Support NeoGAF

[Brakke]

I wish there was more moe culture. Too many knuckleheads running around in need of a good bopping.

 

[FO-totality]

Nyuk nyuk nyuk

 

[flaxknuckles]

I wouldn't feel particularly bad for liking K-On, the show itself is pretty inoffensive (even if I find it boring). There are criticisms you can level at it, but nothing other shows aren't worse about.

Its ongoing fan base though...ehhhhhh. I poked my head into our shockingly large K-on community thread (which is somehow on like its third OT) out of morbid curiosity and what I saw affirmed the things I've expressed here: lots of images of "innocence" juxtaposed next to sexually charged images and images emphasizing the girls physical closeness

"This community thread is dedicated to everything K-ON! The story of Yui and her high school girlfriends and their time in the light music club. Here you can discuss relevant topics like the anime, the manga, music, etc. Bought a new K-ON! body pillow? Post about it here."

 

[LouisaFerre]

I personally don't find these appeals to cuteness or innocence to be all that endearing, but I don't actively dislike it(It won't stop me from enjoying Atelier), and if people enjoy it I don't really care. It might be off-putting or creepy to some people but that doesn't really mean anything to me, and it's not going to stop the people who do like it from enjoying it.

My problem, if any, is more when people focus more on that, or any one genre in particular, instead of providing/enjoying a broad variety of content. I feel like there's still content that I enjoy coming out of niche Japanese games and anime, but a lot of it is catering to or based off of similar audiences and archetypes. If that's what the market wants, I'm not going to fight against that(the studios can cater to whoever they want if no one is obligated to pay them), but it's not quite to my personal preferences.

Also I thought Yuru Yuri was funny.

 

[Superflat]

Yeah, like I said, I'm not in the know about this stuff, and yeah...that's an animated 12 yr old in a thong if I ever saw one.

I dunno man, last I checked 12 year olds are incredibly loud midgets

That girl has supermodel proportions.

 

[Khaos_Knight]

Didn't read the OP completely, but I really despise the moe style that has become so prominent these days. It pretty much ruined a lot of Japanese games for me. The style really seemed to start dominating in the late 2000s and it's just everywhere now.

I can't relate to it at all, and the "waifu" and "imouto" fetish stuff, even when used in jest, is just really kind of gross to me.

Yeah that shit just screams pedophile to me.

 

[The Technomancer]

I guess I can't really sympathize here as I don't think I've ever tried to connect with the broader "anime community". As far as I can see fanbases are composed of numerous groups that fall under different umbrellas (some groups fall into the same or share categories with others). Enjoying something with others is a matter of finding a group that matches your particular tastes and etiquette. You could liken it to finding a D&D group that synergizes well if that makes it clearer.

Eh, its complicated. Basically I don't personally like being part of "individual fandoms" and seek out communities like this where I can dip my toe into most conversations in some capacity, or even just pop as an observer for something I'm not actively watching or reading. That's not how everyone works clearly, but it is what I tend to gravitate towards.

 

[MHWilliams]

Yeah that shit just screams pedophile to me.

Whoa. Going ham in here. No reason to get vindictive.

 

[outunderthestars]

I stopped going into most of the PSN/Vita threads because of it. I find it, and the people on this board who seem to be borderline obsessed with it to be profoundly creepy.

 

[Tapejara]

It's for many of the reasons listed in this thread that I've had a difficult time getting into anime. I know that the entirety of the genre isn't "moe," but the combination of it being a prevalent theme, as well as being thought of as "creepy" just puts me off. Gaming I've been a bit more lenient with. I enjoy games like Neptunia, but even that series has plenty of questionable moments.

I think my biggest problem with moe culture, however, is that many of the fans don't seem interested in criticizing it. As you mentioned, OP, many times fans will attempt to deflect criticism with some bizarre arguments (you don't understand Japanese culture/you're the pervert/you're a prude). I've seen similar arguments used to defend these types of games in the #GamerGate movement, and as a fan of Japanese games and someone trying to get into anime, it just makes identifying as a fan all the mo

Spoiler

r

e difficult.

