Moe Manifesto

"Moâe is a huge cultural phenomenon and one of the driving forces behind the enormous success of Japanese anime and manga--not just in Japan but now throughout the world. In Japan, avid fans of manga comics, anime films and videogames use the term Moâe to refer to the strong sense of emotional attachment they feel for their favorite characters. These fans have a powerful desire to protect and nurture the youthful, beautiful and innocent characters they adore, like Sagisawa Moe in Dinosaur Planet and Tomoe Hotaru in Sailor Moon. They create their own websites, characters, stories, discussion groups, toys and games based around the original manga and anime roles. Author Patrick Galbraith is the world's acknowledged expert on Moâe and a journalist based in Tokyo. For this book, he interviewed twenty important figures in the world of Japanese manga and anime to gain their insights on the Moâe phenomenon. These interviews provide us with the first in-depth survey of this subject. Galbraith uncovers how Moâe is influencing an entire generation of manga artists and readers. For those new to anime, manga, and youth culture in Japan, he discusses what constitutes the ideal Moâe relationship and why some fans are even determined to marry their fictional sweethearts. He reveals key moments in the development of Moâe, and current and future trends in the spread of Moâe works and characters from Japan to other parts of the world. The Moâe Manifesto provides an insider's look at the earliest Moâe characters such as Ayame by Tezuka Osamu. The book has over 100 illustrations of the most famous Moâe characters, many in color, and it is sure to delight manga and anime fans of every age"--Provided by publisher.