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As you might know, I’ve been reading through Kanon, the famed visual novel that sparked many a moe enthusiast’s fandom. All things considered, it’s not a bad game – it shows its age, and I think Itaru Hinoue’s skill has increased significantly over the past decade, but it’s definitely not bad. I could say a bit more about it, but since I’m only now finishing the trunk, I’d rather keep the rest of my opinion for the final post.
More importantly, amidst the chaos of Umineko and the distinct lack of Key over the last few seasons, Kanon is a breath of fresh air. It’s my first “normal” visual novel in a while, a reminder of why I enjoyed the medium in the first place. The endearingly generic characters, the forcefully surreal dream sequences, the cheesy synths of Last Regrets – everything that you could say to insult it, I could spin to defend it. That’s always been the law of visual novels. On top of that, its familiar galge tropes got me thinking about something I haven’t thought about in a while: the art of making 2D characters feel 3D.
If you define 2D complex as an obsessive, exclusive interest in the two-dimensional world, then that isn’t quite what this post is about. However, if you use the term more leniently (or pick another word that you feel comfortable with), it can be a quick and easy way to describe the attraction that virtually every moe fan feels toward their favourite characters.
Following my own definitions again, for simplicity’s sake, I’m looking at moe as a simple combination of physical and mental traits that character designers and writers use to let their creations earn the seemingly real affection of viewers. Despite this straightforward definition of moe, it isn’t necessarily easy to write a good moe character; if it were that easy, there would be nothing special about shows like K-on and Kannagi.
Now for the tricky part: aside from the “basic” attraction that every anime fan is aware of, there is occasionally an attraction that delves just a bit further. These are the few girls who earn “waifu” status among select fans, the characters who earn the exclusive right to a person’s avatars and profile pictures. Of course, this attraction is purely subjective, and it can vary from person to person, but it’s usually a result of more than just appealing character design and a clever combination of tropes. The question is, how can one write a moe character to make her stand out among the sea of blobs?
Unfortunately, the answer to that question is as vague as anything to do with subjective opinions. There is no black-and-white secret to manufacturing moe characters. That said, there’s a reason this post came to mind while playing Kanon, and it’s not just because of Shiori.
Okay, fine, I suppose it’s mostly due to Shiori, but don’t mistake my point for bias. True, I’m biased toward a specific character, but the theory can be applied to anything.
In a nutshell, I think Kanon’s greatest strength is its dialogue. Yuuichi is clever, and he’s a fun set of eyes to look through, but the game really shines in its presentation of its moeblobs.
And no, that sentence wasn’t meant to be sarcastic.
In reality, what is a moeblob? A miserable pile of tropes? In a sense, yes – fans will always be most attracted to the set of tropes that is most, shall we say, relevant to their interests. However, there is a difference between any dojikko and your dojikko, any sickly girl in snow and this Shiori. Dialogue is the key aspect in Kanon: it’s true to the characters’ personalities. Plausible or not, the characters are consistent, and they portray their charms accurately and effectively. Just as I find Makoto annoying, a Makoto fan would love every block of text she receives. Fundamentally, this is the key to visual novel writing: portraying each of the characters at their best, so that the reader can “naturally” fall for whichever set of tropes appeals to them.
Following that logic, we return to the original point: moe is subjective, but successful moe characters need more than just tropes to become popular and adored. In Kanon’s case, the aesthetic sense and overall ambience is a huge plus, symbolic of everything that I love about Key – and when you add the dialogue to that, everything falls into place.
My personal reaction while playing the game is literally tied with my opinion of the characters: Makoto is more annoying than cute, Mai is dull, Nayuki is adorable in a blood-related little sister sort of way, Ayu is endearingly eccentric… and Shiori is sincere. Yes, this is my bias, but it’s a result of the game’s writing. In a mediocre visual novel, Makoto wouldn’t be annoying, Mai would be plain rather than dull, Nayuki would be your average childhood friend, Ayu would be more stupid than eccentric, and Shiori would be engaging in poetic monologues from a hospital bed. The fact that I like some characters and dislike others is simply because I don’t like the tropes that some of the cast portrays. Some fans would hate Shiori for the very reason that I love her; Mai’s stoic gaze could make her fans’ hearts stop, but it only puts me to sleep.
In that sense, only the writer can bring a 2D character to life, and it requires the same skills that any character archetype does. Moe requires the participation of the viewer: 2D complex is nonexistent if the player is interacting with Naoki Hisaya’s Book of Tropes ~sad girls in snow edition~. Moe does not require realism, nor does it require a Frankenstein-esque amalgamation of things that were never meant to be put together (the guys from Welcome to the NHK already proved that one). The truly heartwarming, surreal sensation that sells galge and funds anime adaptations can only be found in characters that are created and backed by a skilled writer. Finding the balance between cut-and-paste clichés and forced realism is the secret to taking a 2D character and projecting them into the viewer’s heart – no cover-ups, no direct pandering, no frilly skirts and childhood promises. Give us a sincere representation of our personal attractions, and we’ll suspend our disbelief as necessary.
~ ETERNAL
つづく
