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Fran Lu

A Japanese man who married fictional vocaloid Hatsune Miku in 2018 is still happily married and anticipating their sixth anniversary.
On October 23, 41-year-old Akihiko Kondo shared on his Instagram the receipt for a cake he bought for their anniversary which falls on November 4.
The cake bears the message, “I like Miku very much. Happy six-year anniversary”.
Kondo told the Japanese news outlet The Mainichi Shimbun that he had been romantically interested in women before secondary school.

He confessed his love seven times, but all were rejected and he was laughed at and bullied for being an otaku – a person obsessed with anime and manga.
Kondo fell in love with Miku in 2007 soon after the character was released. He was bullied at work, and as a result, was diagnosed with adjustment disorder and took long sick leave.
The character, whose name is translated as “the first sound of the future” in English, is officially known as a vocaloid, a type of singing voice synthesiser software.
Those who are fond of her recognise her as a 16-year-old pop singer with long, turquoise twintails.

Kondo said Miku’s healing voice helped him reconnect with society and saved his life.
He held a wedding ceremony with her in 2018 at a Tokyo chapel. The wedding cost him 2 million yen (US$13,000).
He proposed through a hologram device with simple artificial intelligence that allowed users to interact with the character. She replied positively to his proposal.
It was around the time Kondo held the wedding with her that he discovered the term fictosexual, which describes people who are sexually attracted to fictional characters.
A 2017 survey conducted by the Japanese Association for Sex Education shows that more than 10 per cent of the students from junior secondary school to university reported themselves to have had romantic feelings for fictional characters.
Kondo also experienced more acceptance from society towards his sexual orientation.
He founded an association for fictosexuality with his peers last year, and was dedicated to helping other people like him.

Kondo had a life-size doll of Miku made in 2019.
He had been dressing her up, having meals and tea with her, and chatting with her in his imagination.
He had also admitted to The Mainichi Shimbun that he could not guarantee his love for her “will never change in the future”, but the uncertainty had nevertheless made his ongoing love for her appear more loyal and precious.
“I admire how happy he looks in his marriage. Having such dedicated love for another being, whether it is a human or a fictional character, is honourable,” said one online observer.


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