There is a Japanese word for people obsessed with video games and anime: “otaku”. There is also one for the feelings that these characters inspire: “moe”. And now there is a term for people who have decided to unofficially marry these fictional characters and defy Japanese social norms: “fictosexuals”. An increasing number of people openly state that they have fallen in love with anime characters and given up on the idea of romance in the real world.
In Japan, thousands of people are in devoted fictional relationships, catered to by a vast industry aimed at catering to the desires of an ardent fan culture.
The case of Mr. Kondo. In almost every way, Akihiko Kondo is an ordinary Japanese. He has friends and a steady job that he goes to in a suit and tie. There is only one exception: he is married to a fictional character. His love, Hatsune Miku, is a turquoise-haired CGI pop singer who has toured with Lady Gaga and starred in video games. After a decade-long relationship, one that brought Kondo out of a deep depression, held a small unofficial wedding ceremony in Tokyo in 2018. Miku, in plush doll form, was dressed in white and he was wearing a matching tuxedo.
In Miku, Mr. Kondo has found love, inspiration and comfort, he said. He and his variety of dolls (of the same character) eat, sleep, and watch movies together. Sometimes, they sneak off on romantic getaways and post photos on Instagram. Mr. Kondo, 38, knows that people think he is strange, even harmful. He knows that some expect him to get over it. And yes, he also knows that Miku is not real. But his feelings are.
本日11月4日、近藤顕彦さんと初音ミクさんの結婚式に参列、結婚立会人としてサインさせきまた
メディアでは賛否両論で話題に。
私 は 幸せ は 色々 な 形 が て いい と 思い ます 他人 に 迷惑 を かける わけ も なく 、 本人 たち が 幸せ なら 祝福 し たい たい と 思い 思い ます ます ます顕彦さんミクさん、結婚おめでとう🎉 pic.twitter.com/iKhM4E2PWH
— 山田太郎 ⋈(参議院議員・全国比例) (@yamadataro43) November 4, 2018
A trend in Japan. While unofficially marrying fictional characters remains rare, the economic behemoth that has grown around Japanese fan culture since the late 1970s has made it possible for many more people to live out elaborate fantasies about their favorite characters. Mr. Kondo is one of thousands of people in Japan who have entered into unofficial marriages with fictional characters in recent decades. Tens of thousands more around the world have joined online groups where they discuss their commitment to anime, manga, and video game characters.
For some, relationships are just for fun. But others seek a way out of the rigid expectations of Japanese family life. Many of them see themselves as part of a growing movement of people identifying as “fictosexuals.” That is in part what motivates them to advertise their wedding on social networks and show their faces.
a prosperous industry. It is not unusual for a work of art to elicit real emotions (anger, sadness, joy) and the phenomenon of desiring the fictional is not unique to Japan. But the idea that fictional characters can inspire real affection or even love may well have reached its peak in modern Japan, where the sentiment has spawned a highly visible subculture and become the basis of a thriving industry.
Business seminars have talked about tapping into that market, and the government already promotes it as a major cultural export. The word and other specialized terms have resonated beyond Japan, and are often adopted by fictionalsexuals abroad to articulate their own experience of love.
A country for it. “You have the manga, the anime, the video games that build a kind of infrastructure where characters become more important to people,” explained Patrick Galbraith, a professor at Senshu University in Tokyo in this NYTimes report, who has written extensively about the topic. In Tokyo, two districts have become meccas to fulfill those dreams: Akihabara (for men) and Ikebukuro (for women). Specialty stores in the neighborhoods are filled with merchandise featuring video game and anime characters.
The products are extensive. Fans can purchase love letters from their crushes, reproductions of their clothing, and even scents meant to evoke their presence. Hotels offer special packages, with spa treatments and elaborate meals, for people celebrating the birthday of their favorite character. And on social media, people post photos and notes promoting their “oshi,” a term widely used by Japanese fans to describe the objects of their affection.
Defy marriage norms. For some, the relationships represent a rejection of Japan’s entrenched model of marriage, says Agnès Giard, a researcher at the University of Paris Nanterre, who has studied sham marriages. “To the general public, it seems silly to spend money, time, and energy on someone who isn’t even alive. But for character lovers, this practice is considered essential. It makes them feel alive, happy, useful, and part of a movement with higher goals in life,” explained Giard.
In the case of women, instead of becoming more isolated as a result of their relationships, they benefit from the complex communities that develop around them. Many see their sham marriages as empowering, a way to challenge gender, marriage and social norms.
Images: Twitter: yamadataro43 / akihikokondosk