Category: Editorials

Diamonds in the Sea of Porn

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Japan is full of video games. Okay…it’s full of hentai games. Whole stores devoted to the genre of dating games. They pour forth from game studios like liquid money. This just has not caught on in America yet. I wonder why?

Well in Japan’s defense it’s the computer game market that is 90% hentai games. The console game market has all types of games to play. As for why hentai games have not caught on in the US that is a topic for another day.

There are also a plethora of video games based on popular anime series. They aren’t always good and they aren’t even always fun but you have to admit to be at least a little curious.

I think games based on anime are subject to Sturgeon’s Law just like anything else. They also suffer from the fact that like video games based on movies they tend to spit some of them out the door just based on the fact that no matter how bad the game is some people will buy it because you slapped a popular character’s skin over your mediocre game. Then again I’m slightly guilty. I think I would buy anything with Galaxy Angels or One Piece slapped on the cover.

Speaking of Galaxy Angel … I want the Galaxy Angel games. I need the Galaxy Angel games like a Fujoshi needs Yaoi doujinshi. The Galaxy Angel games are a mixture of Dating Sim and Flight Sim that make an Awesome Sim. The first trilogy of games revolves the Moon Angel Troupe and their attempts to protect the Transbaal Empire from a series of threats. During the flight sim part of the game you command the Galaxy Angel’s Emblem Frames (spacecraft) in real time strategy fashion. In-between the fights you can make decisions to decide which of the Galaxy Angel’s you court during the game. The characters are sort of dating game stereotypes but they are all pretty fun. There is also Galaxy Angel II in which you are in charge of the Rune Angel Troupe. There is one game in the Galaxy Angel II series and a second game should be out at the end of the year.

I truly believe that Hisui would kill for the Galaxy Angel games, as long as Hisui could still play them in prison.

Sakura Wars is a similarly type of game. Instead of spacecraft you fight in Steam Punkmecha in the Taisho period. The are 5 games in the main series and a bunch of spin off games. The games are set in an alternate time line where demons threaten the earth and only spiritually powered mecha can effectually fight the demons. The series starts in Japan but moves to Paris and America. The game also has the dating game in between the tactical battles just like in Galaxy Angel. I’m a little less knowledgeable about the Sakura War games than the Galaxy Angel games but they both seem a decent bridge between traditional straight up dating games and action games.

The NANA games. That is right, games…plural! Three to be exact. One for PS2, one for PSP, and the newest one is for Nintendo DS. The PS2 one you are the neighbor of 707 and you have to make friends with the gang. Really nice visuals and what not. This was also the first one to come out. Then there’s the PSP one which I would never be able to get but would be fun! It is all cell-shaded and cute. You can play as any of the characters or make your own. You just go through a game of chance with your life really using a board-game system. Never knowing what will happen day to day. I couldn’t find anything about the DS game but I’m thinking it’s a music game! Part of the title is Live Staff. I would be most interested in that one if that is indeed what it is. It’s a perfect match for the series to keep the band goingand get gigs and do well. Of course all of these games really depend on you knowing the characters and caring about them already. But even if the anime does do well here in the states, I still don’t see these games coming out.

There was a super cool Utena game for the Sega Saturn. It was made with the director of the Utena TV series, Kunihiko Ikuhara. You play as the original character who gets involved with the student council between the Student Council arc and the Black Rose arc (in fact one of the endings causes the main character to start the Black Rose arc). It’s a visual novel so it mostly plays like an animated choose your own adventure (basically a non-romantic dating game). It looks really cool because the animation seems to be on par with the TV show, there are some interesting new characters, and there are even new duel songs. I think the opening sums this game up pretty well.

I actually have this game, but I don’t however have a working Sega Saturn…

Cowoby Bebop: Tsuioku no Yakyoku which was supposedly going to be released in the U.S. but since has disappeared from the radar. Looked great and it was Bebop. Bebop sort of lends itself to having all kinds of adventures written in between. Always bounties to be had that we never saw. This game seems like an actual adventure as opposed to the flight-sim that was released for PS1.

