I was deeply disappointed in this show! I really wanted to hear about a moe fan's opinions of what the appeal of the genre is, a few definitions of the term (if there is not a definitive one), etc. Instead this person who is considered enough of an expert by Otaku USA to get a column, didn't even begin to answer any legitimate questions about the topic. I can understand why someone wouldn't want to go into it at a party or other environment where the responses might be hostile or dismissive, but this was a legitimate friendly platform for explaining to the uninitiated.
This episode was interesting, which I suppose is partly code for, "I'm not sure how much I liked it." I certainly understand where Caleb is coming from: defining a controversial term like "moe" always draws fire from some contingent of fandom. Also, I think getting away from overarching terms that are often used just to shut down discussion is a good idea as well. "Moe" has almost acquired Godwin's Law-like status as marking the end of a discussion, with some even directly invoking it.
On the other hand, I think having a common vocabulary is important in any discussion, and this is really where this particular discussion just never got going. Without a common definition, the term is essentially useless, and the beginning of this podcast is (unfortunately) a good example of that. Much of the time I didn't understand what Caleb was talking about because he dropped show and character names that I was unfamiliar with.
As Erin suggested, I went back and listened to Show 43. While I couldn't catch everything that was said (isn't convention audio simply lovely?), I found the discussion between Nadia and Daryl Surat in the comments very interesting
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O god the moeext_218761December 15 2009, 16:18:43 UTC
o god could someone please shut that moe guy up or else il soot myself yes yes moe is good in fine doses like k-on or lucky star coz it pokes fun of them but not all the time he sounds like the type of guy who masturbates to haruhi living at home to the age of 30 type of guy and if he reads this comment id dare him to respond to me
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On the other hand, I think having a common vocabulary is important in any discussion, and this is really where this particular discussion just never got going. Without a common definition, the term is essentially useless, and the beginning of this podcast is (unfortunately) a good example of that. Much of the time I didn't understand what Caleb was talking about because he dropped show and character names that I was unfamiliar with.
Oh, well, but that Dewey Decimal is crazy! ;) ...
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