Fuuko – the chief perpetrator of Retarded moe.
Once upon a time, the concept of moe revolves around logical premises of cuteness and acts of genuine feelings to protect this adorable anime girl character. I am not sure when everything and anything suddenly becomes the definition of moe, and this current revolution of “anything is moe” came to a standstill when Kyoto Animation throws in its weight into the philosophy of moe.
Due to the sensitive issues with the topic, it is better for me to make an operational definition regarding retarded moe before we go on. Retarded moe is the acknowledgment of cuteness through acting stupid or doing stupid things with a frequent basis. There is little explanation of why the character is so stupid, but it is meant to induce fanboys a sense of protection to defend this girl who is too stupid to do absolutely anything useful.
Also for additional reference: Read Fuuko of Clannad fame.
The first sign of this “retarded moe” behavior came from Ayu of Kanon fame. This Ayu is clumsy and generally useless. In other words, she is just there to fill the screen with her silly (sometimes stupid) antics to make everyone laugh, particularly when she says “Uguu~.” I am very sure that many of you would have found her adorable. I did, personally, to some extent since the level of retarded moe is decent but not to the extent of killing my brain cells. In other words, it has not breached the level of retarded behavior that tickles my “hate” bone.
However, with the appearance of another moe-blob sentimental show Clannad, the level of retarded moe was broken. Fuuko is exactly as the definition of retarded-moe, stupid, incapable of thought processing and often does stupid things that make little sense to anyone with logic. I can understand why people want to protect a defenseless girl but Fuuko is not only defenseless but stupid to the extent of ridiculous proportions. In fact, her level of stupidity is so high that she grates on my nerves. I cannot understand why people think a girl who is generally doing very stupid acts is actually cute. In fact, I had people accusing me being a jerkbag because I insulted the pure Fuuko. I do not think that being pure means being retarded. Thank you very much.
p/s: 199 voted yes to hating cooking moe. The new poll is up. Let’s see how many haters of retarded moe are there right now.
p/ss: There was terrible slow loading time for the blog. I am not sure what happened but it’s all good now!
45 Comments
It’s hardly surprising considering in every age there are those who insist that a woman be intellectually inferior. Besides if such girls had half a brain they might realize that they can do better, and we can’t have that can we?
@Crusader: “they might realize that they can do better, and we can’t have that can we?” lol.
@Impz: Haha, well, I understand you, but I did think she was cute….but you know, I’m a girl that’s straight…soooo I can’t really think like that. I think of her as more of a little sister or daughter…..that I DON’T want to have sex with >> Not too much into loli, thank you.
But I do recall having a really happy and STUPID boy in my class. He wouldn’t ever leave me alone and I constantly hated him. He was as annoying as hell! Yet, for some ODD reason, not matter whatever mean things I said or did to him, he really liked me. Eventually, he had to move out of Hawaii. And then it was just me and the other weird obsessing boys. >> But, after a while, I realized I did like him, but he could be so incredibly STUPID and annoying and happy (alllll the time) that it just grated my nerves real hard. Tell you the truth, he could even be the male version of Fuuko..in a way.
Well, point is, I can only like him when he lives in a different city and state. Because this kind of moe close up is too much to deal with. So, maybe the people who play to get Fuuko don’t really realize what it’s like to have someone like that up close and personal…unless they’re exactly like that too..
Well, he did take one mean comment from me right before he left. I told him to grow his hair out normally and stop putting gel in it and wear his glasses and he probably heard the “annoying” comments too. Well, he changed after some months. Don’t think it’s the new side to him that I like either. I think it’s the ‘thought’ of the Fuuko-version of him before. But I’m sure that if he was really back here and back to his regular self, I’d be annoyed to death.
I don’t know. I just don’t get some people’s tastes in significant others. But I can let it be…do you know what I’m saying? I understand them, but I can’t live that way.
Btw, “I do not think that being pure means being retarded. Thank you very much.” – lol.
Eh, I find Fuuko cute when she’s not being retarded.
Retarded moe is almost Too Dumb to Live, but that usually refers to someone who pretty much everyone (in the audience) hates for their stupidity.
@carface210
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Cute, but not in person.
Doribuuuu, shooto!
Fuck you.
When it comes to anime, I’m extremely unfair in that I don’t judge moe by how legitimate the act of moe is, rather just how well drawn the girl is and how they animate the scene.
That girl in the picture, would get no sympathy from me. At all.
Like the commenter above, I am a straight female. I f’in HATED Fuuko. I wanted her to die and leave the show forever. I’m glad I haven’t seen her thus far in After Story. I see lots of dislikable characters in anime though… like Satoko from Higurashi.. “nii-nii”… argh.
