Parody Dōjinshi and Self-Expression

Doujinshi, written as ‘dōjinshi’ throughout the following essay, is something that is close to the hearts of many Otaku, especially myself (take that however you may). And because of this, I decided to write a research paper on the subject for this past semester. Yes. You heard me. A paper on doujinshi for a university class. I love my major.

The True Meaning of ‘Moe’

‘Moe’. Some hate it, some love it. But what exactly is it? Why is Yui a ‘moeblob’? What does that even mean? Most of the time, people fling the word around without really knowing what it means.

Is it:

– A cutesy artstyle?
– A type of character behavior?
– The desire to protect?
– The sexual depiction of little girls?
– Slice-of-life shows with no ‘plot’?