Moe anthropomorphism
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

is a form of
anthropomorphism Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
in
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
and
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
where '' moe'' qualities are given to non-human beings (such as animals, plants, supernatural entities and fantastical creatures), objects, concepts, or phenomena. In addition to ''moe'' features, ''moe'' anthropomorphs are also characterized by their accessories, which serve to emphasize their original forms before anthropomorphosis. The characters here, usually in a kind of cosplay, are drawn to represent an inanimate object or popular consumer product. Part of the humor of this
personification Personification occurs when a thing or abstraction is represented as a person, in literature or art, as a type of anthropomorphic metaphor. The type of personification discussed here excludes passing literary effects such as "Shadows hold their b ...
comes from the personality ascribed to the character (often
satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...
) and the sheer arbitrariness of characterizing a variety of machines, objects, and even physical places as cute. This form of anthropomorphism is very common in ''
otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. may be used as a pejorat ...
'' subcultures. With the exception of ''kemonomimi'' (which are human-like characters that have animal features), many ''moe'' anthropomorphizations started as '' dōjin'' efforts. An early form of moe anthropomorphism is the
Gundam is a Japanese military fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with ''Mobile ...
MS Girl created by Mika Akitaka in 1982. Many anthropomorphizations were the results of discussions on
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese
Internet forum An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least temporar ...
s such as 2channel or
Futaba Channel , or Futaba for short, also sometimes called 2chan (not to be confused with 2channel), is an imageboard in Japan. A popular Japanese website, it deals with a wide variety of topics, from daily personal problems to sports, ramen, and otaku and un ...
. The trend spread out of ''dōjin'' circles as commercial anime and manga also prominently feature characters who are personifications of inanimate objects.


Sociological aspects

The
media studies Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media Studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly ...
scholar Yuji Sone has argued that since ''moe'' anthropomorphism is usually personified by beautiful young girls, it is an example of the outgrowth of otaku subcultural habitus into sexual fantasies. The
psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...
Tamaki Saitō is a Japanese psychologist and critic. He specializes in the psychiatry of puberty and adolescence. Saitō is Director of Medical Service at Sofukai Sasaki Hospital in Funabashi, Chiba. Saitō is notable for his study of ''hikikomori'', a ter ...
regards ''moe'' anthropomorphism as an example of ''
mitate-e In Japanese art, ''mitate-e'' () is a subgenre of ukiyo-e that employs allusions, puns, and incongruities, often to parody classical art or events. The term derives from two roots: ''mitateru'' (, "to liken one thing to another") and ''e'' (, "p ...
'' art due to its simultaneous use of both
high High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift ...
and
low art In sociology, the term Low culture identifies the forms of popular culture that have Commoner, mass appeal, which is in contrast to High culture, which has a limited appeal to a smaller proportion of the populace. Culture theory proposes that b ...
to provide additional, sometimes humorous, meanings. Saitō also connects this anthropomorphism with a "desire for transformation" associated with the '' shōjo'' (girl) form.


Types


Animals

''
Kemonomimi is a form of anthropomorphism in anime and manga where '' moe'' qualities are given to non-human beings (such as animals, plants, supernatural entities and fantastical creatures), objects, concepts, or phenomena. In addition to ''moe'' feature ...
'' (), literally meaning "animal ears", is the concept of depicting human and human-like characters with animal ears, and by extension, other features such as tails. Kemonomimi is often used in moe anthropomorphism, to depict animal characters in human form.
Catgirl A is a female kemonomimi character with feline traits, such as , a cat tail, or other feline characteristics on an otherwise human body. Catgirls are found in various fiction genres and in particular Japanese anime and manga. Catboy is a term ...
s and catboys are the most prolific and common in this category, although bunnygirls, foxgirls, doggirls, and wolfgirls are also common. Kemonomimi characters typically appear human except for added animal-like qualities. In
Hiroki Azuma (born May 9, 1971) is a Japanese cultural critic, novelist, and philosopher. He is the co-founder and former director of Genron, an independent institute in Tokyo, Japan. Biography Azuma was born in Mitaka, Tokyo. Azuma received his PhD in ...
's theory of otaku database consumption, animal ears are one type of "''moe'' element," which is combined with other elements in a character in order to create an affective response in fans. A notable franchise featuring moe anthropomorphism and ''kemonomimi'' is ''
Kemono Friends is a Japanese media franchise created by manga artist Mine Yoshizaki. The first project was a mobile game developed by Nexon, which ran from March 2015 to December 2016. A manga by Furai was serialized in Kadokawa's '' Monthly Shōn ...
'', which is focused on a myriad of
anthropomorphized Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
animals in the form of girls and young women, ranging from real animals to
cryptid Cryptids are animals that cryptozoologists believe may exist somewhere in the wild, but are not believed to exist by mainstream science. Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience, which primarily looks at anecdotal stories, and other claims rejected by ...
s and
legendary creature A legendary creature (also mythical or mythological creature) is a type of fictional entity, typically a hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses ...
s. Another notable series is ''
Uma Musume Pretty Derby is a multimedia franchise created by Cygames. A mobile game for iOS and Android was scheduled to debut in late 2018 and then delayed to February 2021. A 13-episode anime television series adaptation by P.A. Works aired from April ...
'' which focuses on girls as famous Japanese
racehorses Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
. Mimiketto is a doujinshi convention dedicated to ''kemonomimi'' works.


