Loneliness pushes people to seek comfort and solace from some unusual sources. For some Japanese men, the source of that comfort is a manga character printed on a pillowcase. These men belong to a particularly obsessive group of otaku–hardcore fans of anime and manga. They profess to having genuine romantic feelings for their favorite fictional characters, most of whom are prepubescent girls drawn in a disturbingly erotic fashion. The implied pedophelia is downright creepy, but Japanese society seems to tolerate these…eccentric?…man-children who have removed themselves from the realm of human love and romance. If an American guy showed up in any kind of public place carrying around the likeness of a half-naked cartoon girl, he would meet a much more hostile reaction.
I suppose this is a sign of things to come. I can foresee a time when digital actors could be indistinguishable from flesh-and-blood people; real enough to become objects of desire for people who wouldn’t give an animated character a second look.
It is kind of like being in love with and marrying Jesus, without the pedophilia implications.
Indeed, going to a cloister and taking Jesus as your lover is almost the same. Or being in love with a pop star and going to bed with a pillow having his face on it… There is sadness and some romanticism in the impossibility of any kind of love being returned.
In fact, “true” love is also based on imagination, isn’t it? At least that’s what I think.
When you think of it, almost everything in life is based on this power!
wow….that article…just wow.