is a Japanese term which refers to "

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 pejorativ ...

who collect

figurine A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with cl ...

s". Originally, the term was not related to ''

lolicon In Japanese popular culture, is a genre of fictional media in which young (or young-looking) girl characters appear in romantic or sexual contexts. The term, a portmanteau of the English phrase "Lolita complex", also refers to desire and a ...

'' (attraction to young or prepubescent girls), but instead to

agalmatophilia Agalmatophilia () is a paraphilia involving sexual attraction to a statue, doll, mannequin, or other similar figurative object. The attraction may include a desire for actual sexual contact with the object, a fantasy of having sexual (or non-sexual ...

(attraction to statues, dolls, mannequins, etc.), since the figurines were not alive. Japanese journalist

Akihiro Ōtani Akihiro (written: , , , , , , , , 明広, , , , , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese volleyball player *, Japanese mixed martial artist *Akihiro Higuchi, U ...

coined the term, claiming that this group was composed of potential criminals.

Summary

In Japan, the term "figure" can refer to

doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...

s and other collectible

s. Figures based on

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 ...

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 ...

and ''bishōjo'' game characters are often sold as dolls in Japan.

Collecting The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining items that are of interest to an individual ''collector''. Collections differ in a wide variety of respects, most obvio ...

them is a popular hobby amongst

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 pejorativ ...

s. The term ''

moe Moe, MOE, MoE or m.o.e. may refer to: In arts and entertainment Characters * Moe Szyslak, from the animated television show ''The Simpsons'' * Moe, leader of The Three Stooges, played by Moe Howard * Moe Higurashi, supporting character in ''Yash ...

'' is otaku slang for the love of characters in video games, anime, or manga, whereas ''

zoku is a Sino-Japanese term meaning tribe, clan, or family. As a suffix it has been used extensively within Japan to define subcultural phenomena, though many zoku do not acquire the suffix (e.g. cosplay). A ''zoku'' may be labeled with a Japane ...

'' is a post-World War II term for tribe, clan or family. Japanese journalist

coined the term "figure ''moe zoku''", and, although he said, "I don't intend to blame Otaku", he claimed that "Otakus who collect figurines" were potential criminals and that one of them had killed a 7-year-old girl in November 2004. According to his theory, the killer murdered the victim soon after the kidnapping, because the killer was not interested in her living body, but in her corpse. The lifeless body could then be described as a figurine. Akihiro Ōtani used the term in conjunction with Kaoru Kobayashi, who did not, in fact, own any figurines. However, during an

ANN Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

special broadcast on the morning that Kobayashi was arrested, Ōtani commented that Kobayashi was a "Figure Otaku", insisting that "Figure Otaku" was synonymous with "

". As Ōtani's idea of the "figure ''moe zoku''" seemed illogical at best, fans of the anime genre began using it ironically and humorously. The term was awarded the '' Okada Toshio Award'' at the Japanese Otaku Awards' 2004.

Other usage

Although Kobayashi was not an otaku, as of January 2005, Japanese local governments continued targeting otakus, expecting similar cases from them. Therefore, the term became regarded as an extreme case of irresponsible statements of mass media, though the background of

media circus Media circus is a colloquial metaphor, or idiom, describing a news event for which the level of media coverage—measured by such factors as the number of reporters at the scene and the amount of material broadcast or published—is perceived to ...

was apparently

Tsutomu Miyazaki was a Japanese serial killer who murdered four young girls in Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture between August 1988 and June 1989. He abducted and killed the girls, aged from 4 to 7, in his car before dismembering them and molesting their corpses. ...

References

{{Reflist Criticism of journalism Moe (slang) 2004 in Japan Toy figurines