If I remember correctly although it was a pretty game the game play was rather repetitive side-scrolling beatem up.

Slayers also had a few video games that I think might have done well if the came out in the US when Slayers was popular in the US. Slayers Royal 1&2 seem to be visual novels like Utena. They seem like a treat for Slayers fans if for nothing else they have Gourry and Naga finally meet up. These are sort of the lost episodes.

Was always curious about the Record of Lodoss War PC games released in the early 90’s. Obviously, like with most older PC games the graphics and playability aren’t going to stand up to the test of time. However, it would probably still hold the magic of the series with it and I love the nostalgia value of things.

I remember the Record of Lodoss War for the Dreamcast being full of awesome and win for a Diablo clone.

Kekkaishi, can I just say I love this show, for DS and Wii. I might actually import the DS game since I think I could get through it alright. Obviously, you play as a Kekkaishi, Yoshi or Tokine, and you draw boxes and capture ayakashi! As you go on you learn other skills, like the rope, to help you capture more spirit beings. It seems to be a simple game but since its a show I like , I think it could be lots of fun especially the Wii version since you really get to do the movements.

There are rumblings about a Trigun video gamebeing developed. It’s probably playing poker in the back room with the Trigun movie rumblings.

Sounds like Vaporware to me. Prove me wrong Japan. Prove me wrong.

D.Gray Man action/adventure game for the Nintendo DS. You play as Allen and go on missions. You gather information, talk to people, and do a bit of fighting as well. As far I can tell, you don’t get to play as other characters, like Kanda or Krory, but they do show up to help out on missions. This actually has a possibility of getting released, I think, if the anime gets licensed. It is a Shonen Jump title after all.

And speaking of Shonen Jump I would love to play more of the One Piece games. The One Piece game for the Wii seem like a fun little action RPG where you get to switch between Strawhats on the fly during fights. There is talk that this game might come to the US but I have seen nothing definite. One Piece: Gear Spirit seems like a fun little fighting game for the DS. In fact I think I’m going to import this one as I’m writing this. There were also two RPGs for One Piece released for the Gameboy Advanced. These could be fun if they were translated.

Basically it just comes down to more Nami = good.

I also hear that Narutaki maybe likes possibly seeing more Zoro.

Or more Nami and Zoro together!

Speaking of Viz, they have this little ole series called Death Note. No one really likes this series but a few of us. It has two games for the DS. I really am only interested in the first one, Death Note: Kira Gemu. Since the first one is about the first part of the manga and the second is the later half. In it you can either be L or Kira and you are trying to investigate to prove who is L or Kira. As long as I get to be L, the hell with everything else, sounds good to me!

The Ultimate team up of Viz titles would be importing the Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars games. They are basically Super Smash Brothersgames with Shonen Jump Characters instead of Nintendo Characters but Super Smash Brothers. But Super Smash Brothers is just super fun no matter what the characters are. Plus you can use Allen Walker and L from Death Note to take down Naruto.

Enix made a Violinist of Hameln game for the SNES. Of course, if I really had my choice this anime would be licensed! Anyway, the game is very strange but sounds fun. You are Hamel who can jump and shoot musical notes but you also have Flute to break through walls, as a stepping stone, or dress her up so she can have special abilities! The graphics are very cute, in the lovely 2D SNES way.

Super Robot Wars is one of those game series that people may really want but will never come over due to licensing issues. Atlas brought over the Original Generation series which was fun but they did not get the main series of SRW. The SRW are turn based strategy games like Final Fantasy Tactics but all the troops are robots from every mecha show from Japan you could ever think of. Want to see Evangelions fighting next to Gundams against the GaoGaiGar and SDF-1 Macross? Well that’s par the course in Super Robot Wars. Plus the games are filled in in-jokes, subtle references, and fan service in a way that would make most mecha otaku weep with joy.