 

[Astral/H3X]

The shits are so damn interconnected.

I think "weeabo" as a term is pretty offensive. I personally want to live in Japan, and find a lot of ideas about their culture to be attractive (though admittably probably in a "grass is greener" sort of way), but I don't feel like I fall into the same group as a "weeabo" (For one, I understand the difference between anime, and actual Japan), but I still feel like we REALLY don't need to have an offensive word for them. People want to get offended by cracker and it's african counterpart, but it's okay to call someone something based on their interests? Not cool.

Also I seriously wish people who were interested in anime, to that extent, would actually learn about Japan some. And I mean more than just what they spend money on.

EDIT: For additional information, when I say "culture", I mean mainly day to day living of life. Business culture, living arrangements, transportation, etc. I can watch anime wherever the hell I want, when I want, but I can't make the subway a feasible primary source of transportation just anywhere.

 

[Chet Rippo]

"This community thread is dedicated to everything K-ON! The story of Yui and her high school girlfriends and their time in the light music club. Here you can discuss relevant topics like the anime, the manga, music, etc. Bought a new K-ON! body pillow? Post about it here."

Oh my!

 

[FO-totality]

The shits are so damn interconnected.

Hardly. Most of quote-unqoute 'weeaboos' I knew were the ones obsessed with Naruto and Death Note; early 2000's shonen stuff. Those certainly aren't 'moe' properties.

 

[Lucumo]

Or are they just pandering to a large niche of Japan who eats up this stuff and buys merchandise featuring cute girls?

You know, it's not that I really have an issue with people enjoying this type of media. What bothers me, though, is how there seems to be a weird disconnect, an inability to look at what they're consuming critically beyond "is this good or bad media?", or even understand while others not involved in this niche might find it off-putting and creepy.

Yes, they are. Those are the people who spend all their money on figurines, body pillows and whatnot. If they would do a "normal" anime, not many people would buy those things or rather, it wouldn't even have pillows and figurines in the first place.

I also think it's off-putting and creepy. That's why I don't really associate myself with that group or anime fans in general. Some 10 years ago, there wasn't this problem. Nowadays you can't even say you are an anime fan because you get weird looks because of those kind of anime.

 

[Yuuichi]

I think "weeabo" as a term is pretty offensive. I personally want to live in Japan, and find a lot of ideas about their culture to be attractive (though admittably probably in a "grass is greener" sort of way), but I don't feel like I fall into the same group as a "weeabo" (For one, I understand the difference between anime, and actual Japan), but I still feel like we REALLY don't need to have an offensive word for them. People want to get offended by cracker and it's african counterpart, but it's okay to call someone something based on their interests? Not cool.

Also I seriously wish people who were interested in anime, to that extent, would actually learn about Japan some. And I mean more than just what they spend money on.

This a thousand fucking times over. Every part of it. Most of the people I people I know who are heavily obsessed with Japan often seem to lack a basic knowledge of what the country is actually structured like and the problems currently prevalent there, and I usually end up being the one on the receiving end of the name calling because I actually study and can understand Japanese at a fairly decent level regardless of the fact I just enjoy the media and have no interest in moving there.

That said and pardon my French, but I'm so fucking sick of people not learning about what surrounds and created what they claim to enjoy and then acting like they know what the fuck they're talking about.

 

[Blusby]

Essentially, the post was me going on about how I totally get why everyone draws attractive characters in every show (even if sometimes it's less attractive, and more thong), but seriously wish they would stop shoehorning in little teeny tiny girls who look ten but say they are 20 into every show at the detriment to anyone who finds them horrifically annoying and disturbing.

What shows do this? You should be able to name quite a few titles to back up your claim surely.

 

[Astral/H3X]

This a thousand fucking times over. Every part of it. Most of the people I people I know who are heavily obsessed with Japan often seem to lack a basic knowledge of what the country is actually structured like and the problems currently prevalent there, and I usually end up being the one on the receiving end of the name calling because I actually study and can understand Japanese at a fairly decent level regardless of the fact I just enjoy the media and have no interest in moving there.

