From: dareka@inter7NS.jp   
      
   Ping Kuo wrote:   
      
   > sex acts/maturity <>= moe, Negima is not MOE, at least, IMO, because   
   > you certainly can not find "innocent" or "pure" anywhere in its fan   
   > service routines.   
   >   
   > I need to find the article where Oh Great and Tenjiku Ronin discussed   
   > "moe", it certainly is different for each person.   
      
   It's true that there exist many interpretations or definitions   
   of moe ($BK($((B) depending on individual perception and it seems   
   that more than one etymologies are claimed arguably true even   
   in Japanese manga and anime communities. Etymologically, I'm   
   almost sure that this expression existed already in the early   
   '80s or before but was not popularly used without proper   
   context nor crossed the line of idiolects until the moe genre   
   has established in anime or manga and people began to talk   
   specifically about the genre. In this usage (for the genre),   
   perhaps it only replaced the use of word bishoujo (pretty girl).   
      
   Perhaps this word came up rather spontaneously than a   
   particular person or group started to use it or it is named   
   after a particular thing or person. The verb form of moe $BK($((B   
   $B$k(B (moeru) is a homonym of $BG3$($k(B (to burn), the noun forms   
   moe are also homonyms. In a figurative sense, $BG3$($k(B means to   
   burn or be ignited emotionally or being enthusiastic. This   
   word in this sense could be used in expressions like $B%9%]!<%D(B   
   $B$dJY3X$KG3$($F$$$k(B (I'm enthusiastically into sports and   
   studies). In Japanese $BK($($k(B means to sprout or give off   
   shoots or buds, and kanji $BK((B is sometimes used for a girl name   
   or a part of girl names. I think it's quite natural that   
   people connected this spring-like image of $BK((B and pretty   
   things, and started to use $BK($($k(B as an ateji (unconventional   
   usage of kanji for a word or meaning) for $BG3$($k(B when they are   
   talking about pretty things that they are infatuated with. At   
   least it was a fun pun.   
      
   --   
      
   dareka   dareka@inter7NS.jp   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)