Hatsune Miku is of the database and for the database. She is composed of and designed by moe-elements (Azuma 42), designed quantitatively to arouse feelings of affection in otaku, “those who indulge in forms of subculture strongly linked to anime, video games, computers, science fiction, special-effects films, anime figurines, and so on” (3). Moe-element is a term used to describe the specific attributes, features, or traits of a given anime character. Ranging from cat ears to “incurable diseases” (78), blue hair to chubby cheeks, these elements are atomized traits that evoke moe, or affection, adoration, and attraction towards the animated character. Importantly, it is not the character as a holistic being that evokes this sense of moe, but rather the discrete moe-elements that generate the otaku’s sense of affection. The otaku is drawn to the character not for her unified being, but for her fragmented parts. The part is a whole lot greater than the sum of its whole.
Moe-elements are databased and categorized on websites such as TINAMI, which stands for “The Information Navigator for Manga Artists on the Internet”, though its name has recently been re-translated to “The Information Aggregator for Manga Artists on the Internet”, which seems to be entirely well-suited. These anime characters are themselves aggregates of information, assemblages of fragments, so it is rather fitting for their database to see itself similarly. TINAMI functions as a user-driven, crowd-sourced database of anime and manga characters that allows fans to browse canonical and derivative works across countless characters, projects, and styles. Importantly, users can search for particular moe-elements, and are encouraged to tag their own uploads with whatever moe-element is featured. A user uploading their drawing of Hatsune Miku could file her under the tags of “blue hair”, “schoolgirl”, “pigtails”, etc. Another user might stumble upon this particular work, appreciate the moe evoked by her blue hair, and select that particular tag. They would then be taken to a new page of the database, wherein any image under the tag “blue hair” would appear. Alternatively, a user who knows they are drawn to the blue hair moe-element could simply search the database directly for images residing under that tag. In either case, the otaku or fan will be exposed to new characters and animes based on the particular moe-element they are drawn to. The otaku attracted to Miku’s blue hair, to continue the example, having searched TINAMI for images under that tag, discovers other blue-haired characters, such as Nymph from Heaven’s Lost Property or Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Because it is the moe-element, a fragment of personhood, and not Miku herself that evokes this moe, the otaku will experience a parallel moe in looking at Nymph or Rei Ayanami. These shows will then potentially gain a new viewer or fan by virtue of having a character possess a shared moe-element with the already adored character.
Animation studios are certainly aware of this phenomenon, a fact that has fundamentally altered the character design and world-building processes of animation. Understanding that fan reception and commercial success are vital to any anime program or feature, moe-elements became a free ride to gaining a mass fanbase. Character animation therefore centres less on an individual who operates well within the narrative, or who embodies certain traits which propel plot. Instead, the character is designed as an assemblage of the fragments that are moe-elements. Azuma’s primary example is Di Gi Charat’s titular character, who seems to almost parody the moe-element in her being so visibly designed by assembling these points of fan enjoyment, but this practice is now quite commonplace across animation studios. These characters are assembled, not born. They are built from fragments so that they may be broken back down into fragments. Their bodies can never be static or fixed, they are always disassembled, quantified, positivized, and re-aggregated. They are of the database and for the database.