Cosplay conflict
A popular cosplay event that has been held at the Flower Center, Heidi’s Village theme park in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture was suspended after an elderly woman complained that the participants detracted from the flowers there.
The Yamanashi prefectural government, which owns the park, asked the park’s managers to review whether or not the competition should be continued after receiving the complaint.
Many fans are calling for the event to be restored.
The park opened in 1998. A confectionary manufacturer from the prefecture and another organization were appointed its custodians in 2006. They refurbished the park and reopened it themed on the anime Heidi, Girl of the Alps.
The cosplay event has been held six times since April last year and has become the park’s main attraction. The park’s managers have even set up changing rooms and held contests.
About 19,000 people, mainly young women with homemade costumes and multicolored wigs, participated in the contests in the last fiscal year.
A single senior citizen complaint shuts down an event enjoyed by 19,000 young people. . . No wonder Japan’s youth feels so depressed.
Wow, thats pretty stupid; both the senior citizen and the authorities. They should be grateful that these kids are doing something positive; theres a million worse things they could be doing.
June 13th, 2008 at 8:52 amNo kidding.
I just saw a report on TV suggesting that the Akihabara killer was one of those kids pushed hard by his parents to succeed at school. The guy was a model student until senior high when he suddenly became disillusioned, writing at the time that he felt his parents were pushing him to achieve so they could have something to brag about. Once in senior high school his grades started to plummet and he started to derive a lot of pride from being a loser.
June 13th, 2008 at 9:20 amis there a horticultural connection between Heidi Village and Akihabara that I missed?
..and I thought that Flowers might be a non-controversy zone..(boy! was I mistaken).
remora
June 13th, 2008 at 9:36 amno wonder the horticultural community are happy, way-out-there sort of people. they alway like ‘WEED-ing’, harvesting their ‘MUSHROOMS’, & liking there poppies.
June 13th, 2008 at 10:04 amno wonder Japan’s youth are depressed
no robyn the point is that one elderly lady gardner is not happy because the young cosplayers have been tip-toeing a little too-heavily thru the tulips and not giving the Parks flowers due respect…
*pass the hemlock please*
Lord! - why me?
rem
June 13th, 2008 at 12:10 pmJeez, I would think they’d like to have the revenue? A Heidi version of a Ren-Fair would be pretty awesome and could become something really meaningful for the region if done right.
June 13th, 2008 at 5:07 pm