Group of Men “Marry” Anime Characters in a VR Wedding Ceremony

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Japan is an exceedingly normal place when it comes down to daily life, but for some reason the culture’s social norms are—how should we put it—famously elastic. As reported by Vocativ, virtual reality played a big part in a recent marketing campaign for an upcoming sequel to the dating sim series Niizuma Lovely x Cation that saw the non-legal marriage between a number of men and their virtual girlfriends interacting through an HTC Vive headset.

Developed by Japanese adult game studio Hibiki Works, Niizuma Lovely x Cation lets you simulate creating a relationship with an anime girl and come face-to-face with her in VR. While it may seem ridiculous to some, the dating sim genre has a serious following in Japan, and its extension into VR is only logical.

According to Vocativ, between April 28 and May 28, Hibiki Works started collecting applications from its player base to see who wanted to marry one of three lucky brides-to-be: Yuki Isurugi, Aiko Kurihara or Nono Naruse. On June 12th, the lucky grooms received an email on how to dress and what to bring to ‘make the day go smoothly.’

image courtesy Hibiki Works

Reportedly officiated by a real priest, a number of men donned an HTC Vive on June 30th at a chapel in Tokyo and were united in holy matrimony. The marriages were performed privately (besides the one shown in the video above) and lasted around 5 minutes per wedding—of course sealed with a virtual kiss which was simulated by an attendant with a pair of rubber lips on a stick.

While the wedding ceremonies were held as promotional tool for the studios upcoming Niizuma: Lovely x Cation, the fact that VR is already playing a big part in how fans interact with a genre as mind-bending as dating sims tells much about where the next frontier of digital-human interaction is headed. There’s a clear desperation for human interaction that isn’t being fulfilled in a portion of the population, and VR might help bridge those gaps—for better, for worse, for richer, or for poorer. Either way, we’re not here to judge.

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Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 3,500 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Zach Mauch

    This is the type of stuff that is scarier than anything else with VR advancing. We already use technology to retreat away from the world and the pain it can cause. Our opportunities for it are only getting stronger.

  • Get Schwifty!

    I think this was done in Archer already if I recall correctly :) Teledildonics anyone?

    Maybe the title should have read Group of “Men” Marry VR Characters in a VR Wedding Ceremony.

    • dmbfk

      Glad you’re there to comment. Wouldn’t be a post on RoadToVR without you having something to say. I’m not saying it’s a disease or a chronic ego condition where everything must warrant an opinion regardless. But then again I’m not a doctor.

  • Where all da neko girls at?

  • NooYawker

    Well.. it’s better than marrying a Nintendo DS I guess…
    Japan…

  • Sarv

    >Either way, we’re not here to judge
    >proceeds to judge in an ethnocentric fashion
    Scott Hayden strikes again.

    • brandon9271

      This is weird. I don’t care what ethnic background you come from.

  • brandon9271

    This is why we can’t have nice things…

    • tomer gilron

      what do you mean? they just had nice thing

  • dogtato

    who would play this game now that all the girls are married???

  • tomer gilron

    it is just a make believe, just like the game is.
    Non of this men are really married to those girls.

    It is like this; you played the game and successfully finish it getting one of the girls and the company did a lottery between the people that wanted to have this extra ending for the game, a wedding in VR.

    • Get Schwifty!

      You’re missing the point – it’s easy to make fun of ;)

  • David Glenn

    I’m sorry! But from a standpoint of a content creator that makes characters using a computer! I what to marry a Real Girl and not something that someone made using Maya and rendered it in Unity! The hole idea kinda gives me that weird form of uncanny valley feeling! I thought that men wanting to marry their Body Pillows was bad enough!

    • Don’t take it too serious they are probably doing it to promote the game.

      • David Glenn

        I’m not, I know this is a gimmick. It’s just my own feelings on it! I make my share of figure models in my job. And I love to create them, but it gives me that uncanny valley felling that anyone would do such a thing, even it it was a gimmick!

  • dmbfk

    One in four is a frugal estimate. You have to have an opinion on everything. I’m not complaining, just stating a fact. Please don’t be offended by the fact that I noticed your compulsive behavior. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s actually quite fashionable these days to have some kind of “tism”.

    • Get Schwifty!

      Rule #1 – I don’t feed trolls :)

      • dmbfk

        Rule #2 – Have an ego so inflated you comment on absolutely everything.

      • What is dead will never be

        will you both just shut up and bang already?

  • Chhean Panha Neuy

    I want to create my own anime character and see how it work on VR …!!!!