Oh, and in Lovely Complex, Risa plays a dating game which she gets very attached to. I’d totally play that, if for nothing else because her moments in the show are so hilarious. CAIN-SAMA! But there is actually a Love*Com adventure game for PS2 which came out last year. I can’t, however, find out anything about it so it shall remain a mystery. I would so play it though.

No Japanese game list would be complete without at least one henati game. But why stop at one. Type-Moon makes both Tsukihime and Fate Stay/Night. Both games have H content but they are mainly plot heavy so there is an actual story to tell. It’s just a story that has sex in it. There are also a bunch of side story and sequel games to both games.

It’s always intersting to see the range of hentai games. From one button click that literally says “DO IT!” to the barely present sex in Type-Moon games.

Tsukihime is the story of Shiki Tohno a boy who can see the “lines of death” of all things. By tracing these lines he can destroy anything by breaking it on it’s weakest points. He wind up killing a vampire who hunts other vampires named Arcueid Brunestud due to some strange impulse he cannot control. But it turns out that Arcueid is not dead and makes Shiki help her in her in her hunt for vampires. Tsukihime also has a rather cool fighting game based on it called Melty Blood.

Fate/Stay Night is the story of the 5th Holy Grail War. Whoever obtains the grail is granted their hearts desire. Wizards some heroes of the past to fight along side them to determine who shall win the Holy Grail. Shiro Emiya has almost no talent for sorcery but is pulled into the war due to his unknowing involvement as a child in the last Holy Grail War.

In all reality, most of these games won’t ever see the state side. As can be illustrated with certain anime, many Japanese businesses don’t understand that niche games, as a lot of these are, would probably sell under 1000 copies. That totally sucks because I think a lot of these games would hold a place in the hearts of a few and do modestly well.

Narutaki Currently!
Watching Kekkaishi
Reading Ruroni Kensin: Voyage to the Moon World novel
Listening to FREENOTE

Brainwasher Detective (Hisui) Currently:
Watching Gao Gai Gar

Reading One Piece 10th ANNIVERSARY~ DON! 10th Treasure Book

Listening to To The Center Of the Sun by Bivattchee

The Unabomber doesn’t pay for anime!

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And therefore neither should you.If you are reading this, then you should be paying for anime because you are not a neo-luddite.

Maybe I’m a super advanced neo-luddite who uses technology to take down the very technology I hate. And reads Japanese cartoon blogs.

Maybe I built my computer from pinball machine parts!

But seriously the way some radical pro-fansub people talk on the Internet you would think that pirating anime was like striking a blow against the fascist Coalition States. In their opinion anime should be free and anyone who pays for anime is a sucker and a collaborator with the vilest forces of evil. They would have you believe that every American anime company is run by a bunch of filthy rich fat cats that overcharge you for heavily edited poorly translated tripe. Because as we all know the Japanese get anime for free so why should we valiant Americans be forced to pay for it.

I guess people don’t realize that market is just about the same everywhere, unless you live in a communist state. Yeah, anime is on TV in Japan, but that doesn’t mean it’s free. You sit through the commercials. There you have it ladies and gentlemen, I know we don’t have commercials in America but I’m sure you know what they are. If someone wanted to argue that they only watch anime on TV in the U.S. and it’s free and they therefore won’t buy any DVDs…I guess that is fine. But that entitles them to a very small portion of anime. And that is hypothetical because we know the people championing it aren’t doing that. Yeah, really sticking it to the man guys…by the way what CORPORATION are you paying for your Internet service?

There are more anime fans than ever before. Why should DVD sales be down? Conventions keep getting bigger and bigger yet the profits seem to be at a standstill or going down the drain. More than 20,000 people attended Otakon for the past three years. How many of them do you think have watched Full Metal Alchemist? Probably a good portion. Yet, FMA and most other anime sell somewhere between 1000 and 3000 DVDs of the first disc and sales go down from the second disc on.

