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Which of these three characters do you want as the mascot of Osaka’s World Expo?

30 Comments
By Caseu Baseel, SoraNews24

Planning large, in-person events remains a dicey proposition in Japan. The situation seems to be getting gradually better, though, and most people are optimistic that by the time 2025 rolls around, the pandemic will finally be completely over, and so preparations are proceeding for Expo 2025, the 2025 World Expo to be held in Osaka.

Some of you may remember our previous discussion of the event, specifically its official logo, an irregularly shaped blood-red ring made up of eyeballs that reminded the Japanese public of anime monstrosities and video game bosses.

Fortunately, in addition to the logo Expo 2025 will also have an official mascot character, and the organizers have narrowed the field of candidates down to three finalists. Unfortunately, the candidates are all based on the logo, and it’s debatable if they’re any less disturbing.

Currently, they’re just called Candidate A, Candidate B, and Candidate C, though “WHAT?!?”, “WHY?!?”, and “NO, REALLY, WHYYYYY?!?” seem like they would have worked just as well.

The Japanese government’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry revealed the three finalists this week, and is asking the public to submit their opinions through its website or in the tweet’s thread. So far, the voice of the people of Japan is best encapsulated by responses such as the following:

“You want my opinion? OK – they’re creepy.”

“Every single one of them is nasty.”

“This is what you’re using our tax money on?…My kids won’t be able to go to the bathroom by themselves at night after seeing these.”

“Candidate C looks like some sort of parasite has infected the Cookie Monster’s head, hijacked his central nervous system, and is now hungering for human flesh.”

“I think these were designed by an insane person.”

“I looked at all three, and none of them are suitable. They’re all so bad that they’d be off the bottom of whatever scale you could evaluate them on.”

“How about you scrap all these and start a nationwide contest for some new designs?”

“Can we not have some less bizarre-looking mascots instead?”

“These are disgusting…like, aggressively disgusting.”

Overall, commenters seemed to find “too many eyes” to be more off-putting than “not enough eyes,” as Candidates B and C have gotten the most negative feedback. Aside from the excess peepers, the contrast between the red ring of eyes and blue body makes them look like they’re in the process of mutating, although one (and only one) commenter did say: “I like B. Its mouth is cute.”

On its website, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry asks respondents how well they feel each candidate represents Expo 2025’s themes of “designing a future society of shining lives” and “experimental site of the future society,” as well as conceptual keywords for the event such as “taking on the challenge of approaches that no one has tried before” (that last one, at least, is one the candidates fit to a T).

The opinion survey will be going on until 5 p.m. on March 10, though the ministry clarifies that this isn’t a mascot election, merely a way to gauge public reaction which will then be one of the factors used in deciding which character to go with.

Source: Expo 2025 via Jin, Twitter/@meti_NIPPON

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- The terrifying monster logo for the Osaka world’s fair is born, immediately gets fan art

-- Someone secretly left a beautiful, touching present for Totoro at Tokyo’s Ghibli Museum【Photos】

-- The Japanese dog cafe that isn’t technically a dog cafe

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

30 Comments
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They are all bizarre

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Has Japan's cute mascot well run dry? Has someone drunk all the milkshake?

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Based on their similarities, I am guessing these are the creations of the same "artist". How about turning the project over to local school kids? I know they could do much better, and definitely less creepy.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Which of these three characters do you want as the mascot of Osaka’s World Expo?

None of them…

6 ( +7 / -1 )

A looks like a virus with a pet cyclops, B looks confused, and C looks insane.

Please tell me nobody got paid to scribble those things.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Someone got paid to design those???? My 9 year old could do a better job!

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Wow. I thought the 2020 Olympic mascots were bad. These options are on a whole new level of awful.

I hope there are others under consideration.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

A world expo reduced to blobs? I can only hope Japan sticks to its no-tourist COVID policy. Those things look like a modern representation of the plague.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Simple & cute for the kids, but all three, especially “A”, looks like a certain “Monsterz, Co.” franchise ?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Choose wisely. Certainly, everyone here remembers the controversy over the first announced “winner!” of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics design ? Hopefully, lessons were learned.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

They look like representations of COVID, don't they?

Only I who think so ^^?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Coronavirus'

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Bring back fukuppy.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

As shown in recent news stories here, Japanese prosecutors are aggressively targeting copyright infringement of Japanese IP’s abroad.

Will these same standards be considered as well since the “A” characters are so similar to Pixar Animation Studios properties?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Letter “C” looks like one of those distressed, anime GI tracts from Japanese CMs,

especially with the drippage seeping from the just above lower extremities. There’s also a bulging from the character’s lower belly.

What were they thinking!?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Is there a 4th choice? These are creepy. I'm sure my elementary school daughters can come up with more cheerful and fun characters.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

All three combined lol

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Has B got three legs... or is that his knob in the middle?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

None of them.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

If your looking for the Corona Virus to be your mascot, these will work.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Blue beat me to it. Reminds me of the creatures I "met" during our Cthulhu-roleplaying campaign decades ago. Insanity points included.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

April Fool’s Day already?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Scrap them all. And while you're at it, scrap what passes for "concepts". In fact, cancel it - expos sailed at least 50 years ago.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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