I What is "moe"?
Never pronounce it "moo" It's not a name for boy. Most of you may not know idea of "moe" . Even now, there is no clear definition, but I'd like to decide it "one way love".Most commonly, it is said that "moe" means "to be in love an animation character " However, I don't believe you can get it, because "love" has a lot of meanings. This ambiguity is straightly reflected to "moe" ; some of moerers- those who are moe to some characters or only one - really are moed to them just like you love your children or younger sisters, and others , your girlfriends.
Now, what do you think of moetry? Perhaps you may feel "it is gross" or "it is nonsense to love nonentity characters". Well, let's take them one by one, and see what they amount to.
(i) "it is gross"
It is most extraordinary thing to say. Almost all bemoed characters are pretty girls with very pure souls. You can't think stories and actresses separately, and those bemoed characers' sagas are so interesting or poetic, sometimes romantic that they grasp people's heart and not let them go. So are bemoed characters, They played their rules very vividly with their own ways, in their stories. Now, who can say those girls are "gross"?
"that's it" perhaps you are saying. "I know they are not. But moerers are" If you think so, you are wrong. Moerers just admire their pure spirits, because they themselves too have clean souls, and do not want anything more, unlike today's married couples; nowadays, both women and men want each other too many things and get divorced. while moerers do love their bemoed characters not for anything, just for love.
(ii) "it is nonsense to love nonentity characters"
I recommend you to look "love" up in your dictionary. You'll find "love" is a very ambiguity word. So is "moe", as I mentioned before. Haven't you been moved by 2-dimension characters' act and come to favorite them? They were kinds of love,and we call such feelings "moe". If you haven't , you might not understand good points of rainbow, poetry, beautiful garments.
"Moe" includes a sort of love you have for your girl or boy friends. You may think this kind of "moe" nonsense. But in terms of "reward" which most of moerers do not require, to love stars is as absurd as to love nonentity characters, and there are a lot of fans who love their favorite stars. There is very very little possibility for those fan to get married to the actress. Further more, at last , she would get married to somone killing the rest of fans. But bemoed characters won't. They never get married nor love you, but also, never betray you.
Perhaps moe is a kind of seasoning for life, as is ordinary love. And to say, that kind of moe and to love stars are bitter seasonings. However, no one can say them nonsense,which is not necessary for lives, but just make them fantastic.
II The use of moe
As I mentioned above, basically moe is useless. But just like beautiful rainbow remained a poet great scene, or good music make you feel better, moetry certainly do you good too.
Healing is the answer of it that most asked moerers will state. Most bemoed characters are definitely cute. Yes, it could heal us. But it's just one point. We are often encouraged by their personality、in another words, their way to cope with the situations in the story, or the way they spend their life. As being created characters, those characters who attract us have usually wonderful ones. They are so good we can be healed.
Also, we can learn or feel something from them. In many cases, that is "Purification". The world we live or just about to undergo, is so severe that many of us left something important. Those bemoed characters do remind us our "good old age".
Healing and purification are just examples of use of moe. What you can get from them depends on you, And remember, the one reason bemoed characters are ideal person in through stories is that they have ideally created personality, and there is no reason to neglect them just because she is nonentity person.
III Reason of Girls
Though a bemoed character is not necessary to be a girl, most of them are usually pretty girls. Why?
First of all, as to adult moeror men, the reason is clear; bemoed girls are the farthest people from them. We humans tend to feel what ourselves do not have as something good. (This is one of the factor that endangered the Earth, but it also made today's technology possible.)
But that's not only the reason. The other reason is that they are considered to be most vulnerable, weak, pure beings. (The fact is not the matter at all) They are most unlikely achieve any emotive project. So, if they did, that's emotive enough to attract us. Saga by strong soldier, amazing trick and settling of it by clever thief and smart detective....certainly they could be exciting stories, but not dramatic storytelling. And this emotion is the origin of moe.
So, why "cute" girl? Read those two poems:
And he were ill:
He were gradely ill.
He said to me,
"Wilt thou come to my funeral, mon, if I die? "
I thought a bit,
I thought a bit.
I said I didn't mind;
So I went.
Unloved, the sunflower, shining fair,
Ray round with flames her disk of seed,
And many a rose-carnation feed
With summer spice the humming air.
First poem is about death of author's best friend, and second is about summer sunflower. Though the theme of first one is much far deeper than that of second poem, you may not be attracted by it. It is because the second one uses with its rhyme, rhythm and sounds far more beautiful. In Haiku, freestyle Haiku is far less major than formed Haiku. Like those examples, good appearance affects our impression by itself. So, true bemoed character have not only ideal personality, but also "cute" appearance.
IV The way of moe
The first reason of moe can be anything. The appearance of character, her personality, or the story....any of them first catch your heart. Then you become to love her more and more. The degree and kind of moe usually differs from a character to character. If this is the very first time of moe, you may need some courage, but you don't need any excuse to love someone, do you?
But not all of us are eligible to moe someone. If one wants to moe,he must fully recognize that they are nonentity beings. Ask yourself if you can resist such feeling. If you can't, there are two ways: just forget every thing about her or admit the fact. both of them are certain degree of hard tasks. This is so-called "suffering of moe"
So, you may thought "the most ideal style moe is not loving them too much, just thinking them lightly" No, you can "love" them very much. In Buddhism, a kind of "love", or a desire to "get " someone is taboo . Generally speaking acquire calm spirits. This is true in the world of moetry,too. The good moe can be anything, but definitely the worst moe is love with desire to get her.
However, not all of us are like Buddha. Sometimes its almost impossible to forget and give up her. Then, the only way you can do is to collect goods, and drow pictures of her. See many illustrations by moerers, and you'll know how they're moed to those nonentity characters too.
Many people say dead people are with us in our hearts. Why can't it be true with bemoed characters?
Now, my essay is over. What I state you is just my opinion about moe, or one form of moe, so there could be another moe. So, it's you who choose your attitude to moe or your bemoed characters. If you have something to ask, or something to discuss with me, please contact me by e-mail. (Both Japanese and English are OK) I may add it to this essay next time.
NOTE: DO NOT TAKE IT SO SERIOUS.(^^;