And those numbers are only true for popular series. I’m sure Master Keaton and Galaxy Angelnever sold anywhere near 1,000 copies. If I had magical insider info I would like to see the sales numbers on the last disk of some really popular shows. I’m really curious to see how quickly the number of DVDs falls and how low does it go as a series drags on. But anime companies give out sales numbers like //most// people give out naked pictures of themselves.

Most people being those not on 4chan.

I think it’s harder to find someone at an anime con who has not at least heard of Full Metal Alchemist than it is to find someone who has no idea who the Yankeesare at a baseball game. Now a lot of people will say that, “Oh well I watched it on Cartoon Network so that’s why I did not buy the dvds.” Now if you watched it on TV that’s fine but I still saw a huge number of people running around talking about FMA before episode 1 played on TV. I am pretty sure most of them did not buy the Japanese tankubon and just happen to be Japanese literate.

Plus, there was a line wrapping around half the convention to meet the voice actors. There were more people in that line than bought the DVDs! You are such a huge fan that you can’t shell out 20 bucks for the DVDs? I just don’t get it.

I’m curious if you could make every person, who has seen Fullmetal Alchemist, at Otakon answer why they did not purchase the DVDs. I’m curious to hear their excuses. I assume your going to get, “I’m poor so I can’t afford the DVDs” or “I did not like it enough to buy it.” (Double points if they say either and they are cosplaying a FMA character.) I also assume there will be a bunch of people who have some minor quibble with the release that stops them from buying the DVDs (Did not like how they translated this minor term, did not like some part of the packaging, minor audio glitch). I also assume there will be a few people who don’t want the man to get their cash because they ruin everything and it would be wrong for them to have to pay.

Being a fan for many, many years now this boggles my mind! I used to buy anime blind, without knowing anything about it. It was hit and miss but it was also exciting to sit down with my friends and gobble it up good or bad. The days like that are gone because heaven forbid you buying something at all let alone something that doesn’t have a religious following! However, I understand the need for reviews and previews because the market is so big now, there are more titles out than I could have imagined ten years ago.

I tend to research all my purchases of anything I buy because I’m oddly anal retentive about that. I will still experiment with anime but I tend to like to have some idea of what I’m getting into. If it’s anything I also research what I download on Bittorent just as much. Goodness forbid I download the new Peach Pit series by mistake. I think part of it has to do more with the fact that it’s so easy to do a huge amount of research with almost no effort thanks to the Internet. You get get 20 reviews in a matter of seconds on almost anything. The only problem is you get the Internet’s opinion. Take that as you will.

Well, you also buy more anime than anyone I know. I wouldn’t say don’t research to people, like I mentioned there is so much more out there. But I feel like people use reviews as an excuse not to buy things. Because some show wasn’t A+ or top 10 material it isn’t worth spending money on.

There does seem to be a distinct trend towards people just buying A-list titles and everything else being ignored in anime and manga in general. Almost every anime company and a few manga companies blame this on the Internet. They basically claim that big titles are big enough that downloading does not hurt them too much because they have a more mainstream appeal but niche titles flounder because they lose too many buyers to the free bootleg alternative. How true this is I can’t say. All I can say is no matter what the truth is you should try and support smaller titles. Naruto will do fine if you skip buying a few DVDs for a while to support Honey and Clover and Mushishi. (Buy Honey and Clover when it comes out or you will never find true love.)

I would never say don’t use bittorrent. I use it all the time, it is running right now. But I don’t watch too many series compared to what is available online right now. I usually watch somewhere from one to five titles at a time and they are never licensed. I like to know what’s going on in Japan, too! But I also buy the titles that I watch on bittorrent, even if I completely watch it before it comes to the states. If/when D.Gray Man gets licensed, I’m so there! If/when Claymore makes it to the U.S., I will cheer! If/when Lovely Complexgets picked up, I’m pre-ordering and I’m already on episode 19. You get the point.

Well, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. I’m pretty sure that fansubs are here to stay no matter what anyone does. Even if bittorrent were to be banned from the Internet tomorrow then IRC, other peer to peer programs, and good old bootleg DVDs would pick up the slack almost instantly. The only thing we can hope to do is encourage people to act like good fans despite the fact that they can get fansubs for free.

