Overview

Moekon is a line of personal computers sold by the company Fast. Each unit is a cube-shaped desktop, built on Shuttle’s XPC chassis, and the defining feature is not inside the case but on it: illustrations of characters from bishoujo games are printed across the front, the sides, and the top panel. Moekon is a product family that pushes moe, the affectionate attachment fans form toward fictional characters, forward as the thing being sold.

Two related lines share the same concept. Moekon M-note is the notebook-PC counterpart. CyaBear is a barebone version of Moekon with the CPU and other major components stripped out. On Moekon and CyaBear alike, the printed artwork receives an ultraviolet-blocking finish.

The bishoujo games that supply the original artwork are ordinarily sold as adult products, but there is no age restriction on buying a Moekon or a CyaBear unit.

Moekon ver. Terios

Moekon ver. Terios covers the first and second releases in the line, both decorated with characters from games developed by the bishoujo game maker Terios. The first product, announced on October 6, 2005, carries characters from Natsuiro☆Communication♪; the second, announced on November 16, 2005, carries characters from Magical Kanan -RISEA-.

The first wave comprised three models: MOE-TR1S56-P30 with a Pentium 4 3E GHz, MOE-TR1S56-P24 with a Pentium 4 2.4A GHz, and MOE-TR1S56-C33 with a Celeron D 330. The second wave offered two: MOE-TR2S56-P30 with a Pentium 4 3E GHz and MOE-TR2S56-C33 with a Celeron D 330.

Moekon ver. UNiSONSHIFT

Moekon ver. UNiSONSHIFT is the third release in the line, announced on December 22, 2005, and decorated with characters from Peace@Pieces, developed by the bishoujo game maker UnisonShift. The name in the product code, Momose Hikaru, refers to one of the heroines of that title. This release was the first to add an AMD CPU model to the lineup, and two more models were added on June 12, 2006.

The original third-wave lineup was MOE-UN1S56-P30 (Pentium 4 3E GHz), MOE-UN1S56-C33 (Celeron D 330), and MOE-UN1K21-A30 (Athlon 64 3000+). The June 2006 additions were MOE-US1S59-524 (Pentium 4 524) and MOE-US1S59-D31 (Celeron D 331).

Moekon ver. Lump of Sugar

Moekon ver. Lump of Sugar is the fourth release, announced on April 14, 2006, and decorated with characters from Nursery Rhyme, developed by the bishoujo game maker Lump of Sugar. The name in the product code, Shikishima Kururu, refers to one of that title’s heroines. From this release onward, every model carried a CPU supporting the 64-bit extensions AMD64 and EM64T, now known as Intel 64.

The fourth-wave lineup was MOE-LOS1S59-P63 (Pentium 4 630), MOE-LOS1S59-D31 (Celeron D 331), and MOE-LOS1K21-T32 (Turion 64 MT-32).

Moekon ver. Candy Soft

Moekon ver. Candy Soft is the fifth release, announced on June 12, 2006, with preorders opening the same day, and decorated with characters from Tsuyokiss, developed by the bishoujo game maker Candy Soft. Tsundere, the theme of that title and the phrase embedded in the product code, is treated elsewhere. The fifth-wave lineup was MOE-CS1S59-524 (Pentium 4 524) and MOE-CS1K21-S31 (Sempron 3100+), both bearing the name Tsundere Box.

Moekon ver. NekoNeko Soft

Moekon ver. NekoNeko Soft is the sixth release, announced on July 21, 2006, and decorated with characters from the back catalogue of the bishoujo game maker NekoNeko Soft. The product name says “commemorative,” but on January 20, 2006, NekoNeko Soft had announced that Scarlet, released May 26, 2006, would be its final title. Models in this wave carried dual-core CPUs packing two cores into a single package: MOE-NS1S59-805 (Pentium D 805) and MOE-NS1K21-S31 (Sempron 3100+).