Mythological and fantasy creatures

When ''moe'' appearances are given to various creatures from folklore, mythology or fantasy, they are usually called monster girls (or sometimes boys). Their bestial traits may be fully retained, de-emphasized into mere personality tics or removed altogether. An early example of this is with the
independent video game An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. ...
/
doujin soft is software created by Japanese hobbyists or hobbyist groups (referred to as "circles"), more for fun than for profit. The term includes digital , which are essentially the Japanese equivalent of independent video games or fangames (the term " ...
series '' Touhou Project'' beginning in 1997 which depicts ''
yōkai are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. The word is composed of the kanji for "attractive; calamity" and "apparition; mystery; suspicious." are also referred to as , or . Despite often being translated as suc ...
'' and other mythical beings as beautiful girls and women who summon spell cards to unleash a barrage of abstract projectile patterns called "
danmaku Danmaku or Danmu (Japanese: ; Simplified Chinese: , literally translated as “bullet curtain” and figuratively as “ barrage”) is a subtitle system in online video platforms that originates from Japan and popularised in Mainland China. Suc ...
". It was further popularized by such manga as ''
Monster Musume is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Okayado. The series is published in Japan by Tokuma Shoten in their '' Monthly Comic Ryū'' magazine and by Seven Seas Entertainment in the United States, with the chapters collected and ...
'' and ''
A Centaur's Life ''A Centaur's Life'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese slice of life comedy manga series by Kei Murayama. The series has been serialized in Tokuma Shoten's ''Monthly Comic Ryū'' magazine since February 2011, and is published in English by S ...
'', and has grown into its own genre. Rarely, the monster girls are relatively unchanged from their original form and personality, such as
mermaids In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes asso ...
and
centaurides The Centaurides ( grc, Κενταυρίδες, ''Kentaurides'') or centauresses are female centaurs. First encountered in Greek mythology as members of the tribe of the Centauroi, the Centaurides are only occasionally mentioned in written sourc ...
. The fan-created
Bowsette Bowsette ( ) or Koopa-hime ( ja, クッパ姫, translit=Kuppa-hime, lit=Princess Koopa), is a fan-made, ''moe'' anthropomorphized and gender-swapped version of the ''Mario'' franchise character Bowser, in which he is transformed by the Super ...
, a gender-swapped and ''moe'' anthropomorphized version of the ''
Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
'' antagonist
Bowser , or King Koopa, is a fictional character, the primary antagonist in Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise, and the arch-nemesis of Mario. In Japan, the character bears the title of . Bowser is the leader of the turtle-like Koopa race. Despite the ...
that gives him the appearance of
Princess Peach is a fictional character in Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise, created by Shigeru Miyamoto and introduced in the 1985 original '' Super Mario Bros.'' installment. She is the princess regnant and ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, where she resides ...
via the "Super Crown" powerup, became one of the most popular
Internet memes An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
of 2018. The popularity of the character later led to other ''Mario'' enemies being given ''moe'' interpretations, the most prominent of which was Boosette (based on the
King Boo Boos, known in Japan as are fictional ghosts from the ''Mario'' and ''Yoshi'' series of video games. They first appeared as a common enemy in 1988's '' Super Mario Bros. 3'', in which they were called Boo Diddleys (a reference to the American b ...
character).


