However, people who watch it “simply because it’s cool” do not fall under this category because the moe in the first place is not a factor in their consciencious choice in watching it. If they do decide that continuing to watch it is a result of appreciating the moe value, that’s a different categorization all together.

I agree with many of your points, but I think you might be too optimisic about why some people (non-anime fans, especially) dislike moe. Yes, not everyone immediately finds the moe elements they love, and those people do not necessarily hate anime as a result. And as you say, others dislike moe because of negative experiences with fans of moe.

However, I think you’ve neglected to mention those non-fans who see moe and have a negative reaction simply because they find the imagery unattractive or even offensive. Believe it or not, there are people out there who dislike anime character designs–the same designs that most otaku find extremely attractive. Some people negatively view moe as objectifying females, catering to superficial fetishes and adolescent fantasies, and/or oversexualizing underage (or underage-looking) characters. These critics are not always right, but we can’t ignore them as we seek to popularize anime.

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Regarding your points on diversity, you don’t have to convince me that there’s plenty of diversity within shows that feature moe elements; I’ve seen it, I’m a believer! :)

In general, I’m opposed to arguments that say “_____ is all the same”. People apply that to all kinds of stuff–pop music, classical music, anime, manga, fantasy, sci-fi, superhero comics, etc.

As a fan of superhero comics, it kills me when people say “they’re all the same”, because they’re not, and I agree that the same principle applies to moe.

I generally give the benefit of the doubt to people who appreciate things because they see significant differences, versus people who dismiss things because they _don’t_ see differences. Why? Because the latter group is admitting that they don’t see something, and lack of evidence is insufficient to prove that something does not exist.

So, I’m all for postmodern creativity, pastiche, homages, derivative works, variations on a theme. Bring it on; I love it!

That said, even if we consider moe to be a genre (or sub-genre, or style) that is rich and full of variation, don’t we also want other genres to be successful? It’s not a zero sum game, of course. Different genres can coexist. The question is: how do we encourage that coexistence and spread the medium of anime to a diverse group of people with different tastes?

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My overall question is really about strategy and practical steps we can take. How do we introduce people to anime? Do we show them multiple examples of a single genre (like moe) or do we show them multiple genres of anime?

I prefer the latter approach, but of course it depends on who you’re trying to “convert”. Some individuals might respond best to moe, and you would just keep showing them moe-heavy stuff until you find the right combination of elements that they fall in love with. But for people who just aren’t into moe, or diverse crowds whose tastes are unknown to you, I would show them a broader spectrum of anime. Back to the American comic book example: if I was introducing someone to comic books, I would show them many different types of comics, and not just superhero comics, even though I know that superhero comics are full of unique variations.

I uphold that, in fact, a lot of if not most people do not have a reason for watching anime besides “it’s cool” or “I like it,” besides even approaching the subject of “I am aware of the exact elements of why I watch certain shows.” This last statement in particular really categorizes THE otaku.

Question 1:

To me, the moe battle is a constant form of Pavlovian conditioning that is both reinforcing and negatively reinforcing. The association between a particular moe element and the character in the anime may have no relation at all, but I think much of the initial attraction for the moe element lies in its original association outside of the anime itself. That is, moe may invite curiosity or appreciation because of its potential roots previously seen in the real world.

Take for example maids. While most normal people may be averse to the idea of worshipping maid outfits, the original interest in maids were mapped with a particular personality trait (one of subservience and servitude) that may have seemed as an attractive target for appreciation, much in the same way that we’re all particular to certain love interests with a particular personality. The result is an association of anything that produces imagery of a maid being associated with the result of a maid’s behavior (the viewer’s enjoyment from seeing the character’s personality, events, etc. play out).

Now this may seem completely unrelated to how people perceive anime, I think it’s fairly important to how people view the medium in general. A failure to map the moe elements to enjoyment, for example, will not serve as a powerful enough reinforcer to create a strong dislike for anime as a whole. However, once a particular association is mapped, it serves as a powerful reminder of how the moe element can be something you like.

Thus, it’s easy to see why people would like anime for the diverse moe elements, and why there are many people who often feel indifference toward the medium itself. What people do feel a strong dislike for, however, is the fans of those moe elements who provide a powerful reinforcement mechanism for disliking the associated medium (which, in this case, is anime). A “normal” teenage guy completely uninterested in 2D moe elements may feel strongly about otaku in general because their behavior repeatedly reinforces his own belief that anime is worshipped by less than sociable people.

When I hear a general distate for moe anime, it’s largely because of the association between otaku and the moe elements, not a failure to appreciate the moe elements themselves.

Questions 2 and 3:

I would say that people recognize the general idea that moe elements are not necessarily indicative of plot nor character personality now a days, although it could very well be that they do. Either way, I would assume that most people would be aware of the situational requirements for eliciting a pleasurable viewing of an anime. For example, I personally like tsundere characters, but there’s something about Kugimiya Rie always playing flat chested tsundere’s that make me personally dislike any sort of combination of petanko and KugiRie. However, I maintain a fierce love for Nagomin (of Tsuyokiss fame). The subtle difference in plot, despite all coming from the love comedy genre is enough to for me to differentiate by. Imagine the difference across genres.

In a sense, anime’s diversity is the result of a reapplication of various pre-existing moe elements into a combination that may seem to “work”. The diversity is lowered because we can identify many elements that we’re familiar with, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve lost the peculiar uniqueness of something generated from the slightest change. A person who fails to see the charm in a particular anime while others appreciate it usually do for various reasons. It could simply be that they didn’t find a character to connect with, or it could just be that they didn’t appreciate the combination in the first place.

I personally dislike most magical girl genre anime, except I have a fondness of Sailor Moon that has yet to go away. This fondness is indicative of the special presentation to which Sailor Moon had. What’s interesting is that magic girl shows have appeared in anime long before Sailor Moon rolled around — what Sailor Moon essentially did was create a new combination of established moe elements (they weren’t as moe as moe is now, but you get my point) for people to appreciate.

It’s funny how we’re capable of separating what we like from what we dislike often times by the way it’s different from something. A single change in a show from its predecessor can create an entirely different result.

To be fair, looking at something like Lucky Star would be a safer bet.

moe vs. non-moe
lolicon vs. non-lolicon
ecchi vs. g-rated
otaku vs. mainstream
tv shows vs. movies
popular vs. avante garde
new vs. old
rewatching vs. one-time viewing

…and to think, the main conflict used to be subs vs dubs ;)

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You present an interesting thought about moe and its role in the growing popularity of anime. You’re right that the medium is diverse enough that people who dig around will find something they like, moe or not. That diversity is something that has attracted Americans to anime and manga for a long time.

Some questions that come to mind (not directed at anyone in particular; they’re just food for thought):

1) Given moe’s popularity, it’s something that outside observers of anime are likely to notice. If one’s initial exposure to anime is moe-related shows, how will that color their perception of anime, especially if they’re not interested in moe (or worse, they find it offensive)?

2) Is there a difference between a) realizing/appreciating that there are many different kinds of anime, covering many unique genres versus b) appreciating the fact that there are many different kinds of moe (maids, glasses, catgirls) one can be a fan of? There is a fetish aspect to the latter that may be controversial to some.

3) Does the popularity of moe, or any other type of anime that is trendy, negatively affect the overall diversity of the medium–the diversity that was pivotal in making anime so popular in the first place (among foreign audiences)?

As for what I meant about moe, I personally feel that the craze easily sucks people in. If they can’t find one form of anime they like, they can browse through the massive number of anime, manga, and games to find something they have more of an interest with. While this may turn off non-otaku who have sparse contact with otaku culture, I think the sheer amount of possible avenues to pursue otaku interests mean that it’s possible for anyone to become an anime otaku once they find that particular moe element they like. And if not moe, then another theme that’s prevalent in anime/manga.

I’ll admit I was generalizing when I made the comment about the dichotomy between Japanese otaku and foreign otaku, but I believe that this largely has to do with exposure (real life) and net culture (online). As you said, we do need a systematic way of illuminating the differing experiences of different otaku, and I think the key point to focus on would be the popularity of certain forms of contact and engagement with the fandom (be it through attending conventions or trolling 2ch online). I think something particularly interesting would be to study the relationship between foreign otaku well verse in the Japanese fandom who understand Japanese, and those who are left in the dark until localized or secondary sources can provide them with information.