In addition to buying up all the CDs and merchandise they can get their hands on, otaku fans like to send their favorite idols various personal gifts, from handmade art to flowers and toys.
Given that the line between fans and stalkers is quite thin sometimes, the idols and their management agencies need to take precautions.
The meet-and-greet sessions, for example, at one time became notorious because fans were allegedly masturbating and leaving their spunk on their hands for idols to touch by accident. They called it the "semen handshake". Yes, nice to meet you indeed!
Now Kaori ...
As we know, the popular meet-and-greet events that idols organize is one of the main reasons they attract such strong fan bases: you can actually meet and shake your idol's hand!
But they can go wrong, badly wrong. Fans say horrible things. They are, quite literally, dirty. And they may even attack the idols, as AKB48 found out in 2014 when two idols were attacked with a saw. As such, these days there is often increased security at the events.
CY8ER seems to be taking a tongue-in-cheek attitude towards this physical aspect of the idol industry. At a two-hour meet-and-greet event held at ...
Do you want a cute girlfriend but don't have the looks, social skills, money, time, or language ability to get one?
Fear not. As we know, there are lots of virtual dating and 2D character options in Japan, from Lovely x Cation to VR Kanojo and a virtual version of the gravure idol Ai Shinozaki. Recently this has become enhanced thanks to smartphone apps and virtual reality, though we remember sims and dating characters from back in the pre-iPhone days.
Here's another possibility: Ai Furuse is a virtual female being developed by the artificial intelligence smartphone app SELF. It now has ...
Marry your virtual girlfriend. Sounds tempting, right?
That's the concept behind a promotional event for the new virtual romance game Niizuma Lovely x Cation ("niizuma" or "niidzuma" means "new wife").
In a development that is unlikely to reverse Japan's declining birth rate any time soon, the game makers Hibiki Works has announced a virtual reality wedding ceremony on June 30th in Tokyo. Male fans can actually become grooms, wearing VR headsets so they experience the bliss of "marrying" their favorite character.
Formal dress is required, as befitting your special day, though ...
Condoms in Japan are an underused breed, judging by the rampant venereal disease and unplanned pregnancies.
As such, condom brands try all kinds of wacky campaigns to get young men and women interested in using their products.
This also includes free giveaways. Earlier this year, Tenga gave away complimentary condoms to newly enfranchised voters at the House of Councillors election.
You might be forgiven for thinking that otaku are the demographic with the least need for contraception in their lives, but you would be wrong. That is, if Comiket is to be believed.
A booth at the ...
When the PlayStation VR was previewed in 2014, it immediately generated controversy for its "creepy" schoolgirl demo content and ended up being cancelled from that year's Tokyo Game Show.
Now that the console is released this month, perhaps we can assume Sony has firmly put that unfortunate episode behind it?
Not necessarily, since the demo -- Bandai Namco's Summer Lesson -- was actually released as a commercial game, and that means players are going to find and advertise less savory ways to enjoy it.
Which is what this Japanese YouTuber, who made an instructive video to tell ...
We continue our reports about Tokyo Game Show 2016.
We are a little late on these reports but we were too busy to post.
TGS always walks that fine line between the exciting big releases of the gaming industry and veering off into creepy (but to us, intriguing) world of virtual dating and sex.
Here is certainly one example.
Virtual reality was the big theme at the show, as expected, though it wasn't all mainstream uses of the technology. As we know, the adult implications for VR are huge and a major thing in the industry in Japan, too.
The developers M2 Co. Ltd have created ...
AKB48's latest dubious attempt to exploit money from otaku fans is really scraping the bottom of the ludicrous barrel.
Now there is going to be an online claw crane game called Kami no Te (Hand of God) from June 18th that allows you to win cans of air.
Yes, you read that right. The prize for downloading and playing the game is Bakukan, which is literally a can filled with air. The precious ether is supposedly taken from the air on the stage at the AKB48 45th single release election event. So you are getting the air shared by your favorite idol, whether that be Yuki Kashiwagi, Rino ...
Dakimakura Kisai is a "festival" for hug pillow fans to celebrate their beloved anime character-decorated cushions while moshing their hearts out to rock music.
For the fourth event, the festival was held at Shinjuku Antiknock, a gig venue, on December 6th.
Unfortunately we couldn't be there in person but reliable subculture online magazine KAI-YOU was, so here are some pictures to give you some idea of what this unique event is like.
Essentially this is a concert event for the band milktub, which is led by vocalist bamboo -- a colorful performer also known for making ...
A kiss isn't always something most otaku have experienced yet. And they certainly haven't experienced it with their 2D idols (after all, who has?).
But that doesn't stop their fevered imaginations -- nor does it stop the people who want to make money out of otaku wet dreams.
The candy Kanro Ame has a new flavor: game idol kiss.
Girl Friend Beta, for those poor unenlightened souls out there, is a iOS and Android phone game, with a PlayStation Vita spin-off, manga versions and even an anime adaptation. Quite an industry already.
Essentially it's a dating simulator game with various ...
