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.His beloved, Hatsune Miku, is a turquoise-haired, computer-synthesised pop singer who has toured with Lady Gaga and starred in video games. After a decadelong relationship, one that Kondo says pulled him out of a deep depression, he held a small, unofficial wedding ceremony in Tokyo in 2018.
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 in which they discuss their commitment to characters from anime, manga and video games.
He wants the world to know that people like him are out there and, with advances in artificial intelligence and robotics allowing for more profound interactions with the inanimate, that their numbers are likely to increase. In Tokyo, two districts have become meccas for fulfilling character-based dreams: Akihabara and Ikebukuro . Specialty shops in the neighbourhoods are packed with merchandise for characters from popular games and anime.
Rather than becoming more isolated as a result of their relationships, women benefit from the elaborate communities that develop around them, Giard said. In her experience, women see the fictional marriages as empowering, “a way to challenge gender, matrimonial and social norms.” A major breakthrough in the relationship came nearly a decade later, with the introduction in 2017 of a US$1,300 machine called Gatebox. The size of a table lamp, the device allowed its owners to interact with one of a variety of fictional characters represented by a small hologram.
Some Japanese commentators denounced Kondo as weird. Others pleaded for sympathy. One man contended that the union was a violation of Japan’s Constitution, which states that marriage shall be allowed only with the consent of both sexes. In response, Kondo posted a video of his proposal.Yasuaki Watanabe opened a small business registering fictional marriages.
Watanabe, who likes to travel and has an active social life, began watching the show only at a friend’s insistence. But when he saw Hibiki, it was true love, he said.
Huhhh….. is Japan a country that’s too closed up n too highly stressed?
He's right... He don't need to worry about her expenses, feeling, best of all she cant Nag. All man shld have it.
Is he sure that the fictional character wants to marry him?
Fear of commitment is real I guessed
It's his choice to take the blue pill.
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