Computers

Although ''
Chobits is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the Japanese manga collective Clamp. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Magazine'' from September 2000 to October 2002, with its chapters collected ...
'' (2001) and Toy's iMac Girl (1998) came first, the meme of turning computer-related phenomena into ''moe'' subjects did not start until , the anthropomorphization of
Internet Explorer Internet Explorer (formerly Microsoft Internet Explorer and Windows Internet Explorer, commonly abbreviated IE or MSIE) is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft which was used in the Windows line of operating systems ( ...
's ''Stop'' button. The idea of Shiitake-chan came in 2001 on 2channel, starting with a poster who claims he saw the ''Stop'' button as a
shiitake The shiitake (alternate form shitake) (; ''Lentinula edodes'') is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is now cultivated and consumed around the globe. It is considered a Medicinal fungi, medicinal mushroom in some forms of tradition ...
. When Microsoft released
Windows 7 Windows 7 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and became generally available on October 22, 2009. It is the successor to Windows Vista, released nearly ...
in Japan, they included a theme pack centered around a personification of the OS named "
Nanami Madobe is a rather popular feminine Japanese given name which is also used as a surname. Possible writings Nanami can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: ;as a given name *七海, "seven, sea" *七美, "seven, beauty" *七実, " ...
" with voice samples from
Nana Mizuki is a Japanese voice actress, singer and narrator from Niihama, Ehime. She is represented by the agency StarCrew. Mizuki was trained as an enka singer, releasing one single under her birth name, Nana Kondō, in 1993 and made her debut as a voice ...
. Microsoft used another personification involving two girls named "Yū Madobe" and "Ai Madobe" to promote
Windows 8 Windows 8 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RTM), released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012; it was subsequently made available for downl ...
in Japan. As part of the market launch, a Facebook draw of 8 followers took place when follower count reaches 80001; and total Twitter follower count for Yū and Ai reach 8001, where winners receive Madobe Yū and Ai-themed prizes. Since the creation of the OS-tans, other software and websites have been anthropomorphized as well. For example,
Wikipedia Wikipedia is a multilingual free online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and using a wiki-based editing system. Wikipedia is the largest and most-read refer ...
has its own "Wikipe-tan", while
Mozilla Mozilla (stylized as moz://a) is a free software community founded in 1998 by members of Netscape. The Mozilla community uses, develops, spreads and supports Mozilla products, thereby promoting exclusively free software and open standards, w ...
applications have their own set of "Moezilla". Chinese netizens have created a "
Green Dam Girl Green Dam Youth Escort () is content-control software for Windows developed in the People's Republic of China (PRC) which, under a directive from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), was to take effect on 1 July 2009, as ...
" to parody China's
content-control software An Internet filter is software that restricts or controls the content an Internet user is capable to access, especially when utilized to restrict material delivered over the Internet via the Web, Email, or other means. Content-control software dete ...
Green Dam Youth Escort. In 2010, Taiwanese illustrator known as "shinia" on
Pixiv is a Japanese online community for artists. It was first launched as a beta test on September 10, 2007, by Takahiro Kamitani and Takanori Katagiri. Pixiv Inc. is headquartered in Sendagaya, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. As of April 2020, the site c ...
created a personification of
Microsoft Silverlight Microsoft Silverlight is a discontinued application framework designed for writing and running rich web applications, similar to Adobe's runtime, Adobe Flash. A plugin for Silverlight is still available for a very small number of browsers. W ...
named Hikaru Aizawa, who is officially promoted by Microsoft Taiwan. In 2013, Microsoft Singapore introduced
Inori Aizawa , also known as Internet Explorer-tan, is a moe anthropomorphism mascot character, originally of the Internet Explorer (IE) web browser and currently of its successor, Microsoft Edge, created by Microsoft Singapore and designed by Collateral Dama ...
, a mascot for
Internet Explorer Internet Explorer (formerly Microsoft Internet Explorer and Windows Internet Explorer, commonly abbreviated IE or MSIE) is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft which was used in the Windows line of operating systems ( ...
. The manga and anime series ''
World War Blue is a Japanese fantasy manga series written by Anastasia Shestakova and illustrated by Crimson. The series is a re-imagining of the console wars between Sega and Nintendo featuring characters inspired by video games. An anime adaptation by 5t ...
'' features characters who are personifications of computer games. Video games with characters based on them include '' Sonic the Hedgehog'', '' Super Mario'' and ''
Tetris ''Tetris'' (russian: link=no, Тетрис) is a puzzle video game created by Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. It has been published by several companies for multiple platforms, most prominently during a dispute over the appro ...
''. ''
Sega Hard Girls is a Japanese multimedia project produced as a collaboration between ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Bunko imprint and video game company Sega. The project re-imagines various Sega video game consoles as anthropomorphized goddesses who appear all o ...
'' features personifications of video game hardware by
Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
.


