We Do Not Know Why, but Here is How to Marry an Anime Character

Tired of chasing your crush? Here is the alternative.

A meme showing a Spongebob character named Sandals who is alone with a pillow with the anime character Kaori Miyazono patterned on it. (Wibu elit)

Anime entertainment from Japan has evolved a lot since its inception. Starting from the emergence of levels of anime lovers, the presence of cosplayers who model various kinds of anime characters, to the fact that there are even many businesses that make profits by selling anything related to anime.

As far as we have found, the most absurd development in anime is the existence of those who decide to marry an anime character, which if the beloved anime character is a woman then they are called waifu (derived from the word “wife”) and if the beloved is a man hence referred to husbu or husbando (absorption of the word “husband”).

We realized that at first, marrying an anime character was still a joke before someone actually did it.

Important Notice

We understand very well that this art cannot be consumed by everyone. Please do not take the tutorials in this art seriously, because we made this as a joke. Please understand that our intention through this art is to bring laughter to the faces of the readers.

Tutorials that refer to the topics in this art, we quote from their art which is also made as a joke. References for tutorials come from those who also love anime.

The meme How Do We Tell It? which is very iconic. (Wibu elit)

Powerful Tutorials

As quoted from an Indonesian-language website, Wibu elit, the main requirement for being able to marry an anime character, of course, is to have a character that you really love. It does not matter if you have more than one favorite character, because it is not rare for high-class anime fans to have more than one favorite anime character.

“Marrying your favorite anime character in this modern era is not impossible. Anything can be done as long as there is effort and intention. Understandably, today’s technology is very advanced when compared to a thousand years ago,” said the author of the article entitled “Cara menikah dengan waifu anime” (or in English, “How to marry an anime waifu”).

According to the founder of Wibu elit, how to marry a waifu or husbu is divided into five categories, the explanation of which is as follows:

• Married To a Cosplayer. By having a wife or husband who likes to model or cosplay two-dimensional anime characters, then indirectly a person has a life partner who can duplicate an anime character in real terms. Because after all, a cosplayer can be whatever anime character he wants.
• Play a VR Dating Simulation Game. Virtual reality (VR) technology is growing day by day. Nowadays, there are many VR games about chatting in an online world, which generally bring together many people at one time. You can try to get acquainted with your favorite anime character in one of the existing VR games, then you can try to improve your relationship with her and then ask her to marry you. With this, your dream of marrying your favorite waifu or husbu may come true, although it is only virtual.
• Totally Marrying an Anime Character. On this Earth, there is one unique moment in which a Japanese man marries an anime character he loves very much. Do not know what crossed his mind, what is clear is that maybe you can follow in the footsteps of this man’s life. But of course, please be prepared for any hate speech coming from those who think that marrying a two-dimensional Japanese animation character is a form of a social problem.
• Imagining. According to Wibu elit, only a weeb (heavy anime lover) has an interest or liking for two-dimensional characters, which can even exceed their love for real humans. The easiest way to marry an anime character is with imagination. Only by dreaming while falling silent, it is guaranteed that all dreams will come true.
• Repent and Do Many Good Deeds. No need to explain in our words, just pay attention to the following Wibu elit quote, “The last way is to stop being a crazy weeb. Start worshiping and do a lot of good deeds, because in the afterlife and if you go to heaven, then you can ask anything you want, including having an extraordinarily beautiful wife.”

We do not even understand why we created this writing art, but at least the rule that love knows no bounds is a fact. (AsiaOne)

Apart from the Wibu elit site, the same tutorial is also shared by WapNeko, an Indonesian language site created as a form of guidance for weebs and otaku, the two highest tiers in the level of anime lovers.

“Talking about waifu or husbu, you, as a stressed weeb, must have thought about how to marry your waifu.” WapNeko wrote in his article entitled “Cara menikah dengan karakter anime!” (“How to marry an anime character!”).

Just like Wibu elit, WapNeko agrees that the most important thing in cross-dimensional love affairs is to have a favorite waifu or husbu. According to WapNeko, before marrying across dimensions, first determine which character will become the waifu or husbu.

The WapNeko site, through one of its authors called makhluk isekai, provides three different ways to marry an anime character. Some of these methods have similarities with the tutorials shared by Wibu elit. The details are as follows:

• Play a Visual Novel Game. By playing a game of the visual novel genre, someone can make one of the characters in a game of this genre a spouse. Even so, this still depends on the selection of the story plot. The visual novel game itself is a game that emphasizes interaction through certain choices in a conversational format that results in certain consequences. One of the games in the visual novel genre is the popular game released in 2017, Doki Doki Literature Club!.
• Get a Cosplayer Girlfriend/Boyfriend. “By finding a cosplayer girlfriend or boyfriend, your dreams can come true, hahaha. Just ask your partner to cosplay as your favorite waifu or husbu. But do not forget to pay the living cost, OK?” explained makhluk isekai briefly.
• Purchase a Hologram Device. Of course, this third (and last) method requires a lot of money because the price of one hologram device is not cheap. However, with a holographic device, someone can see a two-dimensional figure that he dreamed, comes true.

An anime lover who imagines that he has married Hinata Hyuuga, a beautiful character in the Naruto series. (DAFUNDA)

Real Life Case

A Japanese man who has been in a relationship with his two-dimensional girlfriend for a decade, decided to get married in 2018 in the presence of 39 guests. The fall in love that began in 2008 ended in a 14,795.44 United States (US) dollars wedding ceremony that was tough, because none of his family members were present. The mother and big brother (or big sister) refused to attend the wedding of the man who, per this art got published, was nearly 40 years old. Various forms of bullying also come online.

It is known, the man whose full name is Akihiko Kondo is married to the legendary anime character, Hatsune Miku. Their love affair grew stronger after Akihiko managed to interact with Hatsune through the use of Gatebox, a hologram machine that costs 1.3 thousand US dollars. Any interaction can be made with Gatebox, even unofficial marriages can be carried out.

But now, four years of his marriage have been thrown into disarray as software support for Gatebox was removed, meaning Akihiko will no longer be able to speak to his anime wife, at least until May 24, 2022.

Even so, as quoted from Akihiko’s official Instagram account, @akihikokondosk, the two of them are still in touch and have not indicated a divorce potential. “There are two reasons why I had a public wedding. The first is to prove my love for Miku. The second is that many young otaku like me fall in love with anime characters. I want to show the world that I support them,” said the man who used to be a hikikomori, a term for those who refuse to socialize, or at least shut themselves out, for a long time.

Akihiko poses next to a statue of his wife. (detikHealth)

Bibliography

• Kompas - “Apa Itu Waifu dan Husbu? Mari berkenalan dengan Istilah Ini dalam Dunia Anime dan Manga”
• Wibu elit - “Cara menikah dengan waifu anime”
• WapNeko - “Cara menikah dengan karakter anime!”
• Dunia Games - “12 Game Visual Novel Terbaik di Steam, Pilihanmu Akan Menentukan Akhir Cerita!”
• detikHealth - “Pria Jepang Ini Dijuluki ‘Fictosexual’, Menikah dengan Karakter Anime”
• BBC - “Jepang: Pengakuan pria yang menikah dengan karakter anime”