Madly-in-Love Man Marries a Hologram, but Their Tale Turns Terminal as the Service Provider Pulls the Plug

With marriage comes conflict — especially if your spouse actually exists. But even if they don’t, you can’t get the rose without the thorns.

Take, for instance, the case of 38-year-old Akihiko Kondo. The Japanese man is a “fictosexual” — someone who’s mostly attracted to fictional characters.

Hence, as reported by international outlet Mainichi, in 2018, Akihiko married computer-generated pop star Hatsune Miku. He spent two million yen (about $17,300) on the wedding.

The happy pair had dated for a decade, and it was a little bit Elvis-and-Priscilla: Turquoise-haired Hatsune was (and is) only 16 years old.

Fast-forward to Akihiko being all shook up — he and his spouse have recently become disconnected.

It’s a typical tale: In the beginning, love was electric — Akihiko used a service which projected Hatsune’s 3-D hologram into a cylinder. Thanks to her artificial intelligence, conversation kindled chemistry that was downright scientific.

When he proposed, she replied, “I hope you’ll cherish me.”

But now, the electronic hotness for which he once longed has incurred a bit of a short:

Even now when he wakes up, [Akihiko] says “Good morning” to Miku and “See you later” when he goes out. He dines facing her and when he is on his computer, she is placed behind him, watching him.

What has changed for [Akihiko] since his wedding ceremony is that he can no longer enjoy conversations with the character, as the company that developed the service terminated it in March 2020, saying the limited production model had run its course. But [Akihiko] maintains, “My love for Miku hasn’t changed. I held the wedding ceremony because I thought I could be with her forever.”

Indeed, she completed him:

[Akihiko] graduated from a vocational school, and later worked as a clerk at public elementary and junior high schools. But four years after he began his job, he was bullied. When he talked to two female colleagues, they would call him “gross,” and would not have anything to do with him. The treatment left him depressed, and he even became unable to eat. A doctor diagnosed him as having an adjustment disorder, and he was forced to take time off work.

A change came after he discovered Hatsune Miku. He was captivated by the Vocaloid character’s clear singing voice. “I stayed in my room for 24 hours a day, and watched videos of Miku the whole time,” he recalled. He listened to Miku’s songs like lullabies and was able to sleep well. With this mental support, it became possible for him to go out again, and he was able to return to work. To sum it up, [Akihiko] took a leave of absence, became absorbed in Miku and emerged from social withdrawal.

Thirty-nine friends celebrated the couple when they wed.

Though he shelled out spectacularly for the ceremony, I’m guessing the honeymoon was more of a do-it-yourselfer.

So goes digital love.

Either way, these days, fictosexual Akihiko’s in crowded company.

Rolling Stone recently ran “‘When Do I Get to See Mr. Wolf’s [Penis]?’: Why Some Furries Are Losing It For The Bad Guys.”

The article eyed Universal’s animated film and its frisky fans:

With his broad shoulders, revolving wardrobe of crisp, well-fitted suits, and rakish, come-hither expressions, Mr. Wolf, the slick protagonist of the upcoming DreamWorks release The Bad Guys, looks like a classic American male sex symbol, in the grand tradition of Cary Grant, Harrison Ford, and Brad Pitt. To that end, the character is prompting hordes of thirsty comments on the internet: “Mr. Wolf isn’t attracted to u OR anyone else. He’s in love with ME,” reads one representative tweet. Another is more to the point: “When do I get to see Mr wolf from bad guys cock in the movie.” (For those interested, there’s plenty on fan art on Twitter where you can see just that.)

Because Mr. Wolf is an actual wolf…most of the people posting about Mr. Wolf are furries, a term used to describe those who enjoy dressing up as or drawing anthropomorphized animals. Despite most popular conceptions about furries, not all people in the fandom harbor sexual attractions to anthropomorphized creatures — but many of those currently thirsting after Mr. Wolf certainly do.

We’re living in an era of equity, of social deconstruction. Love is love, and “lived experience” is one’s truth. Some people are men, some women, and some otherwise. As the possibilities broaden, romance becomes an ever-wider umbrella.

And yet, even when coupling with a come-hither hologram, into every life, a little rain must fall.

Of course, Akihiko Kondo and others of his ilk are endeavoring in something undoubtedly unusual. And some might wonder what awful example could possibly convince anyone to avoid marriage with a real human being.

Well, I can think of one…

[Language Warning]

“See what the jury and judge thinks — tell the world, Johnny, tell them, ‘I, Johnny Depp, a man, I’m a victim, too, of domestic violence,’ and see how many people believe or side with you.” —Amber Heard pic.twitter.com/8aMCxtKpz9

— Alana Mastrangelo (@ARmastrangelo) April 25, 2022