No matter from which point of view, Kondo Xianhiko is an ordinary Japanese. He is kind and easy to get along with. He has friends, has a steady job, and wears a suit and tie to work. With one exception: Kondo’s other half is a fictional character . His beloved Hatsune Miku is a turquoise-haired, computer-synthesized pop singer who has toured with Lady Gaga and played roles in video games. Kondo said the unrequited relationship rescued him from a deep depression, and after a decade of dating, he held a small, informal wedding in Tokyo in 2018. Kondo is one of thousands of people in Japan who have entered into unofficial marriages to fictional characters in recent decades. Serving them is a sprawling industry designed to satisfy every whim of a cult fandom. Kondo identifies as a “paper lover,” a group that is growing in power.
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