That said and pardon my French, but I'm so fucking sick of people not learning about what surrounds and created what they claim to enjoy and then acting like they know what the fuck they're talking about.

I'm actually kind of the opposite -- I may have sparked my interest in Japan through media (Specifically, because of the Japanese language option in Smash Melee), but nowadays I'm much more interested in just being a part of that big, group mentality. I'm in the military (part time, but close enough haha), and I see a lot more similarities between military "culture" and Japanese "culture", than I do American, and to me it just rings right.
Plus supposedly companies actually act like they give half a damn about their employees. That would be nice for a change. That's what my studies have shown me, at least.

EDIT:

What shows do this? You should be able to name quite a few titles to back up your claim surely.

Last show I watched was Kill la Kill, and before that Code Geass. Nonon and Nunnally, while mild examples, were like this. The post I was GOING to have written was also going to mention that I've largely stopped watching anime in general, and moreso just see gifs/images of said younger looking "petite" characters.

 

[DECK'ARD]

The K-On community thread seems to be having a contest to find the high school girl in a Santa outfit with the biggest tits.

 

[nckillthegrimace]

"Moe" as a word has ceased to mean anything. I don't even know if it ever meant anything, despite the relatively clear etymological origins. It's a repackaging of preexisting cute culture aimed at people who actually have money; it's a self-perpetuating wave of consumerism based on vague tropes and norms established by a rabidly devoted collective consciousness who are completely sincere about an undefinable. It's not even adherence to an ideal or an ideology, as there's no coherent origin point or narrative. It's just a churning machine.

Eh, its complicated. Basically I don't personally like being part of "individual fandoms" and seek out communities like this where I can dip my toe into most conversations in some capacity, or even just pop as an observer for something I'm not actively watching or reading. That's not how everyone works clearly, but it is what I tend to gravitate towards.

Individual fandoms get incredibly weird because they go so incredibly deep, often with a limited amount of officially existing content.

Also, you're probably talking about online communities, but I have never mentioned anime to someone in real life unless they've mentioned it first and they aren't a creepy weirdo. This has allowed me to live a quiet life despite being a degenerate (by your classification).

 

[Kandrick]

Oh my!

 

[Coffee Dog]

What shows do this? You should be able to name quite a few titles to back up your claim surely.

I dont watch anime much, but as far as games go even nintendo's fire emblem has this. It's not uncommon.

 

[Einbroch]

I like cute things.

Pretty much all I gotta say. They make me squee.

 

[The Technomancer]

"Moe" as a word has ceased to mean anything. I don't even know if it ever meant anything, despite the relatively clear etymological origins. It's a repackaging of preexisting cute culture aimed at people who actually have money; it's a self-perpetuating wave of consumerism based on vague tropes and norms established by a rabidly devoted collective consciousness who are completely sincere about an undefinable. It's not even adherence to an ideal or an ideology, as there's no coherent origin point or narrative. It's just a churning machine.



Individual fandoms get incredibly weird because they go so incredibly deep, often with a limited amount of officially existing content.

Also, you're probably talking about online communities, but I have never mentioned anime to someone in real life unless they've mentioned it first and they aren't a creepy weirdo. This has allowed me to live a quiet life despite being a degenerate (by your classification).

But what does that churning machine want? Cuteness in the abstract doesn't mean anything to me, even though its not particularly effective on me, but I think I explained it better on the previous page:

I think its not as simple as being sexual attraction, although it certainly often contains that, I think its a more complicated general "desire" that can be sexual or just emotionally desirous in nature. But where it starts to bother me, I mean really bother me, is when I see it directed at characters who are not just sexually and/or romantically inexperienced but seemingly sexually and/or romantically oblivious. I mean, for all of the various valid criticisms of Oreimo at least in the few episodes I saw the main characters seemed aware of themselves and their wants in a way I don't see exhibited in many other "moe figures". The...the unidirectionality of desiring a character who expresses no desire themselves feels skeevy to me

