Love in 2-D, an article in the New York Times written by Lisa Katayama.
The article talks about Japanese otaku who are so-called "2-D Lovers," men who have given up on finding love with women in the real world and who have fabricated relationships with anime pillows, dolls, or toys instead. They interview mostly men who have relationships with body pillows but the journalist covers the whole gamut of otaku 2-D love.
She makes references to Comiket without actually calling it Comiket, and you'll appreciate her attempt to placate the fans back home by translating the term "moe" as being both 萌-based and 燃-based. But for the most part, the article is very general and superficial.
And that's what it's supposed to be. Ms. Katayama is writing for the New York Times, not for Newtype or Anime News Network. This is for many Americans a first look at hardcore otakudom.
But given the timing of Equality Now's campaign, one does wonder ...................
The article talks about Japanese otaku who are so-called "2-D Lovers," men who have given up on finding love with women in the real world and who have fabricated relationships with anime pillows, dolls, or toys instead. They interview mostly men who have relationships with body pillows but the journalist covers the whole gamut of otaku 2-D love.
She makes references to Comiket without actually calling it Comiket, and you'll appreciate her attempt to placate the fans back home by translating the term "moe" as being both 萌-based and 燃-based. But for the most part, the article is very general and superficial.
And that's what it's supposed to be. Ms. Katayama is writing for the New York Times, not for Newtype or Anime News Network. This is for many Americans a first look at hardcore otakudom.
But given the timing of Equality Now's campaign, one does wonder ...................