Ahhh, I remember my old DC++ days. Fond memories.

That being said I also watch fansubs but try to live by the Otaku code. The Otaku code being that as long as I moderately enjoyed the show I watched fansubed I will go out and buy the legitimate release. That means you don’t go and whine just because the show you like got licensed. You should be happy when the show you like gets a US release. Unless the show is being licensed by 4kids you should be happy to spend money on the shows you like. You can’t go running around saying that fansubs are fine because they show the American companies which titles to license and then not go out and buy those titles.

I also love bittorrent for all the titles that will probably never get licensed. Because no matter how big the market and no matter the sales, there are just some things that seem unlikely to see an official English release. This stems from people only wanting the best of the bestest popular anime of the year. It is really undermining small, niche series and older titles. And so we use Internet to get a fix. But all those shows, I am always championing at cons begging companies to consider them. I’d buy them in a heartbeat!

Is bittorent really hurting older or very obscure anime? The problem is only niche number of people currently interested in these older/more obscure anime. In general modern anime fans seem rather uninterested in older anime and a lot of the more niche titles. They don’t want to download the episodes of older anime for free let alone buy it in the stores. Look at the number of downloads of the newest episodes of Bleach compared to the newest fansubbed episodes of Future Cop Urashiman. The is often a factor of 100 difference in the number of downloaders.

That being said I do like the fact that you can see things like the Rose of Versailles or Future Cop Urashiman despite the fact the is a slim chance of them ever being licensed. Until I learn Japanese it will be the easiest way for me to see certain shows. Plus I too would go out and purchase legitimate releases of said anime if they ever came out in America.

I have to admit, I feel like all of this not buying is purely selfish. I think people should think about the community of fans more and consider other people. Maybe I’m being a little simplistic and naive but I always saw anime fans as a united group of people until a few years ago. Perhaps a splintering like this was caused by it’s rapid growth, but that is another conversation. All I’m saying is that, people aren’t buying anime because they don’t feel like it. Period. And I have to wonder if there is a way to make them feel like it.

I think it’s more a fact that anime has gone mainstream. In the very old days before there was even an American anime industry you had to be a hardcore SOB with a real passion to get anything in America. You had to go and make friends with people who were in Japan and trade with them to get copies of raws. Anything you got was hard won. Fans back then could only wish for American releases. Anything that was releases in the US was heavily modified to being almost different shows.

Can we say Streamline? But you took what you could get!

Also when you started to see anime companies in America, you could easily buy EVERYTHING that was released in the US and not break a sweat. So, most fans had to hunt down what came out and bought it. Anything else you watched was either, traded tapes or very typically horrible bootlegs. Tape trading was also very hit or miss. You dealt with all type of people with all levels of quality of tapes. You could get a nice guy who was a pleasure to deal with and who had beautifully transferred tapes. Other times you dealt with batshit crazy arsefaces with 30th generation tapes with subs done by someone whose native language is neither English or Japanese. You bought what you could legitimately because you were guaranteed some level of quality. Any thing else was a crap shoot.

Modern fandom has it easy. Most everything popular gets licensed eventually and the US companies are anything but perfect but they are better than they have been it the past. The problem is now bootlegs and fansubs are on par with the legitimate releases. Even most bootleggers use the fansubs on their bootlegs (not always though). There are only two guaranteed reasons left that to buy legitimate releases. The first is sometimes extras and packaging materials are better on legitimate releases. Legitimate releases will have trinkets or interviews that a fansub won’t have. The second is the simple love of anime. The problem is casual fans just don’t have the same love and therefore the same commitment to anime.

Oh my the bitterness is starting to show. I guess it can put a different perspective on things when you lived through some different times. I wasn’t around for tape trading mind you, but I certainly know the hard won battles of getting legitimate releases. Waiting years and years for a series to finish. I’m pointing at you Slayers. I was so excited to be able to buy things domestically that I couldn’t imagine not doing it!

