![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
patgundQueer coincidence turns shopping center's mascot into 'otaku' superstar
"It's green, hairy, bug-eyed and has limbs growing straight out of its face. But that hasn't stopped shopping center icon "801-chan" from becoming a hit with fans of a sub-genre of gay manga, thanks to an odd coincidence.
801-chan, pronounced "Yaoi-chan," is the mascot for the Misonobashi 801 shopping district, not far from Kyoto's World Heritage Kamigamojinja shrine. And true to its roots, the character was inspired by Kyoto-grown vegetables.
But what really made the mascot an unexpected smash with young otaku geeks is the accident of its name. "Yaoi," which was chosen by locals as a pun on the shopping center's name, is also a slang term for a cult genre of manga comics on homosexual themes.
The mascot has become a star among yaoi fans all over the nation. The boom has spawned a manga comic about the mascot, which has sold 100,000 copies already. And the shopping district has big plans to launch a special novelty store dedicated to the green monster."
"It's green, hairy, bug-eyed and has limbs growing straight out of its face. But that hasn't stopped shopping center icon "801-chan" from becoming a hit with fans of a sub-genre of gay manga, thanks to an odd coincidence.
801-chan, pronounced "Yaoi-chan," is the mascot for the Misonobashi 801 shopping district, not far from Kyoto's World Heritage Kamigamojinja shrine. And true to its roots, the character was inspired by Kyoto-grown vegetables.
But what really made the mascot an unexpected smash with young otaku geeks is the accident of its name. "Yaoi," which was chosen by locals as a pun on the shopping center's name, is also a slang term for a cult genre of manga comics on homosexual themes.
The mascot has become a star among yaoi fans all over the nation. The boom has spawned a manga comic about the mascot, which has sold 100,000 copies already. And the shopping district has big plans to launch a special novelty store dedicated to the green monster."