Its a weird example but suddenly I'm reminded of Love Hina. Now there are many angles one can critique Love Hina from, but one that just occurred to me is that the, on the surface most "moe" of the characters, the fourteen year old cute awkward nervous Shinobu, would feel out of place in the pantheon of what I currently observe as subjects of "moe fandom" because one of her defining characteristics is how she, in her own awkward and confused way, tries to pursue both emotional and physical relationships with the main character. And I don't see that in contemporary media. There's never (rarely?) any expression of desire even towards other characters in the media. There's just the desire directed at them by their real world fans

 

[Yuuichi]

I'm actually kind of the opposite -- I may have sparked my interest in Japan through media (Specifically, because of the Japanese language option in Smash Melee), but nowadays I'm much more interested in just being a part of that big, group mentality. I'm in the military (part time, but close enough haha), and I see a lot more similarities between military "culture" and Japanese "culture", than I do American, and to me it just rings right.
Plus supposedly companies actually act like they give half a damn about their employees. That would be nice for a change. That's what my studies have shown me, at least.

I guess I might have come across as not really liking the culture, which is partially true. I rather like parts of it (especially in terms of some of the formalities in interaction and resulting linguistic structures) but also strongly dislike parts of it (mostly regarding honor/dishonor culture, especially in a familial structure. It's just different than western culture but deserves no less respect than any other culture.

That said, I also think understanding the culture is an integral part of actually understanding the media in its proper context, which is why I even bother in the first place.

 

[Fencedude]

EDIT:

Last show I watched was Kill la Kill, and before that Code Geass. Nonon and Nunnally, while mild examples, were like this. The post I was GOING to have written was also going to mention that I've largely stopped watching anime in general, and moreso just see gifs/images of said younger looking "petite" characters.

But Nonon and Nunnally are both teenagers, who were never presented as not being teenagers, and looked like teenagers.

They don't fulfill the stated criteria, at all.

 

[Sakura]

I'm a little confused by the OP post.
If I understand it correctly, basically, you don't like anime/games that have cute young girls and are targetted towards older men, right?
If you don't like that stuff then that is totally cool and I get you. Personally I hate shows like K-ON.
But really, I mean, is there an actual problem other than your distaste for them? Pornography for the most part also objectifies women and largely targets older men. Is pornography a serious issue we should discuss? At least anime and such is fictional and super niche in its market.

 

[nckillthegrimace]

But what does that churning machine want? Cuteness in the abstract doesn't mean anything to me, even though its not particularly effective on me, but I think I explained it better on the previous page:

The machine was just a metaphor to describe the whole situation as a quick summary, so that's clearly terrible and I ruined everything. I think the self-perpetuating part is more important, as is the part where what thrives is based on utter vagueness. No one involved actually knows what they want, they just want more. They don't even know why they wanted it in the first place, but they could probably tell you what they don't want. It's like that famous quote: "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description, and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it."

This is probably an unsatisfying definition.

I struggle to understand your "innocence fetish" thing, so I'll refrain from commenting on it.

 

[Astral/H3X]

But Nonon and Nunnally are both teenagers, who were never presented as not being teenagers, and looked like teenagers.

They don't fulfill the stated criteria, at all.

Which I suppose is why I said they were mild examples. For some reason I never though of Nunnaly as a teenager (which I'll be fair, is on me), so I viewed her as being "that character", and Nonon just annoyed me with the voice, which is my own association. Like I had said, mild cases.

Yuuichi, I was more referring to the fact that you liked the media, but had little interest in living over there, whereas I want to live there, bit have only a passing interest in the media (aside from the basic style of art).

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Hey! I changed for BCTs greater good!!!

show me your browser history.

 

[Xe4]

I'm a little confused by the OP post.
If I understand it correctly, basically, you don't like anime/games that have cute young girls and are targetted towards older men, right?
If you don't like that stuff then that is totally cool and I get you. Personally I hate shows like K-ON.
But really, I mean, is there an actual problem other than your distaste for them? Pornography for the most part also objectifies women and largely targets older men. Is pornography a serious issue we should discuss? At least anime and such is fictional and super niche in its market.

