Moe= "turn on" comes from the a.f.k. fansubs version of Haruhi, which is how most western fans encountered the show back in 2006. It's not really an accurate translation because as Vexx says, it doesn't translate well into English... a.f.k. just tried to come up with something that worked for the scene.
As for what the term means, I endorse Vexx's definition:
Quote:
|
It is a slang word: a pun derived from a Japanese word that literally means "budding," as with a plant that is about to flower and a homonym for the word for "burning" ... in other words, its an armwaving way of trying to describe a passionate feeling for something that isn't necessarily erotic/sexual. That warm, fuzzy feeling that something must be worshiped and protected.
|
Which isn't to say that the term doesn't have value as an adjective - I myself frequently describe "otaku-cute" things as "moe shows, moe art, moe characters, etc."... but it does bug me that people have misconceptions about what it means, particularly when people read eroticism into it without warrent (a moe character can certainly be erotic, but that's not what makes him/her a moe character). From my perspective, that misconception flows from the Haruhi translation and the (annoying) presumption that sexual attraction is the main reason a guy will like a particular girl.