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KISS Singer Gene Simmons Is Open-Minded About "Fictosexual" Otaku

KISS bassist and co-lead singer Gene Simmons has an open-minded attitude about the man who famously "married" Hatsune Miku in 2018. Last week, he commented on an article about the man's relationship on Twitter: "It doesn't matter if you understand this relationship. It only matters if this Otaku man is happy. Otaku is a person who is a manga and tech fan. Good luck to him."

The NY Post article reported on Akihiko Kondo's current relationship with Miku after unofficially marrying her in 2018. Tech company Gatebox sold unofficial marriage certificates and allowed users to interact with the character via hologram, but after the Hatsune Miku model ended service in 2020, Kondo has struggled to communicate with his chosen life partner. Nevertheless, he says that he is still as deeply in love with the Vocaloid as ever.

Simmons has been involved with Japan and anime culture before. In 2008, he personally filmed a cameo in the live-action Detroit Metal City film as—appropriately enough—the "Demon God of Rock and Roll." In 2013, he graced the cover of Shogakukan's Big Comic magazine, and in 2014, he reacted positively to Love Live! School idol project's KISS parody.

In 2015, KISS teamed up with the girl idol group Momoiro Clover Z for an animated and live-action music video. When the band collaborated with Astro Boy for an exhibit, he commented: "Astro Boy brings back fond memories of my childhood. I remember jumping up from the couch and imagining I was Astro Boy - fighting dastardly villains, flying through the skies...the little robot boy who defended all of us from evil."

The rock band also performed alongside X Japan member YOSHIKI for NHK's Kōhaku song contest in 2019.