Not all Moe, but quite a bit of it sexualises prepubescent teens. Even more anime sexualises highschoolers. Legal pornography has women at least 18 years of age.

 

[Kwixotik]

I love how the feeling of moe amplifies my budding sexual desires.. Give me more! Look at me softly with those glowing, wide, puppy-dog eyes and I'll get the wedgie out your thong

Extollere, everyone.

 

[Byakuya769]

OP, it's okay. People into moe are frustrated too... sexually.

 

[Astral/H3X]

OP, it's okay. People into moe are frustrated too... sexually.

Japan has a very weird trend going on right now in regards to sexuality... I'm not sure if Id call it "frustrated" so much as just "why bother".

 

[Fencedude]

Which I suppose is why I said they were mild examples. For some reason I never though of Nunnaly as a teenager (which I'll be fair, is on me), so I viewed her as being "that character", and Nonon just annoyed me with the voice, which is my own association. Like I had said, mild cases.

Ok, first of all, those opinions, while valid (btw Nonon's voice is amazing) have literally nothing to do with the statement in question. You bringing those characters up in response, only to say "oh they just came to mind but really I just don't like them for other reasons" is incredibly disingenuous.

So please, provide examples of these hordes of "20 year old characters who look like 10 year olds" in anime.

Actual examples. Please.

 

[The Technomancer]

I'm continually baffled by your extreme disgust at the "innocence fetish" thing, so I'll refrain from commenting on it.

The simple answer is that that unidirectionality "feels" predatory to me. No, not in a literal way. I don't think you could establish a significant correlation between actual pedophilia and these fandoms/subcultures, or at least not one that could be used to generalize them as such. But the imbalance and the fact that the desire seems predicated on that imbalance bothers me when I see it

Its mostly why I agree with the OP when he says that what he's looking for is something like self awareness. I don't think anyone involved here is "bad people", I just wonder how honestly some people are examining their relationships with these fictional characters. Because as much as people can say "its just a joke, this stuff doesn't actually matter to me", when someone spends a lot of time on something it clearly matters to them on some level.

 

[Khaos_Knight]

I'm more creeped out at the people who watch some anime and want to be Japanese because of the "culture" or whatever the fuck that means. Next thing you know it they're writing full blown English sentences with that one random Japanese word, their Deviant art page in all in Japanese with their really shitty animu fan art of random character having relations and shit. Talkin about how they prefer random Japanese products over their US counterpart.

Shits creepy.

And yea too many people think Akiha is representative of all of Japan.

This a thousand fucking times over. Every part of it. Most of the people I people I know who are heavily obsessed with Japan often seem to lack a basic knowledge of what the country is actually structured like and the problems currently prevalent there, and I usually end up being the one on the receiving end of the name calling because I actually study and can understand Japanese at a fairly decent level regardless of the fact I just enjoy the media and have no interest in moving there.

That said and pardon my French, but I'm so fucking sick of people not learning about what surrounds and created what they claim to enjoy and then acting like they know what the fuck they're talking about.

Haaave you guys met Davido-kun?

 

[Sakura]

Not all Moe, but quite a bit of it sexualises prepubescent teens. Even more anime sexualises highschoolers. Legal pornography has women at least 18 years of age.

There is plenty of pornography that plays on the idea of school girls. Even in the west you have tons of schoolgirl shit. In Japan you can literally buy magazines in a convenience store that feature upskirt shots of supposed high school girls. It doesn't matter if the girls are 18, it is still playing on that same notion.
And then on top of that there are tons of 'image videos' that are more lewd/risque than most moe anime that airs, and they feature girls under the age of 18. Even just in regular magazines you can find pretty sexualised shots of underaged girls in Japan.
Focusing on niche 'moe' anime, as though it is some major issue, just seems so weird to me.

 

[Spider from Mars]

People who watch moe garbage and play criminal girls for the "stories" and "gameplay" are fibbers. Sexualized children ain't cool homies, whether they are real or not.

 

[FO-totality]

Not all Moe, but quite a bit of it sexualises prepubescent teens. Even more anime sexualises highschoolers. Legal pornography has women at least 18 years of age.

