The Moe Manifesto: An Insider's Look at the Worlds of Manga, Anime, and Gaming

Description

In Japan, where anime and manga evolved, there is a devoted group of fans who embrace the characters found in films (anime), comics (manga) and the resulting spin off video games in a deeply personal way. This group of avid fans uses the term moe to refer to the strong sense of emotional attachment that they develop for their favorite characters. Characters like Sagisawa Moe in Dinosaur Planet and Tomoe Hotaru in Sailor Moon are young, beautiful and innocent - calling forth in readers a strong desire to protect and nurture them. Moe is a huge cultural phenomenon and one of the driving forces behind the enormous success of Japanese anime and manga throughout the world. Moe Manifesto provides an insider's look at this key aspect of Japanese pop culture. Author Patrick Galbraith, is the world's leading expert on moe and for this book, he has interviewed 20 other important figures in the world of Japanese manga and anime to provide the first in-depth survey of the subject. In this book, you will learn about the very first moe characters such as Ayame by Tezuka Osamu-and how they influenced an entire generation of manga artists; what constitutes the ideal moe relationship; and why some fans are even determined to marry their fictional sweethearts.

Patrick W. Galbraith specializes in Japanese popular culture and writes regular columns for Metropolis Magazine. He is the author of The Otaku Encyclopedia. His writing has also appeared in Akiba Today, Akibanana, and the Journal of Japanese Studies.

"Moe is a hall of mirrors in a cultural fun palace; a twist in the psyche; an etymological thicket; and a sometimes controversial social phenomenon. I can't image a better guide to the moe world than scholar Patrick W. Galbraith, with his lavishly illustrated, interview-based book." -Frederik L. Schodt, author of Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics "Galbraith has crafted the most definitive moe treatise to date." -Brian Ashcraft, author of Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential "What exactly is moe? Galbraith takes a fascinating look into all the elements that make up this word through in-depth interviews and character analysis." -Danny Choo, www.culturejapan.com blog "The author of The Otaku Encyclopedia (Kodansha, 2014) returns with another look at the Japanese subculture that holds such a strong appeal to American audiences. The idea of moe goes even further than the general idea of fandom, specifically referring to the strong sense of emotional attachment that fans feel for their favorite characters ... This is an eye-opening, fascinating, and sometimes disturbing look at fandom that will resonate with anyone curious about Japanese culture." -School Library Journal "Between them, author and publisher have made that great rarity: a serious book that wears its scholarship as lightly as a bunch of balloons and makes its content accessible, enjoyable and instructive all at once. You will learn from The Moe Manifesto, but you'll do it through being thoroughly entertained." -HelenMcCarthy.wordpress.com "Patrick Galbraith, author of several books about anime and the people who love it, including The Otaku Encyclopedia and Otaku Spaces, is out with a new book called The Moe Manifesto, an in-depth look at just what this whole moe thing is all about. In a wide-ranging interview, we spoke to Galbraith why he decided to write the book, how he went about it, and what the heck moe really means." -Otaku USA Magazine "This book is quite an eye opener that helped me understand that I barely scratched the surface with regards to what people like about Japanese pop culture." -ParkaBlogs.com "We really love how the book fits in the hands, just the right size to bring it anywhere we went, most of us had this on the go when we took turns to read this. We love the additions of illustrations and photographs, assembling along with the lively colours giving the book a energy driven feel, making one want to pick this up from the shelf to read right away, even if one isn't a hard core fan of Japan culture. We can imagine someone picking this off the shelf just for curiosity and falling love with it." - Quizoxy blog