The Cute Zone: Cute FAQ

This FAQ is divided into two parts: the first part deals with cute, and the second part deals with commonly asked questions about the Cute Zone. To return to the table of contents, click on the hyperlinked question in the FAQ. If you have a question that you think should be added to the FAQ, please contact me at bfan@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca.

Table of Contents:

Part One:

What is Cute?
No really, What is Cute?
What's the Anime Spectrum?
Why is hentai (perverted anime) so bad?
Is there any REAL danger of overdosing?
Who (or what) is the Legend of the Overcute?
What is " ^_^ " or " ^_^;; " ??

Part Two:

What is the purpose of the Cute Zone?
How come it hasn't been updated in some months?
Your link to (someplace) is broken. When are you going to fix it?
Why isn't there more Sailor Moon on your website?
Why isn't my vote for cutest character tallied immediately?
Why isn't there any cute guys?
How can I contribute to the Cute Zone?
Hey, you stole (something) from my homepage. I'm suing!
I noticed that one of your pictures is from something perverted. Aren't you hypocritical by showing this stuff?
Are you a girl?
Who are you? ( you = maintainer of the Cute Zone)

Part One:

What is Cute?

Cute is a state of mind, an addiction of a most peculiar sort that is harmless. It is a way to see reality in a positive, warm, fuzzy light.

No really, What is Cute?

Alright alright, since you won't accept the vague, ethereal definition, I'll have to bring it down to more concrete concepts. ^_^ Cute is obviously a hard word to define, but generally cute means "pretty or attractive, in a lively, wholesome, dainty way." For a more up-to-date and more thoroughly interesting definition of "cute", visit dictionary.com. Narrowing down the definition in regards to anime, cute basically can be broken down to these points:

super-deformed / crayon-deformed / semi-deformed
big eyes (larger than the average anime eye size)
goofy facial features (example: Marmalade Boy, Sailor Moon)
mascots (example: Mokona, Magic Knight Rayearth)
glasses
odd colored hair (pink, blue)
"cute" voice

Obviously cute can't only be defined physically, but mentally as well. Most people consider a "genki" or "happy-go-lucky" attitude cute in girls (like Miki in Marmalade Boy), and warmth and sensitivity in guys (like Yuu in Marmalade Boy). Basically what the definition of "cute" boils down to is what qualities a person likes. Of course, each person has a different view of what "cute" is. Yeesh, this is getting too complicated. I hope you know what I mean. ^_^

For even more synonyms and antonyms of cute, check out Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases.

What is the Anime Spectrum?

The anime spectrum is the range of genres that anime spans, from comedy to drama to tragedy. On one side we have the ultra-cute shows, syrupy-dripping and cute to the bone. Then, on the other end we have the hard-core pornographic anime material. It's my theory that each anime fan is situated somewhere on this spectrum. For example, cute addicts are near the cute end, and people who like naked two-dimensional anime girls are WAAAY on the other end.

Why is hentai (perverted anime) so bad?

Well, for people who like that sort of thing, I guess it's pretty much "to each his own". However, hentai anime, especially the really bad ones, are just utter crap. This genre of anime is animated pornography,with no useful value (not even entertainment!) at all. I could continue with social commentary, but I won't. What I will say is that although one of anime's strengths is the diversity of characters and genres, hentai anime is a genre in the anime spectrum that doesn't have to exist. In fact, anime would be better off without it.

Is there any REAL danger of overdosing?

There have been no documented cases, but this doesn't mean that it hasn't happened. There have been episodes of people retching or coughing, but that hardly constitutes an overdose. More scientific study is needed. There is a suggestion that a strong dose of cute anime MAY reverse any poisoning from bad hentai anime.

Who (or what) is the Legend of the Overcute?

The Legend of the Overcute is a story lost to the mists of time... Apparently there was an anime character (rumoured to be C-ko of Project A-ko fame) that was so cute, that she ceased to be cute and became VERY annoying. So annoying, in fact, that she could make any sane anime fan run screaming from the TV. She soon became known as the "Overcute", a pun on the ultraviolent and hentai series "Legend of the Overfiend". Once loosed upon the world, the Overcute will wreak havoc her own special way, with screams of "YAHHO! YAHHO!" and torrents of water from her ultra-large eyes, and Tokyo-leveling cries whenever someone upsets her. Fortunately, we have reassurances from anime producers and directors that a C-ko exclusive series will NEVER be made, and thus averting disaster. But, some crazed insane anime studio could release this blight upon the world once more... (as if ONE series with C-ko in it wasn't enough!!)

What is " ^_^ " or " ^_^;; " ??

