence. Just as yaoi relationships usually feature an uke paried with a seme, moekko style girls are typically paired with oneesama in yuri. In addition many series have characters and themes which are remarkably similar to shoujo, although moe style series are initially aimed squarely at adult males due to most being on television during late broadcast hours.

"Moé" focusing on younger characters is often confused with or even equated with lolicon, but for many fans there is a subtle yet distinct line that separate them. To many moé-loyalists, the point is on supporting and watching rather than to imagine being actively involved with the character, with sexual implications being awkward or distasteful. This is sometimes explained as having a 'big brother complex' (which ironically can also have sexual connotations) More generally, many fans insist moe is implicitly non-sexual but, like most types of manga and anime, is sexualized after the fact by fans.

Critics complain moe fandom tend to embrace characters who are nonthreatening and cute, or embrace a warped intepretation of some female characters in the form of a self-created idol.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Perception", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki