Danica Davidson
November 7, 2024 
Many people like the Vocaloid Hatsune Miku, but not as much as Akihiko Kondo, who unofficially married her in 2018. It’s six years later, and Kondo is still happily married to his fictional wife, and he posted images on Instagram of their anniversary this month. This included images of a cake with writing on it that can be translated as “I like Miku very much. Happy six-year anniversary.”
He’s talked publicly about facing bullying and being turned down by women he was interested in. Then he got into the character Hatsune Miku, and found that she brought joy and comfort to his life. This eventually led to their marriage, with his friends but not his family attending the wedding.
“It’s not that people can’t live in society because they’re engrossed in a two-dimensional world, but rather, there are cases where people become captivated as they search for a place for themselves in video games and anime, because reality is too painful for them,” Kondo remarked. “I was one of those people. People who don’t understand the background probably think, ‘Games are disrupting their lives,’ but that’s not the case.”
Kondo has since become known online and in the news for his unusual relationship, and he refers to himself as a “fictosexual,” since he is fully aware that Hatsune Miku isn’t actually real. He created the Association of Fictosexuality for like-minded people to gather. People who have gone to the association’s site have said things like “We want people to know that there is a place where they can talk about what’s bothering them” and “There are people who have found emotional support in cartoons and characters.”
His choices have gotten him cheers and jeers, but at the end of the day, it appears he’s happy with the personal decisions he’s made.
Source: WION
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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