There's a ton of schoolgirl and (legal) teen fetishism is western porn, though.

 

[Poodlestrike]

Haha, you're joking right? First off, isn't she a ship? She's not really any age, but she certainly can be drawn to invoke a certain age, and that is of a young girl.

This is the character in question for everyone not in the know to judge.
http://imgur.com/olhXDwX
(warning: top of thong showing)

According to...TVTropes (and they really know their shit when it comes to this stuff), this is the front-page character basically used to represent the series.

There's even a trope for it (though I can't find it right now). Pedo Bait, or something like that.

Might have been renamed or axed, tho.

 

[ZackieChan]

When you compare them side by side like that, I can see where you are coming from, but I feel that case is more just that Pokemon in general is getting more "eye catching" designs. To me, that literally just looks like Roxanne, done in "current" Pokemon style, which looks a lot more like it's just drawing attention in general, than trying to be moe. I can't see moe in there at all, actually. Gotta remember, it's like a 10 year gap in between those two designs.

I dunno. I've seen girls that wear stuff like that around Tokyo.

The drawing is awful, though. Dem lines.

 

[foxuzamaki]

If K-on was the trendsetter of anime you believe it is we'd be seeing an outbreak of well-directed anime with high production value.

I knew you was my nigga branduil

 

[sn00zer]

Its really unnerving that kids just cant be kids in anime anymore. They have to be these weirdly sexualized beings. I will say though outside of Miyazaki "Little Witch Academy" did a great job of letting kids be kids without any sexualization, one of my favorite animated shorts of all time.

Honestly since Satoshi Kon died and Miyazaki retired, Im just about done with anime. A lot of scene outside of the Shonen stuff has just been inundated with moe shit. Hell, Kill la Kill sounded like a fun ride, but jeezus H christ. Besids the constant innuendo with girls barely in highschool I had to stop watching entirely once they started fetishizing a character being sexually abused by their mother. Just a really strange fucked up scene that has sort of killed the cultural weight anime once had.

 

[Astral/H3X]

Ok, first of all, those opinions, while valid (btw Nonon's voice is amazing) have literally nothing to do with the statement in question. You bringing those characters up in response, only to say "oh they just came to mind but really I just don't like them for other reasons" is incredibly disingenuous.

So please, provide examples of these hordes of "20 year old characters who look like 10 year olds" in anime.

Actual examples. Please.

Nono in Fire Emblem. I'd give more, but I just told you that I do not watch anime much at all. Code Geass and Kill la Kill are the last two shows I saw., not the last two with those kinds of characters that I had seen. Maybe its a perception problem, where I am incorrect, but the perception is there and turns me off.
Nonon has that nasally ass voice that, for whatever reason, I have associated with the prepubescent archetype. That, combined with her petite figure, gave me the impression of her being the prepubescent-like character. This is all -based on my impression of the character and opinions-. Is that what they were going for? Maybe, I dont know. But its what she made me think of.

-This is my opinion and impression-.

EDIT: To be fair, I did like Nonon aside from that impression. I just really hate that nasally voice.

 

[dluu13]

I wouldn't feel particularly bad for liking K-On, the show itself is pretty inoffensive (even if I find it boring). There are criticisms you can level at it, but nothing other shows aren't worse about.

Its ongoing fan base though...ehhhhhh. I poked my head into our shockingly large K-on community thread (which is somehow on like its third OT) out of morbid curiosity and what I saw affirmed the things I've expressed here: lots of images of "innocence" juxtaposed next to sexually charged images and images emphasizing the girls physical closeness

I used to post a lot in the first K-on thread. I think most of my posts are from there and then I couldn't keep up anymore so I stopped.

 

[Poodlestrike]

Its really unnerving that kids just cant be kids in anime anymore. They have to be these weirdly sexualized beings. I will say though outside of Miyazaki "Little Witch Academy" did a great job of letting kids be kids without any sexualization, one of my favorite animated shorts of all time.

