You can’t make stuff like this up. Well, you could, but it wouldn’t have the same delightfully bizarre quality.
Anyway, The Australian is reporting that a Japanese man is currently engaging in a nationwide campaign to make it legal for humans to marry cartoon characters. No, seriously! He’s got a petition and everything! And the amazing thing is, people are actually signing it! Presumably without irony!
Taichi Takashita launched an online petition aiming for one million signatures to present to the government to establish a law on marriages with cartoon characters.
Within a week he has gathered more than 1,000 signatures through.
“I am no longer interested in three dimensions. I would even like to become a resident of the two-dimensional world,” he wrote.
“However, that seems impossible with present-day technology. Therefore, at the very least, would it be possible to legally authorize marriage with a two-dimensional character?”
The story notes that marriage is on the decline in Japan and many there find it difficult to find romantic partners, which may help explain the situation a bit, though it doesn’t make it any less goofy.
Of course, there’s every chance Takashita is pulling everyone’s leg, in which case I hope he doesn’t end up running into any of his more devout petition-signers.
October 30th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Greatest. News Story. Ever.
October 30th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
“The story notes that marriage is on the decline in Japan and many there find it difficult to find romantic partners, which may help explain the situation a bit, though it doesn’t make it any less goofy.”
No, it does not. Those people are insane. It’s both sad and depressing and incredibly hilarious and postmodern.
October 30th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Having lived in Japan for four out of the last five years, I can assure you: it’s not a joke. The man and his supporters are most certainly serious.
Also, completely insane.
October 31st, 2008 at 1:23 am
Anything I could say now to generalize Japan would be so true it wouldn’t be funny anymore.
So all I’ll say is the humanity is awesome. In every sense and in all connotations of the word.
October 31st, 2008 at 9:33 am
Obviously someone said to him, “If you love your cartoons so much, why don’t you marry them?” and he said, “Hmmm, yeah…”
October 31st, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Hmmmm…….
The Scarlet Witch is still single now, isn’t she?
October 31st, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Hands off the Witch – she’s mine!!!
November 1st, 2008 at 12:42 am
As a wise man once said “The planet is fine, it’s the people who are f’d.”
If he is serious about bringing his fantasy into reality then he is insane and ….. well yeah what would humanity be without the Jerry Springer types. It’s a Springer episode. “I want to marry a fictional character.” I like to smoke pot and to society I’m a criminal. This guy wants to marry a cartoon, should society respect his right and pass a law if he gets the required names? How does one verify the names on a petition, especially an online one? Why does humanity have so much extra time on it’s hands? Whyd do I?
Oh damn squirrelly nutbut butter jam.
November 1st, 2008 at 6:33 am
Just one question: How does he intend to consummate the wedding?
November 6th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Wow that is interesting..and funny lol
How would it work though? would they be marrying the actual character or an inanimate object with that character on it, like a poster or book?
No different to marrying a fork! and how can an inanimate object character have legal rights?
there are just so many questions that make this even more amusing as to how they plan on implementing it.
God I love Japan! xD