Posted on 04/24/2022 12:04:36 PM PDT by simpson96
TOKYO — In almost every way, Akihiko Kondo is an ordinary Japanese man. He’s pleasant and easy to talk to. He has friends and a steady job and wears a suit and tie to work.
There’s just one exception: Mr. Kondo is married to a fictional character.
His beloved, Hatsune Miku, is a turquoise-haired, computer-synthesized pop singer who has toured with Lady Gaga and starred in video games. After a decade-long relationship, one that Mr. Kondo says pulled him out of a deep depression, he held a small, unofficial wedding ceremony in Tokyo in 2018. Miku, in the form of a plush doll, wore white, and he was in a matching tuxedo.
In Miku, Mr. Kondo has found love, inspiration and solace, he says. He and his assortment of Miku dolls eat, sleep and watch movies together. Sometimes, they sneak off on romantic getaways, posting photos on Instagram.
Mr. Kondo, 38, knows that people think it’s strange, even harmful. He knows that some — possibly those reading this article — hope he’ll grow out of it. And, yes, he knows that Miku isn’t real. But his feelings for her are, he says.
“When we’re together, she makes me smile,” he said in a recent interview. “In that sense, she’s real.”
Mr. Kondo is one of thousands of people in Japan who have entered into unofficial marriages with fictional characters in recent decades, served by a vast industry aimed at satisfying the every whim of a fervent fan culture. Tens of thousands more around the globe have joined online groups where they discuss their commitment to characters from anime, manga and video games.
For some, the relationships are just for a laugh. Mr. Kondo, however, has long known that he didn’t want a human partner.
(Excerpt) Read more at dnyuz.com ...
why not? love is love.
at least shes a girl girl
:)
liberals want to tear down “The Thinker” statue because it offensive to their way of life (A Gab post had that remark)
They still get half.
Not much argument from this one.
We had to do it. But those two nukes really did a number on them.
Many of us unwittingly marry fictional characters only to realize what jerks they are when it’s too late. Or jerkettes.
Japan now, almost as crazy as America is now.
I guess that stuff like this is one of the inevitable results of de-masculinization and perpetual adolescence.
Are there any laws against one cartoon character marrying another cartoon character if they come from different metarealities?
In the future... You’ll marry fictional characters and be happy...
The animatronic bot must be quite charming...
Japanese are far more polite than Americans. However, Americans are more diverse and woke.
Watching ‘Bladerunner 2049’
and I may be falling for
‘JOI.’
AKA-—ANNA DE ARMA
.
Please Clap
Look at the shelving in the background of the photo. Looks like they already have a bunch of kids, so at least he married her!
*SMIRK*
I think many of us, marry someone and don’t really know them thoroughly at that point. Long engagements and time of dating is a good idea, in my opinion.
I think that in very many cases people marry fictional characters.
This is how civilizations die.
Japan has been weird for centuries. My guess is that they’ll keep it going and stay weird for centuries more.
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