Moe Stare

Now who can say "No" to a face like that?

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So you're a male loner in high school, and you've been single for such a long time that you can only imagine a sweet Moe girl (of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl bent, of course), could save you from loneliness. Now you intend to draw her.

Well, we know what you think. There's no denying that this is your first basic idea of what she will look like:

• she is going to cheer you up → smile
• improve on your social skills → open mouth
• be interested in you → wide-open eyes

That's why this vaguely coquettish facial expression is now worn by almost every female character in moe series and has become ubiquitous in series' promotional materials.

The next facial expression you will draw is going to be the Moe Squint, because she is full of wacky quirks and idiosyncrasies.

If you are looking for those other "Moe Stares" played for sympathy, see Tareme Eyes or Puppy-Dog Eyes.

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Examples

Anime and Manga

• Pictured on your right are Saga and Sugar of A Little Snow Fairy Sugar.
• Bottle Fairy
• Moon Phase
• Aoi House from beginning to end
• In Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, the Maiden In Love.
• The pic that used to be on◊ Late-Arrival Spoiler, taken from a Lyrical Nanoha cover of Megami a magazine that specializes in Moe series.
• Haruhi Suzumiya: The titular Haruhi can send people some confidence and energy by concentrating her essence and zapping it into people by staring at them. Or at least creep them out by trying.
• Also from Haruhi, this◊ external link on Rapunzel Hair.
  • It's worth noting that those three are actually Evil Counterparts
• Basically every picture of Tohru from Fruits Basket outside when she's suffering actual physical harm.
• Azumanga Daioh: This is also the default expression of one Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga. Though it's more to show that she's a happy-go-lucky Cloud Cuckoo Lander than anything else. It starts becoming slightly creepy to see Osaka carry this expression while spacing out, and turns into out-and-out nightmarish when she stands over Yukari-sensei while brandishing a kitchen knife and smiling blankly... To illustrate....◊
• This crops up a lot in Negima! Magister Negi Magi, especially early on, and especially involving Konoka or Sayo.
  • In the Negima Neo spinoff manga, everyone has this expression, all the time.
• Future Diary: A favorite expression of Yuno Gasai, which in her capable hands becomes rather disturbing. In fact, it's the page image◊ for Yandere.
• My Girlfriend Is the President brings us Gender Flipped Putin, looking moe.
  • Now on YTMND
• Mostly anything that's animated by Kyoto Animation, especially Eru Chitanda from Hyouka. She's curious◊!
• This promo image for Noragami. Oddly provocative pose, complete with standard moe-face.
• Almost every girl throughout the OP for Morita-san Wa Mukuchi. One does it while riding a bike, not looking where she's going.
• In the anime of Joshiraku, this trope gets dangerously close to overkill when all five girls do it during the opening credits simultaneously ("Jooooh!").
• Expectedly shows up in Hetalia: Axis Powers. Studio DEEN's Animated Adaptation exaggerates it to notorious extremes of◊ Uncanny Valley. (At least before Art Evolution).
• Sura from Jungle Book Shōnen Mowgli tends to pull this off quite a bit.
• In Brave10, Isanami is usually seen smiling with her eyes wide open. It's as if she got lost on the way to another series.
• Pretty much the default expression of most characters in YuruYuri.

Film

• All of the covers and ads for the Yogi Bear movie have had the eponymous bear and Boo-Boo wearing this expression, though it doesn't come across as cute so much as vapid.

Video Games

• For cute moogle boys in Final Fantasy Tactics A2, Hurdy may do this once◊ (or a few times more◊), but his big brother Montblanc does◊ it◊ all◊ the◊ time◊.
• This is the default facial expression of Flonne from Disgaea: Hour of Darkness.
• Fiona in Agarest Senki 2 is just so cute when she's staring at your screen.
• As of 2012, the mascot of osu! (who appears for brief in-game periods) is a perfect example.
• Pokémon Black and White's Bianca is another character who has this as her default expression, both in the games and the anime (especially when she takes interest in a particularly adorable mon).
  • Rosa, the female player character from Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, has this as her expression in her character art and in-game Trainer sprite.
• Shantae is often sporting this distinctive look in official artwork as of Risky's Revenge, and often in-game as well.

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Webcomics

• Yume-Hime's title character is wearing one when she's introduced.

Web Original

• The Overly Attached Girlfriend is a subversion, taking all of these traits and making them extremely creepy.
• The Voiceroid character Kotonoha Akane does it throughout the video Nandemo Iu Koto o Kiitekureru Akane-chan, where she spends most of the runtime smiling blankly while giving overly simple affirmations to her friends' ideas and shenanigans... Until she decides to point out that one friend getting overly upset and treating an online game as Serious Business is ridiculous and that she should quit said game... while still carrying on with the moe stare.

Western Animation

• Dubois's wife in The Boondocks has this as her default expression.
• This is also the default expression for Cornchip Girl in Recess.
  • T.J. uses this trope in "A Great State Fair" in order for Gretchen to help him.
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic ...Fluttershy, anyone?
  • All of the main 6 ponies have this facial expression at some point or another, as the series' page image◊ proves.

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