Meaning
What does Gijinka mean?
Gijinka, also referred to as Moe Anthropomorphism is a popular trend among online artists, Otakus and Weeb communities, similar to other fads like Ahegao, Gesugao, or Yaoi.
“Gijinka” revolves around the practice of depicting non-human subjects, such as animals, objects or even abstract concepts as a humanoid.
A popular example for “gijinka” is Earth Chan.
Origin
What's the origin of Gijinka?
While anthropomorphic depictions in art have existed since millennia, “gijinka” first emerged online in 1998, when Japanese artist Toy published his humanoid rendition of the Apple iMac model.
The trend continued in 2003, as the “gijinka” illustration of Windows ME was uploaded to Futaba Channel.
Spread & Usage
How did Gijinka spread?
“Gijinka” became a popular trend in the 2000’s, with a Wikipedia entry first appearing on the subject in 2006.
Art renditions were rampant on sites like DeviantArt where creators uploaded the anthropomorphic versions of their favorite Pokémon.
“Gijinka” was first defined on Urban Dictionary in 2009.
External resources
- Toy Box Arts – iMac Girl
- Wikipedia – Moe anthropomorphism
- DeviantArt – Pokedex
- Urban Dictionary – Gijinka