Before we begin, there is one requirement: be willing to accept that the range of characteristics that attracts one to a character is not restricted to just what you set before yourself.  Good to go?  Alright, lets start.

Step 1. Imagine a character that you’re attracted to.  It doesn’t matter if it’s from an eastern or western game, animation, or manga/comic.  Simply be attracted to him or her.

Step2. Determine the some of the characteristics that  causes this attraction, whether they be physical traits, or personality traits, what have you.

Done?  You have just understood the concept behind moe.  Are you surprised at how simple that was?  Moe is at it’s base no different than your own attraction to a character.  It is an umbrella term that covers a certain set of attractive characteristics.  While they may be different from your basic TNA, the result is the same.  You don’t need to understand why some might find glasses attractive, or cat ears attractive.  Simply understand that they are for some, just as what attracts you to your character is true for you, and not for everyone else.

Suddenly moe isn’t so mysterious, is it?

Replaying through Persona 3 and 4 multiple times in the past few weeks instead of working on my research paper, I finally realized why I enjoyed the overall plot to them as much as I have.  It wasn’t so much the great characters or the through provoking themes existent throughout the games, though they definitely helped.  Rather it was the nature of the conflict.  (On a side note, spoilers abound).

JRPG bosses tend to fit into two categories.  They are either an entity that usurped the world in one way or another, or they are the powers that be that once guided the world but are no longer moving in the interest of humanity.  (Of course there are numerous exceptions, but let’s just pretend for the sake of the validity of this post.)  They are actively influencing humanity, actively working towards domination of the world in one form or another.  It is this point that separates them from P3 and 4.  Both games also offer tangible entities to fight against.  However they are merely moving in accordance to mankind.  They are the ones being influenced, merely acting in accordance to mankind’s wishes.

Persona 3 has Nyx, a being of death that is attracted by man’s negative thoughts, and whose awakening and decent to Earth results in The Fall, where mankind falls into a near comatose state, resulting in the eventual death of everything.  With the usual fan fare, the protagonists choose to fight against Nyx.  What is interesting is that while Nyx’s decent is ultimately prevented, the process also displayed the great futility in resisting the thoughts the entirety of man.  The MC (main character) utilizes “The Power of the Universe”, a power that can perform miracles, and merely creates a seal between Nyx and the thoughts of Man, all of this at the cost of his life.  Nyx itself was not sealed, merely idling having lost a connection to the negative thoughts that attract it.  Mankind itself is by no means changed either, as the remaining party members themselves display their own sense of sorrow, fear and dread.

While 3 offers Fate and Death as the central themes, Persona 4 offers Identity and Truth.  Man’s fear of personal identity, and refusal to look for truth in others and their surroundings influences Izanami.  With the purpose of granting man’s wish, to only see and hear what they wish to see and hear, the fate of humanity is to all become shadows, the main stay of enemies in the game.  Shadows are beings that lack an ego, and thus unable to discern reality around it.  (Obviously, the game takes some liberties with psychology, but it works in the context of the game.)  While the ending ultimately results in your party successfully defeating Izanami, and with no casualties this time, much like Persona 3, the world has not changed in the slightest.  What is perhaps even more striking is while those in P3 might fear the near comatose state that might befall them (which ironically only further empowers Nyx), those who sees the possibility of a world where they all become shadows welcomes it.  Quite literally, mankind’s wishes were Izanami’s wishes.

Where am I going with this?  Honestly I don’t know, though procrastination when I have a paper due in a few hours is probably one reason.  However, much like the other rather mature issues that the games tackle (P4 actually devotes a Social Link to dealing the issue of Alzheimer and it’s effect on the loved ones of the patient) which first attracted me to the games, this rather pessimistic take on general will of man, and those that would dare challenge it, is very interesting to say the least.

Maybe I should go for a ride across Minnesota

Through out Toradora’s running, I heard many comparisons of it to Honey and Clover, all in positive lights.  Having missed it during its original airing, I decided to finally check it out, having thoroughly enjoyed Toradora.  However, after watching it, I found myself feeling rather listless, and somewhat depressed.  As the title reads, I really can’t say I enjoyed it at all in the true sense of the word.

Let me say this first.  Honey and Clover was an extremely good show.  Indeed, it was probably the quality of the characters, and the hurdles that they are faced with that ultimately resulted in my reactions towards the show.  While numerous anime characters have had me emotionally attached to them, none has quite captured me like Takemoto.

Perhaps it’s the fact that he was in the same stage of life as I am.  Perhaps it’s the fact that his lack of direction gave him an increased sense of humanity.  Either way, everything that happened to him through out the show felt far more personal, far more relatable than anything that I have watched.  And his struggles inevitably to force me to think on my own.  Where am I heading? What stops remain along the way?  And as the fear of passing days that flew by despite lack of preparation for the future passed through Takemoto’s thoughts, I found myself hitting pause, and for a long moment, sighing heavily.

But of course, I’m not Takamoto, and of course, he’s not me.  And while his own journey gave him a clearer sight of his destination in life, I still wonder where my life might lead me.  I didn’t enjoy the show.  I don’t enjoy being made to ponder on my own life so unsuspectingly.  But I am thankful at least, for there is one thing that I am more certain of now.  I really need to buy another bike.