Law and politics

Elements of the
Japanese constitution The Constitution of Japan (Shinjitai: , Kyūjitai: , Hepburn: ) is the constitution of Japan and the supreme law in the state. Written primarily by American civilian officials working under the Allied occupation of Japan, the constitution ...
have been anthropomorphized into ''moe'' girls, such as Article 9, which prevents Japan from waging war, being "portrayed as a peace-loving girl." In 2010, users from the Breaking News board on 2channel created
Hinomoto Oniko is a Japanese moe character created in 2010 which originated from the Breaking News (VIP) Board on 2channel, and has since become an internet meme within various forums and imageboards in Japan. The character is a moe anthropomorphism of the ph ...
as an anthropomorphism of the commonly used Chinese ethnic slur used against Japanese, Riben guizi (日本鬼子), literally meaning "Japanese devils". The character was made by the 2channel community in response to the growing anti-Japanese sentiment amongst Chinese netizens online, and has since become an
Internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
within Japanese imageboards and forums. In Japanese, the
kun'yomi are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequen ...
reading of the
kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
which make up the racial slur can be interpreted as a female personal name, and so the character is depicted as a young female wearing a traditional Japanese
kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono ...
, along with devil horns and a
katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the '' tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge f ...
. In 2015, Internet users created "
ISIS-chan is a fictional manga character that originated on the Japanese internet textboard 2channel and was created in 2015 after a series of incidents in which Japanese nationals were kidnapped and beheaded by ISIS. The character is portrayed as a '' ...
", a ''moe'' anthropomorphized character of the
jihadist Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...
group
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...
(ISIL). Images of her have been used by Anonymous to dilute the Islamic State's online propaganda.


