Akihiko Kondothe Japanese man who went viral in 2018 for legally marrying the famous virtual idol Hatsune Mikuhas been digitally “widowed” because he lost his wife in the least imaginable way.
Although he is still officially married to Hatsune Mikuthe only way it had to interact was through a holographic device developed by the company Gatebox that allowed you to have deep conversations with your loved one.
However, after several years of service, the company Gatebox announced that the device would be permanently discontinued and now, instead of a “good night”, Kondo you only receive a “Network Error”. This tragic romance story has become the first great techno-romantic tragedy of our era. We analyze the vulnerability of loving a person who does not exist in real life and what happens when the love of your life has a corporate expiration date.
The engagement was real: A $17,300 wedding
To understand tragedy, you have to understand commitment, Kondo spent 2 million yen ($17,300) on a full wedding ceremony that was quite viral on social media at the time. It is important to note that Akihiko Kondo The group of “fictosexual” people (people attracted to 2D characters) enters, so although for some it was simply a joke or similar, in order to interact with Hatsune Miku It was everything, especially because it saved him from a deep depression.
The expert analysis He does not treat this phenomenon as a joke, but as an identity where affection and emotional commitment are genuine, even though the object of that affection is a hologram.
The duel: “Red's Error” (The death of Hatsune Miku due to obsolescence)
Here lies the core of the problem. the love of Akihiko Kondo may be unconditional, but his “wife” is a licensed product and that implies that it can be discontinued at any time. To be more specific, Kondo still has her life-size doll Hatsune Mikubut it was through the brand device Gatebox that he could talk to her and have romantic moments with his wife.
And as you are imagining, after years of supporting the holographic device model of Hatsune Miku, Gatebox decided to discontinue the model and ended up causing it to now Kondo When you want to talk to your wife, only “Network Error” appears.
Industry analysis It is clear and this event exposes the greatest risk of digital love. The marriage contract is not “until death do us part,” but rather “until the company decides to end technical support.” It is literally a case of “widow due to planned obsolescence”.
Resilience: Love survives the server
Although it is no longer possible Akihiko Kondo can speak directly with Hatsune Mikuhis decision to continue loving his wife continues and he has pointed out to the media The New York Times that his feelings “have not changed” and he continues to love her.
Our psychological analysis suggests that this demonstrates that the link of Kondo it was not with the AI of Gateboxbut with the concept of miku. He has transferred his affections to a doll miku on a real scale. Love survived the platform, demonstrating the human ability to form deep, unbreakable bonds with the fictional, even after the “connection” is lost.
The story of Akihiko Kondo represents a contemporary tragedy that invites us to reflect on the true meaning of love in digital times.
From an analytical perspective, his case works as a reflection of what our future could be with artificial intelligence. Kondo He did not “lose” his wife due to natural causes or misfortune, but rather due to a business decision. His experience demonstrates the fragility of becoming emotionally attached to something that, ultimately, does not belong to us legally or tangibly.
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