Matt Schley
April 15, 2014 
The web has come a long way. Once upon a time, the only top-level domains around were .com, .net, .org and the like. But recently IANA, the authority that regulates these kind of things, has allowed a great proliferation of top-level domains, leading to stuff like .biz, .info and even .sexy.
Well, this week news of the latest in a series of new top-level domains hit the web, and it’s one anime companies and fans alike are sure to take interest in – yup, .moe!
.moe was brought into being by the folks at Interlink, Co. Ltd., a Tokyo-based ISP who’ve been working to bring the unique domain name to life since 2012. You can check out their pretty slick page here. It’s pretty moe.
For those who don’t quite get what the hype is all about, a brief explanation of this whole moe (“moh-ay”) thing is probably a good idea. Thankfully, Interlink did a pretty darn good job of doing just that in their application for the domain:
“The word “moe” began as a buzzword for a subculture of “otaku” (most closely related English term: “geek”) in Japan in the 90’s. Originally derived from the verb “moeru” which means to bud, or to sprout, “moe” is often used to describe a feeling of excitement towards some object or character, mainly in animation, manga (Japanese comic books), and video games. It has often been used to mean a particular type of “adorable” or “cute” towards fictional characters and was originally used in relation to a type of fascination with fantasy… Today, the word takes on a more expansive meaning somewhat deviating from just the adoration of the fantastical. One can feel or experience “moe” or “burning passion” for all kinds of things, not just animation, or fantasy characters.”
Users interested in registering a .moe address will have to wait until the registration period, which begins in July. After that, .moe domains will be up for grabs (for a price, that is), so start thinking about what you might like. otakuusamagazine.moe, anybody?
Source: Crunchyroll.com
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