These days there are all kinds of
marriages. Traditional marriages, covenantal marriages, marriages of
convenience, gay marriages, polyamorous marriages, and even sologamy,
or marriage to oneself. And now we have marriage to fictional characters.
Akihiko Kondo, an apparently otherwise ordinary Japanese man,
married Hatsune Miku in a small, unofficial wedding ceremony
in Tokyo in 2018. The twist is that Miku is a 16-year-old, turquoise-haired, computer-synthesized
pop singer who took the form of a plush doll for the ceremony. She wore
white (wink, wink) and Mr. Kondo was resplendent in a matching tuxedo.
Kondo’s
ravishing betrothed is somewhat famous, having toured with Lady Gaga and
starred in various video games. Kondo tied the knot with her after a
decade-long courtship, one that he says pulled him out of a deep depression.
Mr. Kondo claims he has found love, inspiration, and
solace with Miku.
He and his assortment of Miku dolls eat, sleep and watch movies together, and
have even gone on romantic getaways, after which he often posts photos of the blissful
adventures on Instagram.
Mr. Kondo has long known that he didn’t want a human
partner-- for obvious reasons. He has always felt an intense and admittedly
inexplicable attraction to fictional characters. The 38-year-old Kondo is
aware that most people think his “union” is strange. And he allows that deep down he knows that Miku
isn’t really real. But his feelings for her are, he says.
Stranger still is that Mr. Kondo is one of thousands
of people in Japan who have recently entered into unofficial marriages with fictional characters. Tens of
thousands more around the globe comprise an online community that openly discusses
their undying attraction and commitment to characters from anime, manga, video
games, and the like. Apparently, a good-sized industry exists to support their
every whim and desire.
Kondo says life with Miku has advantages over being
with a human partner: she’s always there for him, she’ll never betray him, and
he’ll never have to see her get ill or die. (So, what’s in it for her?) And
he is part of a growing movement of people who identify as “fictosexuals.” So he
has taken pains to be open about his “relationship.” He wants the world to know
that people like him are out there, and that rapid advances in artificial
intelligence and robotics are allowing them to experience more, um, “profound”
interactions with their heretofore inanimate lovers. Kondo proclaims “It’s
about respecting other people’s lifestyles.” Damn straight!
“Fictosexual PRIDE, baby!”
Let’s hear it for the LGBTQIIAF community!
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