Like Impz, I didn’t hate Ayu(her “uguu” was pretty cute), even though she wasn’t my favorite character in Kanon.
Hmm… maybe I don’t like annoying lolis… or just high voices. Sorry to all the lolipedofins (Shuffle) out there.
Being 100% pure means you don’t think or even know about things like murder and rape. Not knowing about those things means you’re either retarded or very young.
It’s just the dumb blonde stereotype given a new skin. Maybe throw in a bit of airhead valley girl and Hot Topic shopper and there you go.
Anyway I have a zero tolerance policy as far as people that are forcibly stupid go so I know where you’re coming from. I feel I should distinguish this from the developmentally disabled who can’t help being slower then the average person and who have special needs. No, the forcibly stupid individual is one who can help it, but chooses to act dumb for some reason or another, possibly as a way to get attention. Much like your retarded moe characters who are designed to be stupid so that they’ll draw attention to their…..errr moeness.
If there’s one thing I absolutely admire about you Impz, is that you mince no words, and you shoot straight into where your bullet ought to go. With every sentence I read I find my telepathic connection with you growing stronger. All the stuff you say are all the stuff many people out there who think like us would like to say, but don’t have the [quote=panther]FAME[/quote] to pull off properly.
My hat goes off to you.
Fuuko is annoying. nuff’said. Same goes for Nogizaka Haruka.
Anyway, nice article!
I totally hated Fuuko, I’m glad that she is out of the After Story so far.
I didn’t exactly hate Ayu, but I disliked her as a love interest for Yuuichi. The episode where the two discovered their mutual feelings felt really forced because Yuuichi was treating her as a little sister till the previous episode.
OTOH I like Osaka from Azumanga Daioh. Maybe because her antics are funny. It’s always a matter of execution of the character.
I fully agree with you! Is like the idea is show someone that retarded that even retarded boys can feel ‘’superior” and worthy. I’m ok with cocking-moe, but in my opinion retarded-moe is just terrible.
Thanks for sharing!
regards,
Anime
@mareo: “I’m ok with cocking-moe, but in my opinion retarded-moe is just terrible.” lol. Did you find it yet?
@Crusader: Hey, I am happy that my girlfriend is fricking smart. That said, I cannot tolerate stupid people, so I am rather evil myself.
@catface210: I do think that she is cute initially, before the stupid death train hit the deck. I mean, looks of an anime character can only help that much if she is pretty much shitty. If you know me, you know how much I adore green hair bishoujos. That did not stop me from hating Ranka when she started becoming stupid.
Oh, I think that he just likes you but did not know how to express it.
@Chaos: When will that be?
@Jade: Really? I had people raging that I called Fuuko a retard. I wonder why.
@Omisyth: GOAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
@LDC: Aww. 1 dollar off Crusader’s little cookie jar. Try harder next time.
@D=: Oh? I actually judge the girl by her actions because the appearance of most anime girls these days are generally cute. You will find it hard to find an anime where the girls are all kickass ugly. Wow, I would want to see such a show to be honest.
@Spring: YAY! Ayu isn’t really stupid to be honest and she only grates on me at times. That said, her cuteness did overwhelm her stupidity, so it is all good. Fuuko, on the other hand…
You wouldn’t like my voice then. Or my girlfriend’s voice.
@Bendover: Bend over?
@Kaioshin: Please stop insulting our blondes. They deserve better. I do not mind people who are stupid or mentally handicapped, as you so describe. You totally summarize the reason why I hate retarded moe so much. Why do I have to accept that stupidity is an act of cuteness? That is not only illogical but ridiculous. Most of all, it’s stupid.
@AK: Anyone can say this because it is true. I mean, I can understand why people find Fuuko cute but they also cannot deny that part of the charm is the exact thing I find stupid and ridiculous.
@Lehq: Hah! Haruka ….who’s that? Oh, that otaku woman.
@Son: You know, when I flamed Fuuko until the cows come home, does it make you happy? Osaka isn’t stupid at all (well, she has low iq) but her stupidity is not her way to be cute. It’s hard to describe, as you say. It is merely the execution.
@Mareo: Serving the lowest being ever. How low can we get?
It’s the typical way of shoddy characterization. You make the main character “cool” because everyone else is such a dumbass.
Tomoya in Clannad is a total asshole, yet we’re supposed to look up to him, because every other guy is an idiot and every girl is moe dumb. It was the same way in Kanon and Air. It’s not that the male leads were admirable, it’s just that everyone else was a helpless dumbass. KeyAni basically builds it’s male leads up by putting evevyone else down. It’s a shoddy and uncreative method of characterization in my view.