Others

Other things have also been given ''moe'' characteristics: ;Cells: The manga ''
Cells at Work! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akane Shimizu. It features the anthropomorphized cells of a human body, with the two main protagonists being a red blood cell and a white blood cell she frequently encounter ...
'' depicts the cells of the
human body The human body is the structure of a Human, human being. It is composed of many different types of Cell (biology), cells that together create Tissue (biology), tissues and subsequently organ systems. They ensure homeostasis and the life, viabi ...
as both male and female characters. ;Charcoal: Based on ''
binchōtan ''Binchō-tan'' ( ja, 備長炭), also called white charcoal or ''binchō-zumi,'' is a type of charcoal traditionally used in Japanese cooking. Its use dates to the Edo period, when, during the Genroku era, a craftsman named Bichū-ya Chōzae ...
'' and other types of
charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...
, the anime and manga '' Binchō-tan'' uses the ''
dajare is a kind of comic Japanese word play, similar in spirit to a pun that relies on similarities in the pronunciation of words to create a simple joke. ''Dajare'' are popular in advertising. ''Dajare'' are also associated with {{nihongo, ''oyaji'' ...
'' in the Japanese word for to create a series of cute girls. ;Countries:As with national personifications, ''moe'' versions of various
countries A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state (polity), state, nation, or other polity, political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, so ...
are present. For example, Japan is Nihon-chan,
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
is Afuganisu-tan—both have their own
webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be co ...
s in Japan. Beyond these, however, are the countries of
Hidekaz Himaruya , also romanized as Hidekaz Himaruya, is a Japanese manga artist from Kōriyama, Fukushima. He emigrated to the United States to study in the Parsons School of Design, but dropped out. He currently lives in Japan, and is best known for writing a ...
's '' Hetalia: Axis Powers'', a manga depicting the countries involved in
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
using mostly men with only a few women mixed in. Toshio Miyake argues that ''Hetalia's'' appeal lies in its combination of comedy and male personification of nations, with implicit homoerotic themes. ;Diseases:During the 2014
Western African Ebola virus epidemic The 2013–2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease, centered in Western Africa, was the most widespread outbreak of the disease in history. It caused major loss of life and socioeconomic disruption in the region, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and S ...
, a user of the website 4chan created an image depicting a ''moe'' version of
Ebola Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after becom ...
known as
Ebola-chan Ebola-chan is an internet meme popularized by 4chan depicting a Moe anthropomorphism, moe anthropomorphization (gijinka) of the Ebola virus. The first known image of Ebola-chan began on the Japanese social media site, Pixiv, in 2014. A few days af ...
. During the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, a ''moe'' version of the
Coronavirus disease 2019 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
named was created. ;Food and beverages: Habanero-tan, the unofficial
mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
of Bōkun Habanero; and Bisuke-tan for biscuits that
KFC KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...
sells in Japan. The light novel series ''
Akikan! is a Japanese light novel series about a group of anthropomorphic soda cans who do battle. It was created by Riku Ranjō, with illustrations by Hiro Suzuhira, known for her artistry in ''Shuffle!''. The first novel was released on May 24, 20 ...
'' has soda cans that magically turn into girls. Jelly flavors have also been anthropomorphized. ;Historic eras: A series of Japanese history books features anthropomorphism of historic events. ;Home appliances: Erotic computer games ''
Like Life is a Japanese Eroge, adult visual novel developed by Hooksoft which was released on May 28, 2004 playable on Microsoft Windows, Windows as a CD-ROM, CD; a PlayStation 2 consumer console port called ''Like Life An Hour'' followed on April 28, ...
'' and ''Monogokoro, Monomusume'' both feature
home appliance A home appliance, also referred to as a domestic appliance, an electric appliance or a household appliance, is a machine which assists in household functions such as cooking, cleaning and food preservation. Appliances are divided into three ty ...
s as girls. These appliances include
washing machine A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a home appliance used to wash laundry. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water as opposed to dry cleaning (which uses alternative cleaning fluids and ...
s,
alarm clock An alarm clock (or sometimes just an alarm) is a clock that is designed to alert an individual or group of individuals at a specified time. The primary function of these clocks is to awaken people from their night's sleep or short naps; they ar ...
s, blackboard erasers,
pillow A pillow is a support of the body at rest for comfort, therapy, or decoration. Pillows are used in different variations by many species, including humans. Some types of pillows include throw pillows, body pillows, decorative pillows, and man ...
s, first aid boxes,
mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
s, and even
post box A post box (British English; also written postbox; also known as pillar box), also known as a collection box, mailbox, letter box or drop box (American English) is a physical box into which members of the public can deposit outgoing mail intend ...
es, among others. The very nature of such games, however, puts the main characters in unusual situations when the sex scene happens—such as essentially "having sex with the washing machine". Likewise, the manga ''090 Eko to Issho'' features girls who are mobile phones. ;Military hardware: ''Mecha musume'' are anthropomorphic personifications of military hardware, such as
gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, p ...
s,
tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...
s,
ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...
s,
aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...
or even
missile In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket i ...
s. Popular subjects of this kind of anthropomorphism include
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
military vehicles; collectible
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
musume figures of these vehicles have been released. ''Moe'' anthropomorphisms of historical military ships as girls and young women ("ship girls") are also notable, as popularized by ''
Kantai Collection , abbreviated as , is a Japanese free-to-play web browser game developed by Kadokawa Games and published by DMM.com. The central theme of the game is the representation of World War II warships Moe anthropomorphism, personified as teenage girls ...
'' and ''
Azur Lane ''Azur Lane'' () is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game created by Chinese developers Shanghai Manjuu and Xiamen Yongshi, released in 2017 for the iOS and Android operating systems. Set in an alternate timeline of World War II, pl ...
''. ;Vehicles: Notable trains who were drawn as girls include the
Fastech 360 Fastech 360 is the name given to a pair of former experimental high-speed EMU trainsets developed by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) to test technology for the next-generation Shinkansen rolling stock. The name is a portmanteau of Fast, Techn ...
, often drawn with cat ears because of the train's emergency air braking plates. Called "Fastech-tan", this particular "train girl" has its own collectible figure, sold with permission from the
East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...
. The
bishōjo game A or , is "a type of Japanese video game centered on interactions with attractive girls". ''Bishōjo'' games are similar to ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' books in the way of narrative, in which the game tells a story but the player may make ...
''
Maitetsu is a visual novel developed by Lose, which has also been adapted into the anime series . ''Maitetsu'' was initially released in Japan in 2016, and it was released internationally by Sekai Project on Steam in 2018. Sekai Project also release ...
'' and its anime version ''Rail Romanesque'' feature Railords, anthropomorphized train characters paired up with the real trains.


See also

*
Rule 34 Rule 34 is an Internet meme which claims that Internet pornography exists concerning every conceivable topic. The concept is commonly depicted as fan art of normally non-erotic subjects engaging in sexual behavior. It can also include writing ...
, which sometimes involves anthropomorphic personification


References


Further reading

*. Tokyo, Japan: Aspect, 2006. . (The '' -tan'' is a
hypocoristic A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as '' Izzy'' for ...
suffix.) {{Fandom Anime and manga terminology Internet memes Kemonomimi