Moe Love

[ethelbert]

My apologies to those of you who stumbled upon this thinking it was a Three Stooges thread. Apparently middle aged japanese men are falling in love with pillows that have anime images on them. nytimes link here.

For those that can’t get the link, here are a few quotes;

Nisan told me that not long ago he had a real girlfriend, but that she dumped him. He carries Nemutan almost everywhere he goes, though he is more self-conscious about it than he may seem at first. “Some people don’t find this funny,” he said, “and it also takes up a lot of room.” He treats her the way any decent man would treat a girlfriend — he takes her out on the weekends to sing karaoke or take purikura, photo-booth pictures imprinted on a sheet of tiny stickers. In the few hours we spent together, I watched him position her gently in the restaurant booth and later in the back seat of his car, making sure to keep her upright and not to touch her private parts.

and

In Japan the fetishistic love for two-dimensional characters is enough of a phenomenon to have earned its own slang word, moe, homonymous with the Japanese words for “burning” or “budding.” In an ideal moe relationship, a man frees himself from the expectations of an ordinary human relationship and expresses his passion for a chosen character, without fear of being judged or rejected.

How long till we get an opera based on this?

[willthekittensurvive]

Oh, that just makes me sad

[tdn]

Interesting. (And pathetic.)

Just the other day, someone was telling me about a new fad in Japan that is big pillows with arms that women can snuggle with.

[Lucky_13]

All the anime body pillow covers I’ve ever seen have pictures of girls on them. I’m willing to bet a body pillow cover with a picture of a long-haired anime pretty boy on it would sell like hotcakes, particularly at conventions.

[Projammer]

Obviously they just can’t afford realdolls. (Google if you’re not familiar with the term.)

[Tranquilis]

There are also, believe it or not, plush love dolls. Some of them are plush furry love dolls. Rule 34 lives…

[AskNott]

@Projammer

Obviously they just can’t afford realdolls. (Google if you’re not familiar with the term.)

Yeah, that or TeddyBabes.

I don’t know about an opera, but there’s a movie called Lars And The Real Girl. No, it’s not a porno.

[Bam_Boo_Gut]

From the linked article “According to a government survey, more than a quarter of men and women between the ages of 30 and 34 are virgins; 50 percent of men and women in Japan do not have friends of the opposite sex.”

Blimey!

[willthekittensurvive]

@AskNott

Yeah, that or TeddyBabes.

I don’t know about an opera, but there’s a movie called Lars And The Real Girl. No, it’s not a porno.

I loved that movie!

one of the best movies I saw this year

[Uosdwis_R.Dewoh]

I just googled “teddybabes” and the first hit was:

TeddyBabes.com is for sale | HugeDomains

Welcome to TeddyBabes online greeting card store. We are committed to providing you… our special guest & valued customer… with an assortment of cute and whimsical greeting cards for all occasions.

The second was:
h t t p://www.teddy-babes.com/

Teddy Babes -Welcome-
Teddy Babes™ are stuffed adult sex toys — the most sensual, warm, and unique love dolls ever created.

Possibility of confusion there, methinks.