Anime fandom was united because the only way for anyone to get what they wanted was to work together. Today you don’t have to deal with anyone to get most anything you want. You don’t have to work for a release and most modern fans never had to work for a release. I’m sure if the kiddies of today would buy a little more if they had to go through what the venerable old men of fandom had to go through. (or perhaps they would have just moved on to whatever was easy to be a fan of.) I’m hardly saying that I would ever want to go back to the bad old days but there was a certain honor such hardship instilled in anime fans.

That goes along with what I have been hearing from younger fans. I asked this kid what college he went to and when he told me, I knew they had an anime club. I asked him what they were showing and how it was run and he said him and his friends didn’t attend. When I questioned why not, he said they had their own little group and didn’t really care about a club. I was disappointed. But you really don’t need anyone else nowadays to be a fan.

As to how to stop the rampant bootlegging of today, I have no idea. People whose livelihood is effected by downloads can’t figure out how to stop it so I don’t think I could think up anything better. As for converting people, I’m not sure if there is any easy way to do so. People have to want to change, otherwise it’s near impossible to get them to change their minds. If there was some simple argument or method of converting people to the idea that spending money on anime is worth it, I would be using it long ago.

I would also be using a modified version of it to get dates.

Narutaki Currently!
Watching E’s Otherwise
Reading Blade of the Immortal
Listening to Ai Otsuka

Brainwasher Detective (Hisui) Currently:
Watching Fate/Stay Night

Reading Otaku USA

Listening to Days – Flow

Moe! Good God ya’ll! What is it good for?

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Moe is this insidious cancer of the anime world. It started as the normal cells of princess characters and turned into to the festering monster that is moe. And like cancer it has slowly spread from the areas it originally infected to the whole body of anime. It’s also a wily cancer. It’s constantly changing itself to adapt, disguising itself in new forms, and always perpetuating itself. Will moe kill anime and then desecrate it’s once beautiful corpse?

Yes.

What was that again Ambassador Kosh, “Understanding is a three-edged sword?”

See the odd thing is, I don’t wholly hate the idea of moe I just hate the horrible machine it has become. Pretty princesses sometimes need saving. As I have already made clear in this blog, I like strong female characters but there are times a girl needs to be saved by her handsome protector. There is an undeniable romantic element to the white knight coming in to save a woman in her darkest hour. Women sometimes want to be swept off their feet and men want to play the role of protector. There is also a warmth that comes from being a chaste protector.

I’m not really opposed to the idea that is moe either. Heck, I like to save the princess and be the great big hero. But then again just saving the girl isn’t really the entire definition of moe. Plenty of girls have been saved that I would in no way put into the moe category.

Let’s define moe because it’s become a very nebulously defined term. In my opinion a “true” moe character is a vulnerable character that instills the viewers with a desire to protect and nurture that character. Tha,t in my mind, is the heart of the beast known as moe. Moe has started to mutate into this more amorphous term. For some reason moe has become this odd catch all for anything that is a turn on. You can be moe for girls with glasses, or moe for tsundere girls, or moe for trains, or moe for gosh darn ramen.

I only learned the term “moe” a few months ago but I am already tired of it. I don’t even acknowledge it anymore. Because as Hisui said, it’s now a blanket term to mean whatever the heck you want it to. In fact, by the way people use it, it means nothing. Because if someone uses it now, I have to ask “in what way” or “how do you mean?” I am sure there a different levels of moe as well but it seems to gotten out of hand. I don’t think the words moe and pathetic need go hand in hand but we are getting there. I don’t use the word, unless in jest.

I also hate the fact that it’s attached itself to some of the most reprehensible parts of anime fandom. The biggest moe fans seem to be the lolicon perverts and the “your virtual girlfriend is better than any real girl” people.

Wait…you mean that last part isn’t true?

