Just like with idol fervor, a person’s love for a particular animated character can make them do some pretty crazy things, like spend tens of thousands of dollars on merchandise like figurines and body-pillows, or to use them as characters in a video game. Thanks, gacha.
However, some people’s love for their characters knows no bounds, going even beyond the fourth wall. Let’s take a look at the stories of Twitter user “Fau” and Akihiko Kondo, whose commitment to their 2D crushes are… well. I’ll let you be the judge of what adjective to use for their cases.
1. 35-year-old otaku throws US$17,700 wedding ceremony in Tokyo so he can marry his 2-D crush
Akihiko Kondo, a 39 year-old school administrator, is a huge Hatsune Miku fan, so it’s no surprise that a big chunk of the tweets he sends out has something to do with the virtual idol. But even by that standard, this message he tweeted earlier this month was… special.
明日はいよいよミクさんとの結婚式です。準備がとても大変でしたが、多くの方々に支えられてここまで来れました。ご協力いただいた方々、本当にありがとうございました。
本番は明日ですので、頑張るのはこれからです。今日は早く寝て、明日に備えようと思います。良い式にできるよう力を尽くします。— 近藤 顕彦@Gateboxお迎え (@akihikokondosk) November 3, 2018
“Tomorrow I’ll finally be having my wedding ceremony with Miku. It was a lot of work, but we’ve been able to get everything ready thanks to the support of so many people. Thank you all so much for all of your help.
Tomorrow is the big day, so I’ll be going to bed early and doing my best to make the ceremony a good one.”
We aren’t talking about some small little make-believe ceremony at the privacy of the guy’s own home here: Kondo threw a full-scale wedding to declare his eternal love for Miku. He even got the two of them dressed up for the occasion and picked Le Crit Amore, an actual wedding chapel located in the heart of Tokyo, for the wedding on November 4. Take a look for yourself if you’re thinking I’m pulling your leg.
知人と初音ミクとの結婚式に参加しました。
「二次元のキャラクターとの結婚」とメディアで取り上げられた事をご記憶の方もいらっしゃると思います。
多様性と言う言葉が持て囃されて久しいですが、幸福や愛は人の数だけありますので、様々な形があっても良いですね。
ご結婚おめでとうございます。 pic.twitter.com/85V6bLmn3V— おぎの稔 大田区議会議員 (@ogino_otaku) November 4, 2018
Though Kondo has fallen in love with a 2-D woman, he’s not without actual human friends and well-wishers. 39 flesh and blood guests attended the ceremony, including Minoru Ogino (the one whose Tweet is just above), noted otaku politician and assemblyman for Tokyo’s Ota Ward, and Taro Yamada, former House of Councilors member and financial analyst. Yes, actual politicians turned up for the event.
“Next, it’s my turn to support the next person who wants to have a wedding ceremony with Miku or another 2-D character,” Kondo says, magnanimously recognizing that the Miku he married isn’t the only manifestation of the character. He encourages anyone thinking of tying the knot with their anime crush to contact him, and he’ll be happy to provide whatever advice or moral support he can. So yeah… if you happen to love someone in another plane of existence, you know the right guy for the job.
2. Japanese girl says she won’t get married because she loves Frieza too much, so mom delivers a shocking response to wake her up
A Twitter user who goes by the moniker “Fau” loves the Dragon Ball series character Frieza so much, that at the tender age of 19 she boldly declared that she couldn’t (no, not wouldn’t, could not) love anyone else, and would never get married in the future.
However, her mom wasn’t quite as supportive as the 30 odd people who went for the aforementioned wedding with Hatsune Miku. Here’s a Tweet detailing the exchange between mother and daughter:
初恋をフリーザ様に捧げ、あまりにフリーザ様が好きすぎて19歳の頃母親に「フリーザ様が好きすぎて人間を好きになれないので結婚しませんごめんなさい」と宣言し「星を壊滅させるほどの力を持つフリーザ様がお前のような人間の小娘を気にかけると思うか？」と本気で諭された過去を持つガチ恋勢の私です
— Fau (@fau_at8) November 19, 2018
“I devoted my first love to Lord Frieza, and I loved him so much that when I was 19, I told my mom, ‘I love Lord Frieza so much. I just don’t think I could ever love a human, so I won’t get married. I’m sorry.’ My mom replied, completely seriously, ‘Do you think Lord Frieza, who has the power to destroy entire planets, would ever have feelings for a mere human girl like you?’”
Ouch. I mean, if you were busy trying to destroy the good-guys and exert your superiority over the entire universe, I don’t think you’d be remotely interested in a teenage girl. I mean, unless she’s really, really cute, or if you’re a character in a shounen story. On the bright side, though, at least she can turn to Kondo-san for some relationship advice. (But do you think he’d know what to say to sway the heart of an iconic anime villain?)