When cute anime characters smile, often their eyes get turned into inverted U's. " ^_^ " is just an anime smilie, with the eyes represented by the carat symbol (it's the closest thing on the keyboard to an inverted U). A variation on this is " ^_^;", with the semi-colon representing a sweat drop. The more sweat drops, the more embarrassed / funny it is.

Part Two:

What is the purpose of the Cute Zone?: I started this website in February 1996 as a hobby. I needed an idea for a website that was cool but original. Poking around the websites at the time, I saw all these perverted sites, and I thought that those sites were a)poorly designed, and b)very stupid. Therefore, I created the Cute Zone so there was a place on the net to get sick looking at cute stuff, to try to balance out the anime spectrum on the Internet, and to practice website design. I've tried to accomplish these goals to the best of my ability, but many things, of course, get in the way. (see below).
How come it hasn't been updated in some months?: I'm a very busy University student, so I don't have a lot of time to work on this website (although I'd like to). Plus, I maintain this website by myself and two other websites, with all of them totalling close to 30 megabytes. I have to maintain each page manually as I don't have a database to automatically spit out pages. As you can see, it's quite a large task for one person. All I can ask is to be patient. I will get around to updating it eventually, since, just like you, I hate static websites, and I'm never satisfied with my web design. ^_^
Your link to (someplace) is broken. When are you going to fix it?: My website is on a mulititude of servers and accounts, and some of them go down. I know it's frustrating when something isn't available (such as cute sounds), but it is unavoidable. I try to make sure all links work properly, and I appreciate people telling me if something is down. Some things are taken down intentionally some times, but as I mentioned on the main page, this is a work in progress. Sorry for any inconvenience, and I will try to put them back as soon as possible.
Why isn't there more Sailor Moon on your website?: This is a question I get asked frequently, since a lot of Sailor Moon pages have linked here (I think). First of all, the Cute Zone isn't specifically a Sailor Moon site. Secondly, although some Sailor Moon pictures are cute, there are a lot of places to get them. I prefer to focus on smaller, lesser known characters. I hope I don't offend any fans of Sailor Moon. If I do find some _really_ cute pictures of Sailor Moon, I'll put them on; otherwise, I'll concentrate on other characters.
Why isn't my vote for cutest character tallied immediately?: The answer to this question is simple. Your vote is just _mailed_ to me, and doesn't get tallied by any program. Thus, I do the tallying by hand. The advantage is that I get to read _all_ of your comments. The bad thing is, I only tally it up at specific intervals. I am currently planning on writing a quick Java program that will calculate this on the fly, and save me a lot of time. I do appreciate your comments, and even a "you suck" helps me. (It helps me identify who the losers are.) ^_^
Why isn't there any cute guys?: Ah, yes. The always promised addition to the Cute Zone that never comes. The main reason is that it keeps on getting pushed back. The second reason is that since I'm a guy, I never look at anime guys and say "he's cute". I do have a vague idea who is considered cute though, so keep looking for this addition. No guarantees, but probably during the next long break from school I'll set aside some days to put together a cute guys section.
How can I contribute to the Cute Zone?: As long as you notify me first, you can send any additions via e-mail. You can also e-mail any suggestions you might have. Since I only update the website at certain times during the year, you may not see your addition for awhile. I also reserve the right to decide what I put on the website. I appreciate any additions you send me, but it's my discretion what to put on. If I do put on some of what you sent me, usually I will notify you by e-mail.
Hey, you stole (something) from my homepage. I'm suing!: I am a poor University student, so any attempts at getting any money from are pretty much doomed to fail, and all it will do is make me shut down the website. If you find something (an executable or fan art, etc.) that you created on the Cute Zone, and I haven't acknowledged you, it's probably because somebody submitted it to me without giving me a reference. I'm very cordial about these things, because I think creators should get there due. If I've inadvertantly put something of yours on the site, e-mail me first, and we can work something out, either yanking it, or putting a link to your site, or even just pointing web surfers to your page. That way, I won't get in trouble, and I won't get sued. ^_^
I noticed that one of your pictures is from something perverted. Aren't you hypocritical by showing this stuff?: I admit that some pictures _may_ be from hentai games and anime. You really can't be too sure about the origins of certain pictures that you find on the internet, but as long as the picture itself has no hentai tendencies, that's fine with me. So what if it's from some game? If people haven't seen or played the game (I hope not!), then they wouldn't know the difference, and would enjoy the picture all the same. Of course, this is only my opinion.
Are you a girl?: No, I'm not a girl. Some people assume that since the website is devoted to cute, it automatically makes the website maintainer a girl. In fact, I'm a guy. So, if you're a guy, please don't e-mail me looking for a relationship. If you're a girl... too bad. I already have a girlfriend. ^_^
Who are you? ( you = maintainer of the Cute Zone): I am Asuma Shinohara, aged 24. I'm a guy. I'm a website maintainer. I'm fictitious.