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Moe anthropomorphism

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Wikipe-tan, a moé anthropomorphization of Wikipedia.

Moé anthropomorphism (萌え擬人化, moe gijinka) is a form of anthropomorphism where moé qualities are given to non-human beings, objects, concepts, or phenomena; the subject of which often becomes a bishōjo. In addition to moé features, moé anthropomorphizations are also characterized by their accessories, which serve to emphasize their original forms before anthropomorphosis. The female character here, usually in a kind of cosplay, is drawn to represent an inanimate object or popular consumer product. Part of the humor of this personification comes from the personality ascribed to the character (often satirical) and the sheer arbitrariness of identifying a variety of machines, objects, and even physical places as cute.

Many names of these girls end with -tan (たん), which is a child's mispronunciation of -chan (ちゃん), an informal, intimate, and diminutive honorific suffix for a person used for friends, family, and pets. In this case, the mispronunciation is used intentionally to achieve the contrived cute or charming effect that is commonly associated with its use by young children.

This form of anthropomorphism is very common in otaku subcultures. With the exception of kemonomimi, many moé anthropomorphizations started as dojin efforts. Many are the results of discussions on Japanese internet forums such as 2channel or Futaba Channel. Recently, the trend spread out of dojin circles as commercial anime and manga such as Binchōtan and 090ekotoissho also prominently feature characters who are personifications of inanimate objects.

Types of moé anthropomorphism

Animals

Main article: Kemonomimi

Kemonomimi, literally meaning "animal ears", is the concept of drawing animals as bishōjo or having bishōjo wear animal accessories (such as ears or tails). Catgirls are the most prolific in this category, although bunnygirls, foxgirls, and doggirls are also popular. Although kemonomimi fits the technical definition of moé anthropomorphism, it is often not considered a part of moé anthropomorphism due to its abundance outside dojin.

Computers

Although Chobits and Toy's iMac Girl came first, the widespread meme of turning computer-related phenomena into moé subjects did not start until Shitake-chan (しいたけちゃん), the anthropomorphization of Internet Explorer's close button. The idea of Shitake-chan came in 2001 on 2channel, starting with a poster who claims he saw the close button as a shitake.[1] Shitake-chan has since been called the origin of moé anthropomorphism by some.

Following Shitake-chan are the famous OS-tans of 2003. The concept is reported to have begun as a personification of the common perception of Windows Me as unstable and prone to frequent crashes. Discussions on Futaba Channel likened this to the stereotype of a fickle, troublesome girl. The personification became expanded, with the creation of Me-tan (dated to August 6, 2003) followed by the other characters. Mac OS X, Linux, and Linspire girls have also shown up on the Internet, although some non-OS male characters exist for programs and hardware. Norton AntiVirus is usually portrayed as a creepy looking, possibly lecherous old doctor.

Since the creation of the OS-tans, other software and websites have been anthropomorphized as well. For example, the free encyclopedia Wikipedia has its own Wikipe-tan [2], while Mozilla applications have their own set of Moezilla.

Military hardware

Main article: Mecha Musume

Mecha Musume are girls that are drawn as hybrids with military hardware, such as tanks, ships, aircrafts or even missiles. Popular subjects of this kind of anthropomorphism include World War II military vehicles, even collectible mecha musume figures of these vehicles have been released.

MS shōjo (or Gundam girls) are another type of mecha musume. They preceeded the trend of turning real life weapons into girls as Gundam girls first appeared in print in the 1980s. MS shōjo are mecha robots that are drawn as girls, they are often gundams or zakus. Features of these girls often include helmets, armour, lightsabers, and/or rayguns. MS in this case stands for Mobile Suit.

Transportational vehicles

Due to the abundance of railfans in Japan, anthropomorphizations of trains are also common. Though at the beginning such anthropomorphizations were just faces in front of the trains (ie. eyes as the windshields), by the 2000s they became more and more humanoid due to the influence of otaku culture. In such cases, the girls are often drawn so that clothes worn reflect the front design of the first car and the colors of the railway company operating the train. Indeed, the personification is nearly as much about the train operator as about the train itself.

This sort of anthropomorphization arises from the fact that there is a significant overlap in railfans and otaku, and such anthropomorphizations are the products of their affection towards the trains. However, not all railfans in Japan are otakus, and thus some railfans view these anthropomorphizations with contempt.

Notable trains who were drawn as girls include the FASTECH 360, often drawn with cat ears because of the train's emergency air braking plates. Called the FASTECH-tan, this particular "train girl" has its own collectible figure, sold with permission from the East Japan Railway Company. Unlike Mecha Musume or OS-tans the personifications of trains rarely feature non-Japanese designs. Among the few exceptions is Eurostar.

Girls modeled as passenger jets are also popular. As with trains, the girls are often dressed up in the colors of the airline operating the aircraft.

Cars and motorcycles have also occasionally been the subject of anthropomorphosis.

Others

Other things have also been given moé characteristics:

  • Charcoal
Based on Bincho-tan and other types of charcoal, the anime and manga Binchōtan uses the dajare in the Japanese word for coal (炭, tan) to create a series of cute girls.
  • Cigarettes
A set of "Cigarette Girls" is drawn to represent different brands of cigarettes in Japan. [3]
  • Convenient stores
A series of moé anthropomorphisms of convenient stores has been classified as Conven-tan.
  • Countries
As with national personifications, moé versions of various countries are present. For example, Japan is Nihon-chan, Afghanistan is Afuganisu-tan — both have their own webcomics in Japan.
  • Food
Habanero-tan, the unofficial mascot of Bōkun Habanero; and Bisuke-tan for biscuits that KFC sells in Japan.
  • Home appliances
Eroge Like Life and Monogokoro, Monomusume both feature home appliances as girls. These appliances include washing machines, alarm clocks, blackboard erasers, pillows, first aid boxes, cell phones, and even post boxes, among others. The very nature of eroge, however, puts the main characters in unusual situations when the sex scene happens — such as essentially "having sex with the washing machine".
File:冥王星はいらない子.jpg
Pluto and Charon. "Pluto is an unnecessary child."
  • Stars
The double asteroids which consist of Pluto and Charon, etc.

Reference

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