Moekon M-note

Sumomo Note

Sumomo Note is the first product in Moekon M-note, the notebook-PC version of the Moekon series. A prototype was shown over the three days from August 11 to August 13, 2006, at Comic Market 70, held at Tokyo International Exhibition Center, with release planned for August 31, 2006. It carries characters from Nanatsuiro★Drops, developed by the bishoujo game maker UnisonShift; the name in the product code, Sumomo, refers to one of that title’s heroines, Akihime Sumomo. As an example of illustrations applied to a notebook, Epson Direct’s Disney Character PC exists.

The display is a 15.4-inch widescreen TFT LCD with a glossy finish, and a 1.3-megapixel CMOS camera is built in for video chat and similar uses. The specification list runs to an Intel Core Duo T2300E (1.66 GHz × 2), an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256 MB of VRAM, an 80 GB Serial ATA hard disk drive, a DVD super-multi drive, a memory card reader/writer, Gigabit Ethernet, and wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11a/b/g). As the first notebook in the series, the specification was impeccable, and the machine was slated to support the forthcoming Microsoft Windows Vista. The lineup consisted of a single model, MNO-US1S96-T23 (Intel Core Duo T2300E).

CyaBear

CyaBear is a cube-shaped barebone sold by Fast. It is a related product of the Moekon series, and illustrations of bishoujo game characters are printed on the front, the sides, and the top panel of the chassis.

CyaBear Waves 1 and 2

The first and second CyaBear products are cube barebones decorated with characters from games developed by the bishoujo game maker Terios, announced on January 25, 2006. The first, CAL-TR1K21, carries characters from Natsuiro☆Communication♪; the second, CAL-TR2K21, carries characters from Magical Kanan -RISEA-. Both support Socket 754 CPUs.

CyaBear Wave 3

The third CyaBear product is a cube barebone decorated with characters from Gift, developed by the bishoujo game maker MOONSTONE, announced on February 10, 2006. Two versions exist: CAL-MS1K21 for Socket 754 CPUs and CAL-MS1S59 for LGA775 CPUs.

CyaBear Wave 4

The fourth CyaBear product is a cube barebone decorated with characters from Tsuyokiss, developed by the bishoujo game maker Candy Soft, announced on June 12, 2006. Two versions exist, CAL-CS1S59 for Socket 754 CPUs and CAL-CS1S59 for LGA775 CPUs.

CyaBear Wave 5

The fifth CyaBear product is a cube barebone decorated with characters from Nanatsuiro★Drops, developed by the bishoujo game maker UnisonShift, announced on February 20, 2007. Three versions exist: CAL-UN2D32 and CAL-UN2S30 for LGA775 CPUs, and CAL-UN2K22 for Socket AM2 CPUs.

See Also

  • Home-built PC
  • Itasha
  • Moekon official site
  • CyaBear official site

The First Wave

Moekon began as a Terios product before it became a product line, and the distinction matters. The first two releases, grouped under Moekon ver. Terios, drew on two titles from that bishoujo game maker: Natsuiro☆Communication♪, announced on October 6, 2005, and Magical Kanan -RISEA-, announced on November 16, 2005. Six SKUs in total reached the market across those two announcements — three Pentium 4 and Celeron D configurations in the first, two in the second — and every one of them rode on Shuttle’s XPC chassis with an ultraviolet-blocking finish over the printed artwork. Moekon did not yet know what it was. It was about to find out.

Six Waves in Fourteen Months

A second partner arrived on December 22, 2005. Moekon ver. UNiSONSHIFT carried characters from Peace@Pieces, developed by UnisonShift, and named its product codes after the heroine Momose Hikaru. Two changes came with it. AMD silicon entered the lineup for the first time in the form of MOE-UN1K21-A30 with an Athlon 64 3000+, and on June 12, 2006, two further models joined the wave — MOE-US1S59-524 and MOE-US1S59-D31 — pushing the third release past the two-SKU pattern that had held until then.

The fourth wave, Moekon ver. Lump of Sugar, was announced on April 14, 2006, and drew on Nursery Rhyme, naming its codes after the heroine Shikishima Kururu. Every model in this wave carried a CPU supporting the 64-bit extensions AMD64 and EM64T, then the newer name for Intel’s counterpart. Three configurations shipped: Pentium 4 630, Celeron D 331, and Turion 64 MT-32.

