Ask John: What are the Best Recent Moé Anime?

Question:
Hey John, It’s Jenna! (Remember me?) Long time no see!!! I thought I’d throw this out there, considering I haven’t watched any anime in, oh, 4-5 years or so… (Almost since leaving AN in ’06!) You always had almost the exact same tastes that I do when it comes to anime (moe, moe, slice of life and more moe)… So, since I would like to try to get into a series or two again (for old times sake) I’d like your advice about what is out there, available right now, that I might like to watch. Any suggestions?

Answer:
Roughly since early 2007 when Lucky Star premiered and elevated moé to an entirely new level of otaku obsession, particularly American anime fans have developed a belief that anime prior to roughly 2006 was good, original, creative, and diverse, and anime since has been mired in repetitive moé marketing and lacking creativity. While the validity of that theory is easily debatable, it’s not the intent of my response. The very reason why moé has become so prevelant is because it’s popular, and for it to be so popular, there must be something attractive and worthwhile about it. Certainly not every moé anime is exceptional, but the past five years have provided a number of especially enjoyable moé and moé-infused titles.

As mentioned, spring 2007’s Lucky Star is a moé slice-of-life show revolving around a die-hard otaku high school girl and her closest friends. The show has attained a reference level of recognition, requiring all contemporary otaku to be familiar with it to validate their otaku status. The show is certainly amusing, although I find that its “Lucky Channel” segments overstay their value, and the series’ bookend OVA manages to be uninspired despite having some of the series’ best otaku references.

Lucky Star vastly overshadowed the slightly earlier 2007 moé slice-of-life drama Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight. I’m aware that some viewers find the show dry. But it also has a small following of very respectful loyalists that appreciate its attractive art design, unusually good animation quality, and narrative that manages to merge a lot of character personality with a strong dramatic but lighthearted narrative.

2007’s Potemayo is rapturously entertaining for viewers that like shows such as Di-Gi-Charat that are cute but not moé. This episodic show about ordinary life with a pet that resembles a mildly intelligent humanoid house cat is whimsical, adorable, and periodically wickedly funny. It’ll make you want your own Potemayo. (For reference, CM’s did produce a limited edition life-sized Potemayo plastic figure.)

2007’s Minami-ke proved popular enough to get three television series and an OVA series, although the production studio changed after the first series, and critical fans point out that the later installments aren’t quite as sharp as the first. This fun, witty slice-of-life comedy features a wonderfully diverse but organic cast and situational gags that are absurd but never quite implausible.

The Okami to Koshinryo (Wolf & Spice) fantasy drama that premiered in 2008 never gels together quite as much as I hoped it would. The relationship between traveling trader Lawrence and fox god Horo is prominent but never fully fleshed out. Short story arcs begin and end but never quite feel like they’re fully developed or explained. Nevertheless, while Wolf & Spice falls short of great, it is very good. It’s an interesting drama that moves anime’s typical supernatural romance into the realm of adults by implementing subtelty and witty dialogue in place of slapstick and fan service.

Wagaya no Oinarisama, available domestically as the awkwardly titled “Our Home’s Fox Deity,” is Wolf & Spice with less romance, less drama, and less pretentious atmosphere. This under-appreciated work of superficial supernatural slice-of-life charm doesn’t have a heavy story or a serious tone, but it does have very well developed character personalities. And it’s probably a bit smarter and less condescending to the viewer’s intelligence than unfamiliar observers presume. This show is disposable fluff, but it’s smarter and more engaging than it commonly gets credit for being.

Kanamemo likewise is an under-appreciated and under-respected surprise. This little 2009 show is most often characterized by its yuri themes. Two of the girls in the all-female cast are lovers, and a third has a pronounced attraction to cute little girls. But the show’s yuri themes are never intrusive or disrespectfully sensationalized, nor do they compromise the series’ excellent and affective characterizations and charming narrative development. While this better-than-expected show was streamed on Crunchyroll, it’s sadly not been released on American DVD.

Following up Lucky Star, Kyoto Animation’s K-On! became arguably an even bigger international hit, spawning two TV series and a forthcoming motion picture. K-On! is the epitome of moé slice-of-life, meaning that its cast inspires viewers to develop intense fondness for favorite girls, and K-On! is largely a show in which nothing happens. Personally, I found the first season to be a bit artificial and overly calculated to target the moé demographic. But like Lucky Star, K-On! is simply so prominent now that any contemporary otaku has to be at least moderately familiar with K-On! in order to maintain otaku credibility.

Working!!, released in America under the misleading title “Wagnaria” (shouldn’t there be vikings, fur, and battle axes in something titled “Wagnaria”?), is a very amusing slice-of-life comedy that incorporates moé elements without being a moé anime. Like Manabi Straight, Working seems to polarize fans with some adoring it and others finding it entirely dry and unappealing. I can’t predict who will and won’t like Working!!, but it is a show that I recommend every fan of slice-of-life and moé comedy try out.

This year’s A-Channel is a bit of a poor-man’s K-On! minus the music theme. But it deserves some respect for also not being quite as obviously constructed as a moé juggernaut smash. A-Channel is less glossy and stylish than K-On!, so moé fans may appreciate its more stripped-down honesty as a K-On! alternative or compliment.

This year’s Dog Days television series has received a lot of criticism for being unoriginal and bluntly targeted at kemonomimi fans, but approaching the show with a receptive attitude reveals a briskly paced, highly enjoyable fantasy adventure about a good-natured human boy dropped into the middle of a organized conflict between a country of dog-people and the neighboring country of cat-people. The show’s production values have stayed admirably high, and while admittedly not especially unique or creative, the narrative has plenty of engaging characters and a fast-paced, simple but fun story.

The original anime series Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai, “AnoHana” for short, will undoubtedly be one of 2011’s best anime premieres. This truly and deeply affecting drama revolves around five teens who have to face each other and themselves after their long-deceased and adorably sweet-natured sixth friend returns to visit them as a ghost. Although the characters aren’t adults, they have all have real-world personalities and anxieties which gives the show a powerful affective weight. This is literally moé anime for adults as it forces viewers to choose a favorite character and both sympathize for and empathize with that character.

Finally, from the mind of the Macross, Basquash, and Aquarion robot anime creator Shouji Kawamori came 2009’s Anyamal Tantei Kiruminzoo. I enjoyed the show enough to watch all 50 episodes in untranslated Japanese, but this show is absolutely not for every anime viewer. It’s been so overlooked and disregarded by the majority of the American otaku community that only 36 of its 50 episodes have even been fan translated in this era of fansubbing excess. Typical fans will likely perceive the show as either too childish or too redundant, but I enjoyed its slow and methodical narrative development and its decision to reveal its narrative secrets slowly. I mention this show last becuase it’s a bit more difficult to find than the other shows mentioned, and this one appeals to an even more eclectic taste than the prior shows mentioned.