The UnKawaii

Here's what the kids are saying:

"It isn't cute at all."
"It feels totally out of place."
"You always were conservative, Nara. Way to go."
"The more you look at it, the easier it gets to stomach."
"As a resident of Nara, I'm embarrassed."

Here's what the Japanese press is saying:

"It's got a ferocious amount of impact."

And here's what the mayor of Nara is saying:

"We're just glad for the publicity. Whatever form it takes."

They're talking about the as-yet-unnamed mascot designed to celebrate the 2010 event planned to mark the 1,300th anniversary of Nara's establishment as Japan's former capital. A caricature of the Great Buddha at Todaiji festooned with antlers resembling those of the deer that roam the grounds of the famed historical site, it's the latest in what some Japanese news sources are now calling the "go-tochi kyara boom" ("the local mascot boom") of ultra-localized PR characters. (Perhaps the most famous being Hikone Castle's Hikonyan.) But Nara's creation deserves recognition as the first mascot to ignite a firestorm (well, sort of) over its decided un-cuteness.

Is this a sign of growing sophistication among Japanese consumers, who demand super-cuteness in their mascots? Or was it a deliberate attempt to stoke the flames of controversy? Japanese website J-Cast asked the Nara event committee themselves. They were told simply:

"This design was picked because of its outstanding impact and instant association with Nara. Also, as an incarnation of the energy of the Nara region, it will allow us to create further storytelling opportunities in the future."

In Japan, it seems, mascots don't ALWAYS have to be super kawaii.

Comments

[Tim]

The Deer Buddha! Wonder if he eats JR Rail passes like the park denizens...
Really rubs me the wrong way. And he does look like he wants to rub people.

[Mr.Dandy]

My theory: he's the reincarnation of the deceased Jeeves mascot.

http://www.blogsearchengine.com/jeeves.jpg

[Matt]

He is sorta Jeeves-y. There's some Kewpie in there too:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kewpie_doll_(toy)

The quasi-religious aspect adds to the creepiness. It's like Bethlehem commissioning a super kawaii Jesus as their official mascot. But of course, that'd be crazy, as crazy as a co-branded Hello Kitty-Buddha toy.

Oh, wait.

http://gotouchi-kitty.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2006/01/_no212__47e9.html

[Aceface]

Can you believe roughly 10million yen worth of taxpayer's money had been poured into the holy trinity of bureaucracy/ad company/designer for designing this freak?

[Adamu]

I would be on the lookout for more examples of this sort of "hideously offensive but oh-so newsworthy" marketing. Perhaps more than two or three years late, "guerrilla marketing" is starting to catch on in Japan - note the supposed fiasco over a local "naked matsuri" held in some outlying backwater... the publicity generated by the scandal ended up making millions for the matsuri operators, many times over the usual take.

[Matt]

It's hard to say if they deliberately went for something ugly to stir up controversy, but this little guy isn't the only mascot with antlers in Nara. Meet Napo-Kun, mascot of the Nara police!

http://www.police.pref.nara.jp/syokai/napokun/napokunsyoukai.htm

Incidentally, those interested in more info about Nara's still-unnamed 1300th anniversary mascot should check out the files on the official site, which include the character designer's resume. His name is Satoshi Yabuuchi, and lo and behold he won the 1996 Mayor's Award for Community Service of Niagra Falls! (One can only pray it was for designing a creepy waterfall mascot of some kind.)

http://www.1300.jp/mascot.html

You can see examples of other public artworks Yabuuchi has designed here, on his personal website:

http://uwamuki.com/e/mapJ-f.html

[Tim]

The best thing I ever saw in terms of mascots in Japan was this: one of the wide shows organized a series of obstacle courses for the guys who are hired to dress up as the mascots at community events. So there were all these mascots on the show doing relay races, cartoonish costumes flailing about to hilarious effect. The best challenge was when the mascots had to walk in front of an industrial-powered, high-speed fan, the kind used in wind tunnels, so that their costumes would deform as they struggled against the mighty wind. I can't remember who got the farthest. I think I snapped a screen shot.

[Nas]

How timely! I`m in Nara NOW, as I type. Haven`t seen this around, yet. Probably for good reason.

Hey Matt, the wife and I will be in Tokyo on Wednessday night. Wanna meet a fan? Tee-hee. We`ll be at Ghibli Museum Thursday morn.
just sayin`...

Peace,
-Nas

[Tim]

Conflict over the un-kawaii!

Unpopular mascot sparks rival
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

NARA--Saying the official choice of a mascot to celebrate the 1,300th anniversary of the relocation of the capital here is just not cute enough, a citizens group has created a rival critter: Manto-kun, pictured right.

Manto-kun was chosen from 619 proposals by ballot and over the Internet, members of Creators Forum Yamato said Monday. About 49,000 people voted.

The group came up with the alternative mascot because the official mascot, Sento-kun, left, is "not cute," members said.

Local merchants say they plan to use Manto-kun. Nara, which became the capital in 710, is celebrating the anniversary in 2010.(IHT/Asahi: June 4,2008)

[Adamu]

Matt,

Did you catch NHK's Close Up Gendai tonight??? It was all about the recent "YuruKyara Boom"!!

Most interesting was the interview with Nicolas Menard from Beacon Communications, a foreign joint venture 34% owned by Dentsu, that was responsible for Yubari's new mascots: a married couple known as the "Yubari Fusai" a pun playing on the massive debts that the town racked up. You see, the creators decided to try something provocative to grab people's attention. Wrapping up, commentator Yukichi Amano emphasized that basically this is a cost-effective way to generate publicity, namely by doing something striking that inspires people to write about it on the Internet.

Hmm I have all sorts of links for this but this doesn't allow for html comments. Guess I'll just keep them to myself and let you google for them if need be!

[MattAlt]

I did catch that! it isn't often one gets a peek into a mascot-creation studio. Very illuminating. But have you seen the costume recently created for the Nara mascot? Very TERRIFYING:

http://www.zaeega.com/archives/50634416.html

It's like a deer was hiding in the "telepod" when a Kewpie doll was sent through. Then hit with a blowtorch. But hey: we're talking about it. And in the end, grabbing attention is what mascots are all about.

[Aceface]

I was wondering why Shimane prefecture won't come up with their own "Takeshima-Kun".
That would be an ideal target to get ripped into pieces by the hands of the zealots in Seoul...