is a form of [[anthropomorphism]] in [[anime]], [[manga]], and games where ''moe'' qualities are given to non-human beings (such as animals, plants, supernatural entities and fantastical creatures), objects, concepts, or phenomena.
This form of anthropomorphism is very common in otaku subcultures. With the exception of kemonomimi (which are human-like characters that have animal features), many moe anthropomorphizations started as dōjin efforts. An early form of moe anthropomorphism is the Gundam MS Girl created by Mika Akitaka in 1982.
Sociological aspects
The
media studies scholar Yuji Sone has argued that since
moe anthropomorphism is usually personified by
Bishojo, it is an example of the outgrowth of otaku subcultural habitus into sexual fantasies.
The
psychologist Tamaki Saitō regards
moe anthropomorphism as an example of
mitate-e art due to its simultaneous use of both
High art and
Low culture to provide additional, sometimes humorous, meanings.
Saitō also connects this anthropomorphism with a "desire for transformation" associated with the shōjo (girl) form.
Types
Animals
, literally meaning "animal ears", is the concept of depicting human and human-like characters with animal ears,
and by extension, other features such as tails.
Kemonomimi is often used in moe anthropomorphism, to depict animal characters in human form.
and catboys are the most prolific and common in this category, although bunnygirls, foxgirls, doggirls, and wolfgirls are also common. Kemonomimi characters typically appear human except for added animal-like qualities. In
Hiroki Azuma's theory of otaku database consumption, animal ears are one type of "
moe element," which is combined with other elements in a character in order to create an affective response in fans.
A notable franchise featuring moe anthropomorphism and
kemonomimi is
Kemono Friends, which is focused on a myriad of
Anthropomorphism animals in the form of girls and young women, ranging from real and
extinct animals to
and legendary creatures. Another notable series is
Uma Musume Pretty Derby which focuses on girls as famous Japanese
racehorses. Mimiketto is a doujinshi convention dedicated to
kemonomimi works.
Mythological and fantasy creatures
When
moe appearances are given to various creatures from folklore, mythology or fantasy, they are usually called monster girls (or sometimes boys). Their bestial traits may be fully retained, de-emphasized into mere personality tics or removed altogether. An early example of this is with the video game series
Touhou Project beginning in 1996 which depicts
yōkai and other mythical beings as young beautiful girls and women who use magic to unleash a barrage of intricate projectile patterns called
danmaku, or
bullet hell.
It was further popularized by such manga as
Monster Musume and
A Centaur's Life, and has grown into its own genre.
Rarely, the monster girls are relatively unchanged from their original form and personality, such as mermaids and
centaurides.
The fan-created Bowsette, a gender-swapped and moe anthropomorphized version of the Mario antagonist Bowser that gives him the appearance of Princess Peach via the "Super Crown" powerup, became one of the most popular of 2018.
Computers
Although
Chobits (2001) and Toy's iMac Girl (1998)
came first, the
Internet meme of turning computer-related phenomena into
moe subjects did not start until しいたけちゃん, the anthropomorphization of Internet Explorer's
Stop button. The idea of Shiitake-chan came in 2001 on 2channel, starting with a poster who claims he saw the
Stop button as a
shiitake.
When Microsoft released Windows 7 in Japan, they included a theme pack centered around a personification of the OS named "
Madobe Nanami" with voice samples from
Nana Mizuki. Microsoft used another personification involving two girls named "Yū Madobe" and "Ai Madobe" to promote Windows 8 in Japan.
As part of the market launch, a Facebook draw of 8 followers took place when follower count reaches 80001; and total Twitter follower count for Yū and Ai reach 8001, where winners receive Madobe Yū and Ai-themed prizes.
Since the creation of the Microsoft-related ,
The manga and anime series World War Blue features characters who are personifications of computer games. Video games with characters based on them include Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario and Tetris. Sega Hard Girls features personifications of video game hardware by Sega.
Law and politics
Elements of the Japanese constitution have been anthropomorphized into
moe girls, such as Article 9, which prevents Japan from waging war, being "portrayed as a peace-loving girl."
