Free Republic

She’s not real — but his feelings are. A “fictosexual” man who wed a fictional, computer-synthesized pop singer four years ago said he’s now unable to communicate with his wife, but is still in love with her. Akihiko Kondo, 38, was dating Hatsune Miku — depicted in pop culture as a 16-year-old with turquoise hair — for a decade before they had an unofficial wedding ceremony in 2018. Kondo — one of many who identifies as “fictosexual,” or someone who is sexually attracted to fictional characters — spent 2 million yen, or about $17,300, on the nuptials, but his family...

The idea of marrying a hologram may sound like the plot of the latest episode of Black Mirror. But it became a reality in 2018, when a 'fictosexual' man married a virtual reality hologram during a ceremony in Tokyo. Akihiko Kondo, 35, spent ¥2 million (£12,222) on a formal ceremony at a Tokyo hall to Hatsune Miku, an animated 16-year-old hologram with saucer eyes and lengthy aquamarine pigtails. But despite thinking he could 'be with her forever', Mr Kondo has been left devastated, after the expiration of her software meant he could no longer speak to his wife. What has...