Recall the tiny reptile rubber toys turned giant city-eating monsters in those campy 1950s films? Some say the cheesy sci-fi was a psychological reaction to the nuclear bogey-man - a trauma Hiroshima and Nagasaki bestowed on the Nippons.
But the anime comics are eerie because they turn young women into stylized prepubescent creatures that seem to target the pedophiles more than a comic book consuming teenager.
But the Japanese have fans all over the world. Even in Russia where 19-year-old, 96 pound Anastasiya Shpagina has become obsessed with the anime look. The woman spends nearly an hour each morning to apply the makeup needed to turn her eyes into scary mimics of the anime characters. Anastasiya even goes by a concocted Japanese name to match her physical persona - Fukkaccumi.
Worse, Anastasiya is considering plastic surgery to turn her 'hobby' into a permanent look.
Escape from reality? Of course. But where is Anastasiya gonna find her Ninja boyfriend in Russia? Or maybe she doesn't care about real romance after all the fantasy world is far easier to control...
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