In 2010, users from the Breaking News board on 2channel created Hinomoto Oniko as an anthropomorphism of the commonly used Chinese ethnic slur used against Japanese, Riben guizi (日本鬼子), literally meaning "Japanese devils". The character was made by the 2channel community in response to the growing anti-Japanese sentiment amongst Chinese netizens online, and has since become an Internet meme within Japanese imageboards and forums. In Japanese, the kun'yomi reading of the kanji which make up the racial slur can be interpreted as a Japanese name, and so the character is depicted as a young female wearing a traditional Japanese kimono, along with devil horns and a katana.
In 2015, Internet users created "ISIS-chan" (ISISちゃん), a moe anthropomorphized character of the jihadist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Images of her have been used by Anonymous to dilute the Islamic State's online propaganda.
Others
Other things have also been given
moe characteristics:
- Cells
The manga
Cells at Work! depicts the cells of the
human body as both male and female characters.
- Charcoal
Based on
binchōtan and other types of
charcoal, the anime and manga
Binchō-tan uses the
dajare in the Japanese word for tan to create a series of cute girls.
- Chemical elements and compounds
Many online artists have depicted chemical elements as human characters in their
illustrations,
webcomics and
video games. Anthropomorphism of chemical elements is created more than that of chemical compounds. Notable examples are, a Japanese chemical company depicted their solvent products as
moe in an online webcomic and another one is an ongoing English webcomic about personified chemical compounds by a Romanian illustrator who works as a
drycleaner .
- Countries
As with national personifications,
moe versions of various
country are present. For example, Japan is Nihon-chan,
is
Afuganisu-tan—both have their own
in Japan. Beyond these, however, are the countries of
Hidekaz Himaruya's
,
a manga depicting the countries involved in World War I and World War II using mostly men with only a few women mixed in. Toshio Miyake argues that
Hetalia's appeal lies in its combination of comedy and male personification of nations, with implicit homoerotic themes.
- Cultural relics
In a more unique take on
moe anthropomorphizations of Chinese cultural artifacts and heritage sites like the
Goujian Sword, "Ironed models" of the Yangshi Lei Archives and even the Great wall of China was the central theme in the 2021 Donghua
The Country of Rare Treasure (Nation of Treasure) 秘宝之国
- Diseases
- During the 2014 Western African Ebola virus epidemic, a user of the website 4chan created an image depicting a moe version of Ebola known as Ebola-chan.
- Food and beverages
- Habanero-tan, the unofficial mascot of Bōkun Habanero; and Bisuke-tan for biscuits that KFC sells in Japan. The light novel series Akikan! has soda cans that magically turn into girls. Jelly flavors have also been anthropomorphized.
- Historic eras
- A series of Japanese history books features anthropomorphism of historic events.
- Home appliances
- Eroge Like Life and Monogokoro, Monomusume both feature as girls. These appliances include , , blackboard erasers, , first aid boxes, , and even , among others. The very nature of such games, however, puts the main characters in unusual situations when the sex scene happens—such as essentially "having sex with the washing machine". Likewise, the manga 090 Eko to Issho features girls who are mobile phones.
- Military hardware
- Mecha musume are anthropomorphic personifications of military hardware, such as , , , aircraft or even . Popular subjects of this kind of anthropomorphism include World War II military vehicles, such as the Strike Witches franchise; collectible mecha musume figures of these vehicles have been released.
- Vehicles
- Notable trains which were drawn as girls include the Fastech 360, often drawn with cat ears because of the train's emergency air braking plates. Called "Fastech-tan", this particular "train girl" has its own collectible figure, sold with permission from the East Japan Railway Company.
File:HK Tramways 27 at Shau Kei Wan (20181003150838).jpg|A Hong Kong Tram vehicle with the livery of a moe anthropomorphized character of a local soy sauce brand
Further reading
-
lit. 'Anthropomorphism- tan Files'. Tokyo: Aspect, 2006. . (The -tan is a Hypocorism suffix.)
External links
