(Image from Shueisha’s Weekly Playboy via Kotaku)
And by “fake,” I mean that she is computer-animated, a digital Frankenstein assembled piecemeal from 6 other members of the (61-member) girl group, AKB48.
Aimi Eguchi debuted in this Japanese candy commercial for Glico—she’s the one front-and-center at the end, a digital composite made from each of the other girls who appear in the ad:
Glico would have gotten away with it for a little longer, too, if it weren’t for those pesky J-pop fans, who quickly uncovered the conspiracy on Internet message boards. (Here’s how Glico did it.)
The most famous Japanese “virtual idol” is probably Hatsune Miku, but the first virtual idol was Kyoko Date. Of course, Kyoko isn’t as convincingly human as Aimi—not by a long shot!—but back in 1996 she looked totally amazing.
Advantages of virtual pop-stardom:
– No concerts canceled due to “exhaustion”
– Can’t die of heroin overdose
– Won’t get fat
– Can’t release “live” or “unplugged” albums
– Can’t date Justin Bieber