Moekon ver. Candy Soft followed on June 12, 2006, same-day preorders included, using Tsuyokiss and stamping the word tsundere into the product code itself. Two SKUs: MOE-CS1S59-524 with a Pentium 4 524, and MOE-CS1K21-S31 with a Sempron 3100+.

The sixth wave, Moekon ver. NekoNeko Soft, arrived on July 21, 2006. It carried characters from the maker’s back catalogue, and the product name said “commemorative.” NekoNeko Soft had announced on January 20, 2006, that Scarlet — released May 26, 2006 — would be its final title. Two dual-core SKUs went out: MOE-NS1S59-805 on a Pentium D 805 and MOE-NS1K21-S31 on a Sempron 3100+.

The Notebook Arrives

Moekon M-note was not a speculative branch. Sumomo Note, the line’s first notebook, was shown as a prototype at Comic Market 70, held at Tokyo International Exhibition Center from August 11 to August 13, 2006, with a release date of August 31, 2006. It drew on Nanatsuiro★Drops from UnisonShift and took its code name from the heroine Akihime Sumomo. The specification was not modest: a 15.4-inch widescreen glossy TFT LCD, a 1.3-megapixel CMOS camera, an Intel Core Duo T2300E at 1.66 GHz across two cores, an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256 MB of VRAM, an 80 GB Serial ATA drive, a DVD super-multi drive, a memory card reader/writer, Gigabit Ethernet, and IEEE 802.11a/b/g wireless. Support for the forthcoming Windows Vista was planned. One model, MNO-US1S96-T23, carried the whole line.

CyaBear and the Barebone Calculus

CyaBear stripped the CPU and other major parts out and sold the rest. Fast opened that line with two Terios barebones on January 25, 2006 — CAL-TR1K21 and CAL-TR2K21 — both on Socket 754. MOONSTONE’s Gift supplied the third wave on February 10, 2006, splitting into CAL-MS1K21 for Socket 754 and CAL-MS1S59 for LGA775. Candy Soft’s Tsuyokiss followed on June 12, 2006, with CAL-CS1S59 listed for both Socket 754 and LGA775. UnisonShift’s Nanatsuiro★Drops closed the sequence on February 20, 2007, with three configurations: CAL-UN2D32 and CAL-UN2S30 for LGA775, and CAL-UN2K22 for Socket AM2.

By that last announcement, the tally stood at six Moekon waves, one notebook, and five CyaBear waves, all inside roughly nineteen months — and the artwork on every case, adult-game origin and all, carried no age restriction at the point of sale.

What the Record Covers

What survives of Moekon does not extend into cultural impact, reception history, or later influence, and no claims along those lines can be made here. What is established is narrower and more concrete: the product concept, the individual waves, and the specification data tied to each release date. The nearest thing to a wider context is a single comparison — applying illustrations to a notebook computer had precedent in Epson Direct’s Disney Character PC — and a pair of adjacent practices, home-built PCs and itasha, the decorating of cars with anime and game character artwork. The CyaBear barebone line, which shipped the same cube chassis and the same character illustrations minus the CPU and other major parts, is the other structural point worth recording.

What the Record Holds

What survives of Moekon is a ledger of announcements and SKUs rather than a narrative of consequences. Six waves under the Moekon name, one notebook under the M-note name, five barebone waves under CyaBear — these are the figures that survive, and they are the figures it stops at. No sales totals appear. No reception commentary appears. The only interpretive remark resembling a value judgment is the observation that Sumomo Note, as the series’ first notebook, arrived with a specification described as impeccable, and that it was slated to support Windows Vista. That is the extent of it.

The Category, If Any

Moekon amounts to a product family that made moe into a case design, and moe itself is a subject for elsewhere. Where a reader looking for the aftermath of such a product line would expect analysis, what remains is product codes, CPU names, announcement dates, and nothing further. The record is a record of what was announced and when — not of what it meant.