A rift appearing among not just anime fans, but among the creators themselves. The crux of the debate is around around the "moe" archetype, one common in recent years. The most prevalent examples listed are shows like K ON! and Lucky Star, with the focus more being on "cute girls doing cute things", rather than a traditional story. The word "moe" itself is a rather ambiguous term, as the real meaning of "moe" is "to bud or sprout". Most take the word "moe" to mean something cute, or something where the viewer wants to protect the character, or even take them home.
When it comes to meaning of "moe", I tend to agree with the second one, the "protection" feeling. Like the picture posted in this post from Index, it's an emotional response to a usually younger character. Now I'm the last person to try to push my viewing habits or tastes on others, but it seems that a few Japanese creators are sounding off on the "moe" thing. For example, an older post on this blog takes quotes from Dai Sato, saying that he can't create what he wants to due to the "moe" movement. Now I doubt that if he had a really good idea, someone wouldn't put down the money, but I think what he is referring to is more sales driven. Just this year we have seen the traditional powerhouse of an animation studio, Madhouse begin looking into possible bankruptcy.
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