Japanese Man wants to Marry his Manga - <!--
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10-31-2008, 04:44 PM <!-- / status icon and date -->
<!-- message --> TOKYO (AFP) – A Japanese
man has enlisted hundreds of people in a campaign to allow
marriages between humans and cartoon characters, saying he feels
more at ease in the "two-dimensional world."
Comic books are immensely popular in Japan, with some fictional
characters becoming celebrities or even sex symbols. Marriage is
meanwhile on the decline as many young Japanese find it difficult
to find life partners.
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
the Internet.
"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
authorise marriage with a two-dimensional character?"
Befitting his desire to be two-dimensional, he listed no contact
details, making it impossible to reach him for comment to explain
if his campaign is serious or tongue-in-cheek.
But some people signing the petition are true believers.
"For a long time I have only been able to fall in love with
two-dimensional people and currently I have someone I really love,"
one person wrote.
"Even if she is fictional, it is still loving someone. I would like
to have legal approval for this system at any cost," the person
wrote.
Japan only permits marriage between human men and women and gives
no legal recognition to same-sex relationships.
Japan's fans of comic books, or "manga," sometimes go to
extremes.
Earlier this month, a woman addicted to manga put out an online
message seeking to kill her parents for asking her to throw away
comic books that filled up three rooms.
Prime Minister Taro Aso is an avid fan of manga and recently
complained that he has been too busy to read comic books since
taking office.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081030...t_081030061822