Honestly since Satoshi Kon died and Miyazaki retired, Im just about done with anime. A lot of scene outside of the Shonen stuff has just been inundated with moe shit. Hell, Kill la Kill sounded like a fun ride, but jeezus H christ. Besids the constant innuendo with girls barely in highschool I had to stop watching entirely once they started fetishizing a character being sexually abused by their mother. Just a really strange fucked up scene that has sort of killed the cultural weight anime once had.

The sense I get is that part of the problem is that highschool (or younger) characters have basically taken over the roles of... everybody, due to market demand. So the same stories that, in the 80s or 90s, would have been told with full-flung adults, are instead being told with characters waaaaay too young for it not to be creepy.

 

[The Technomancer]

There's a ton of schoolgirl and (legal) teen fetishism is western porn, though.

Oh believe me, that's its own whole can of worms, although I do think it can be interestingly distinct from what we're discussing here. Although if had to choose I'll take "fantasizing about sexually active teens" over "fantasizing about sexually oblivious teens" any day of the week.

 

[Fencedude]

Nono in Fire Emblem. I'd give more, but I just told you that I do not watch anime much at all. Code Geass and Kill la Kill are the last two shows I saw., not the last two with those kinds of characters that I had seen. Maybe its a perception problem, where I am incorrect, but the perception is there and turns me off.
Nonon has that nasally ass voice that, for whatever reason, I have associated with the prepubescent archetype. That, combined with her petite figure, gave me the impression of her being the prepubescent-like character. This is all -based on my impression of the character and opinions-. Is that what they were going for? Maybe, I dont know. But its what she made me think of.

-This is my opinion and impression-.

Maybe you should not make broad, sweeping statements about an entire medium of entertainment you don't really partake in at all?

You know, just a thought.

Like, if you went up to a bunch of comic's fans and told them "All comic books are just dumb super hero stories. By the way the last ones I read were Spider Man comics from the 80s" they'd probably find you to be kinda obnoxious.

Or if someone said "all videogames are just dumb war shooting games. By the way the last game I played was Call of Duty 4", you'd probably think they were being incredibly dumb.

So why are you making broad, sweeping statements about anime, when by your own admission, you've only watched two shows in recent enough time to mention, and one of them was from nearly a decade ago.

Also, making broad assumptions about something can't just be waved away with "thats just my opinion". You made a statement of fact, and now you are being asked to back it up, and your response is to lift up that goalpost and run as fast as you can to avoid dealing with being wrong.

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

There's even a trope for it (though I can't find it right now). Pedo Bait, or something like that.

Might have been renamed or axed, tho.

TVTropes had a huge issue with many of its members and contributors being, like, literal pedophiles, or actively pushing this stuff forward to the point it saturated TVTropes, to the point Google didn't want to sponsor them anymore, that the staff actually had to create a "Lolicon Task Force" to clean it up. I remember reading about the saga on Something Awful, and it was pretty messy all around, with some of the people in-charge of over viewing what was acceptable pretty much being dye-in-the-wool lolicon fanatics, and lots of people getting really worked up.

Like, if you went up to a bunch of comic's fans and told them "All comic books are just dumb super hero stories. By the way the last ones I read were Spider Man comics from the 80s" they'd probably find you to be kinda obnoxious.

Or if someone said "all videogames are just dumb war shooting games. By the way the last game I played was Call of Duty 4", you'd probably think they were being incredibly dumb.

But it seems to me that people regularly criticize comics for being saturated with superheroes, and games saturated with shooters? I think those are issues as well as the saturation of "moe" in anime.

 

[Astral/H3X]

Hell, Kill la Kill sounded like a fun ride, but jeezus H christ. Besids the constant innuendo with girls barely in highschool I had to stop watching entirely once they started fetishizing a character being sexually abused by their mother. Just a really strange fucked up scene that has sort of killed the cultural weight anime once had.

With Kill La Kill, I got the impression that most of that was them taking those tropes to an over the top degree as a parody of other shows. The way it was self aware of it gave me that impression, anyway.
As for the mother bit, that was done literally to immediately make you uncomfortable with the mother character. That wasn't for fetishization, it was there to make the character disgusting.