I hear it on good authority that sometimes real girls can be fun and can have worthwhile relationships despite the fact that unlike moe girls they have flaws, that are not super cute, and human failings, that are not turn ons.

Both groups that seem to champion moe seem to be afraid of or reject mature, in-charge women. They seem to be the basement dwelling Hikikomori who are just plain afraid or distasteful of real girls. Moe girls seem to be popular because they are safe to these recluses. Since moe girls need a protector and moe otaku can be that protector. A moe girl is safe because she needs a protector like the moe otaku so she won’t reject the moe otaku.

It’s safe to say that saying a character is moe conjures a very different image than was originally intended. I also wonder how prevalent the word really is in the industry outside of moe-loving shows. Does a writer really say, “hum I’m gonna make this character moe,” or do they just write their characters. I feel like the word gets used on characters that is may never have been intended to be used on. And frankly, it’s annoying.

Moe defenders often state that moe is harmless because moe is not sexual. Moe is all about being a brotherly or chaste protector. Because the moe fan is a chaste protector they are not a creepy perv. But it turns out that most moe otaku may claim that they have a chaste interest in their moe obsessions but then they go and buy pornographic doujinshi and racy figures of their moe desire. Their actions often invalidate their speeches of innocent love.

I think a big difference is you are starting to see moe shows as opposed to moe characters. They used to just be a part of a cast with many others but now the crazy has grown so much that you entire series dedicated to those types of characters. So I guess you get your choice of all different looking moe girls in one show! How exhilarating! Moe is kind of just lumping itself in with hentai and dating games at this point. The characters don’t seem to be viably connected to any real story it is just about fan service.

Well the problem is with the flood of moe is that moe seems to be the hot thing in Japan so the Japanese are going to cater to these guys who keep spending good money on moe garbage.

I watched two episodes of this horrible show, Ookiku Furikabutte and I encountered a moe guy! Wow did I take a wrong turn. I have no qualms with shonen-ai but seriously, gimme a story. This was a thinly veiled, very thinly, show allegedly about baseball but between the crying pitcher, the hand holding, the speech about how teammates should sleep together, and the pillow fight, I remain unconvinced that this show has anything to do with sports.

Well, I am sure that has a lot to do with the rise of the Fujoshi. Horrible female otaku have to be catered to as much as horrible male otaku. Girls have their own home in Akihabara at Otome Road. Girls have their sections at Comiket. So they should get their own moe fan service characters. I assume moe will be less attractive to girls but I’m sure there are girls out there who want a vulnerable boy to protect and love.

Did you realized that using moe you can also spell emo. This cannot be a coincidence.

In the fact that they are both running gags on the internet.

The real question that I can’t really answer is, how long until moe will fade from it’s position as the hot thing in anime. I’m pretty sure moe has left enough of a mark that it will never go away completely but how much of an impact will it have on the medium as a whole.

Every once and a while, some new trend comes along and grips everyone’s attention. Then, all the animation studios rush in and try to make their own version of said trendy show. Sometimes the trends dies off and is basically forgotten. Other times they fade into the background but still get made every few seasons. I feel sci-fi anime is like this. Sci-fi anime was big back in the 80’s but you only see a few sci-fi shows now a days. Other times they change the genre and every season you see a show that revolves around it.

Well, has anything that was crazy popular ever not had an affect on the medium? Aren’t certain characters or shows always referenced? However, I agree I’m not sure in what ways it will be impactful. Has it changed the way people watch anime? I suppose in a way it has, but at the same time I don’t think its life changing. I didn’t encounter moe and think “wow, I never knew anime could be like that.” Atleast, not in a positive way.

Will there be a moe show every season for now until the end of time or will this whole craze die down and we can get back to shows filled with all types of horrible female characters not just horrible moe characters?

Narutaki Currently!
Watching City Hunter
Reading Berserk
Listening to Utada Hikaru

Brainwasher Detective (Hisui) Currently:
Watching Full Metal Panic

Reading Boogiepop Returns: Vs. Imaginator Part 2

Listening to Red Faction by MELL