It’s like Neo in the Matrix. He’s “cool” not because of his strength of character, but because he’s so much stronger than anyone else.
@Impz: My standards are incredibly high/picky/whatever you want to call it. I mean, looks aren’t the only thing obviously but it’s a major part. It also depends on how I view the girl, again mainly due to her looks. Like you said, rarely are girls ugly in animes, but that also limits the designs.
Example being CLAMP’s Geass R2. I could not ever see Anya from a moe pov. She was just some stupid girl for me that was subject to the anorexic design of CLAMP. C.C. was more moe than Anya when she turned moe, but that was more so due to hugging Cheese-Kun and covering up her body which screams bang me.
Hikari from Special A would be somewhat Moe for me, albeit mostly the manga. Generally she’s boring like the rest of the cast/story, but there are moments where the mangaka draws a really cute panel of her. It’s simple stuff too, where it’s like ._. followed by ^___________^ and such.
Put it this way, while there are varying limits for each person, the whole retarded moe deal is only understood when you stop looking at the girl as a girl. I look at them as more like….a plushie D= or a child. Only certain characters successfully pull off real girl/moe at the same time, and those moe moments are few and far between and usually the girl character is not really that sexy at all. Case in point, Yuuhi from Akaneiro. Episode 2 closer proves my point <.< but maybe that’s just KugiRie being a goddess on the mic.
does retardet moe also contain girls who are a klutz? or will this come later?
anyways it’s really bothering that there isn’t any “hot stuff”, i mean e.g. revi isn’t a real beauty and she isn’t moe, but she’s hot and nobody will say otherwise, expect he is blind.
And what you get to see most of the time are underdeveloped tsunderes or busty chicks, whoose boobs think for them
LOL!
nicely said.
I’m a lesbian, and I hated Fuuko too.
I think Kyoto Ani just overdid the Fuuko part especially after her arc when she will pop out of no where and do something random. But still I still like her arc the most as compared to the others, her story is kinda sad.
@ Adi: I wouldn’t include clumsiness or being a klutz in the retarded moe category. It’s a physical awkwardness, not a mental handicap.
thumbs down to retarded moe. Sure, you should take care of retarded girls (or boys) but it’s not an endearing or attractive characteristic.
So I agree with what Omisyth, Kaoshin, and Baka-Raptor said.
When it comes down to it, we can hate people who are, or act, stupid very easily, but there still may be other aspects why some will like. Stupidity served straight cannot, in anyway, be moe, because in reality, it’s quite annoying.
Fuuko’s stupid moments are like anti-moe, but she still could have spots of cute induced moe or sympathy induced moe. I think the point is, if she is a moe character, her stupidity just makes the line where fanboys should moe very confusing…. post-Fuuko, Pavlov’s classical condition has probably already screwed up many viewers’ moe senses.
Her *ughuu* is cute??!! Try listening to it repeated while doing edits. You will want to kill her in excruciatingly horrible and painful ways.
Why oh why do they go full retard?
Sense, dumb girls makes none. LOL
It’s like the worst of all. My hate for retarded moe is in a completely different dimension from than my hate for cooking moe. Retarded Moe is something I just can not stand. Especially when it turns out to be a retarded cooking moe
Haha, the commenters above are funny. I think people have different standards for anime than they do for real life- I doubt I’d find Impz and his gf’s voices annoying in real life, but Aya Hirano in White Album and Hyakko..
Another example- I totally have a girl crush on Minorin from Toradora. She’s one of my favorite characters in a long time, but my husband told me that if she were real I would hate her airheaded/spastic-ness. Who knows.. maybe.. I know for sure I would hate Ami in real life because I’ve known and hated girls like her, but as an anime character, I like her.
I also like Osaka… even though she’s not the brightest of bulbs. *shrug* I still think stupidity is never moe though.. funny maybe, not moe.
I pity anyone who actually finds a retard moe and marries her in real life. 95% chance it will lead to divorce and traumatized child (not by the divorce, but by his/her mom. Unless the kid is a retard moe too, although that could be just a trauma symptom …), and 99% it will lead to a ruined life.
Meh I hate Fuko, I hate Tenma, I hate Sonsaku.
Coz In reality i hate dumb girls and prefer the smart one….
Retarded. But still cute. O_O
@Impz: It’s funny — you’ve covered
cockingcooking moe and retarded moe, and yet no mention of Kotoko-chan from Itakisu. I thought she would be near the top of your list. ^_^…and yes, in case you are wondering, I HAVE been lurking
You know it’s hard to resist the urge to add an “s” to the title of these posts for fear of offending you.
