[ClannadDango]

Originally Posted by 0utf0xZer0

Tempster's definition of "charm" is a great starting point, but I'm going to be a bit more detailed.

The way I understand it, moe is slang that plays on the Japanese words for burning and blossoming.

So basically, a burning passion for a blossoming (youthful) girl. It's something you feel, ie. "I am moe for Kotomi Ichinose."

I consider a character moe if they evoke one or more of the following feelings:
1) "Brain melt" (ie. so cute, can't think...)
2) Warmth/"warm and fuzzy"
3) Charm or playful excitement

The characters that cause feelings 2) and 3) are often quite different for me: Nadeko (Bakemonogatari) and Kotomi (Clannad) are warm characters, Hitagi (Bakemonogatari) and Matsuri (Sola) are charming/exciting ones.

A moe character may or may not be sexually attractive. Age can vary as long as they exhibit youthful traits (I can name immortal characters and MILFs who are moe). Male characters can be moe although male moe characters tend to come across as fairly feminine for a guy (at least to me).

Also, note that when a character one is moe for is threatened, it usually draws a very strong emotional response. Many shows take advantage of this.



To be specific, this definition originates from AFK's fansubs of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya from back in 2006. AFK is a good sub group, but they tend to place a lot of emphasis on natural sounding English and "localizing" humour rather than accuracy, so they're not a good source for exact definitions.

I like your definition, it's easier than wikipedia's to understand.