General Discussion

@justanormalguy: You should probably attach a "NSFW - Not Safe For Work" to that link. Think of the children!

As for the story, well practically everything on SC shouldn't be taken seriously. They're the anime equivalent of Kotaku, and I realize I am insulting Kotaku with that comparison. They pander to the lowest common denominator (of which I am frequently included) and they focus on the sensational (not the good type of sensational, either). Their lists are the absolute worst in this matter, but I can't say that they aren't conversation starters. In this case...10. Moe.

I've enjoyed Lucky Star, Squid Girl, Hidamari Sketch, Galaxy Angel and characters voiced by Rei Kugimiya. Hell my avatar is Erika Kurumi and she's super moe, but come on, moe isn't a requirement for a good anime. It's a crutch to speed along the industrial process of creating another 12 episode series for the next season or another title in the next issue of a weekly manga tome.

Agree, beset the moe part

@justanormalguy:

It pretty much mean cute (that at lease what I got from it)

@justanormalguy: Moe used to mean something with a very strong focus on a particular element of design. It was much more generalized, but in anime it's come to mean cute and youthful. Moe characters are usually perky and upbeat but not necessarily. It's more important that they be endearing and induce feelings to protect within the main protagonist or, more importantly, the viewer. Below are a few examples:

• Galaxy Angel ~ Milfeulle (the dim-witted perky type of moe)
• Eyeshield 21 ~ Suzuna Taki (the energetic, positive type of moe)
• Magical Lyrical Girl Nanoha ~ Nanoha and Fate Testarossa (Nanaho is upbeat type and Fate is the distanced type)
• To Love Ru ~ The Golden Darkness (the quiet, secluded moe type that needs to be guided through the modern world of which she knows little)
• Bleach ~ Nel (child version) and Yachiru Kusajishi (11th squad Vice Captain)

Being very young isn't a necessity, but I think having some sort of aura of vulnerability is more important. It's just simpler to accomplish this by creating a child-like design since people are hardwired to protect the young, especially young girls.

There are moe guys too such as:

• Hitman Reborn ~ Tsunayoshi "Tsuna" Sawada (crybaby moe type)
• Inazuma Eleven ~ Shiro Fubuki (the withdrawn emotionally crippled moe type)
• Heroman ~ Joey Jones (the oppressed moe type)

A good rule of thumb with the moe guys is if they appear in the series dressed up like girls or if it's easy to find cross-dressing fan art for them on the web, they're probably moe.

The reason I scoffed at the inclusion of moe on the list is because I find it to be an overly familiar character device used to create a bond between the character and the viewer without any effort on the writers part. We, as anime viewers are supposed to care about that character because the exhibit moe traits and have a moe look.