Well, I’ll be darned! It’s like the pot calling the kettle burnt! As if you’d never acted schupid at all for the sake of being (satisfying the naturally schupid person in you) schupid.
“You wouldn’t like my voice then. Or my girlfriend’s voice.” <– He/She/They wouldn’t like your voice. My voice however can be high and squeaky to low and shmexy if I wanted to!
I REFUSE to get offended by retard-moe. Because I can’t ever find it to be a worthy asset in itself and usually it’s just a comic device.
Maybe add on a new depth to the character, some type of history, some type of a reasoning for it, and I might actually sympathize a bit, like with Minorin in Toradora and other anime with the crazy/retard-moe with some sense of purpose to it.
Other than that, they’re normal comedic angles.
I love these Impz Hates posts lol I hope you keep it up
@Impz: No, I don’t mean cute as in her face. I mean I thought her personality is like her being a really little sister. So I liked her that way. But obviously, in real life (using that guy from my previous comment), stupid moe is not fun when they’re supposed to be your significant other. I liked her as a little sister and for me, those things are obviously different. I probably wouldn’t be able stand her if she was older (or LOOKED older) and was trying to hit on me or whatever. I would’ve hated her that way. But since I never saw her that way, I don’t hate her really.
Also suprised that you didn’t mention Kotoko-chan from Itakisu. The story is ABOUT her being stupid and then having the genius fall in love with her. She wasn’t really cute in the anime, but the Taiwanese drama of ‘It started with a kiss’ made her really cute and enjoyable. But Kotoko is pretty much the definition of stupid.
@Catface210: I have no issue with Kotoko being stupid. I never felt that her stupid behavior was the key to making her feel moe. I am not saying that I hate stupid people but more like I hate stupid acts that are portrayed as “cute.” Kotoko of itakiss never had that. That said, I never warmed up too much to Kotoko because she annoyed the living lights out of me.
I gotta say I dropped Clannad after ep 05 exactly because of Fuuko, well, that and the combo counter “jokes” got really old for me…
Oh wow – some guys actually think in-depth like this. I’m impressed…I thought all guys loved moe without noticing what the different “types” there were. But then again…I thought it ended at something like loli, moe and melons.
Fuko <3
Gotta agree with you on Ayu (personally I always liked Nayuki, Mai, and Shiori better…they could actually do stuff without tripping over their heels), but I feel your analysis of Fuuko may be flawed (though I won’t go into how she’s all innocent and naive – I find those two to be overused and typically flawed analyses as well).
Sure, Fuuko is cute, sure, trying to understand where she’s coming from is like working a 12-sided rubik’s cube with faces that change colors every now and then. But it feels harsh to label her as “retard moe” – the appeal of Fuuko is more than simple cuteness and naivete. I enjoyed Fuuko because I found her so drastically different from the rest of the cast that she was a breath of fresh air in every scene she appeared in. Fuuko is surprisingly independent (if bad at it), or so I thought she was introduced, carving starfish by herself in the classroom. Her arc, unlike Kotomi’s and Nagisa’s, focuses more on Fuuko and how she solves her problems than on Tomoya helping her.
Ayu is indeed what you would refer to as “retard moe”. But try comparing Ayu and Fuuko. Ayu is “retard moe” because she is Yuuichi’s victim, always and forever. Fuuko on the other hand resists and fights back against Tomoya’s teasing (their arguments were probably the highlights of Clannad for me) and quite clearly has the more independent, dominant personality over Ayu.
Fuuko furthermore clearly has a wisdom beyond her years (though maybe it seems this way because she looks 8 years old – someone needs to retouch on her uniform sleeves) and an understanding of her tragic relationship with her sister; Ayu, on the other hand, looks 10 years old, fails at acting like she’s Yuuichi’s age, has a stupid clinging fixation on promises and taiyaki, and forms next to no relationships with other characters in Kanon.
Ayu’s story is tragic, yet flat; Fuuko’s has substance and shape. Ayu is weak, retard, distorted, two-dimensional moe (not to mention I didn’t quite like her character design); Fuuko is independent, 3-dimensional, strange but hilarious, and happens to be moe. She is far from helpless and farther from retard; and this is where I feel you misinterpret Fuuko.
I don’t see how Fuko is stupid or unlogical! She is very gullible but that’s it. Everything else about her is so smart! She comes up with so many clever ideas such as carving star fish, dribble shoot, apearing in times in need of aid, and using clever langauge such as “dextorous”. most characters who wuld be retarted moe would also use slang such as “I don’t wanna”. Fuko would definatly say “I don’t want to”, and also often doesnt even use abbreviations (like saying it is instead of isn’t). She has such an official way of talking too so she cant be retarted moe! She’s cute moe!!