Netizens have been shocked by the appearance of photographs showing “Com-chan”, a huge, fluffy yuru-character mascot based on a condom, that is supposedly the only official mascot of Kanagawa Prefecture.
But Com-chan also has a serious purpose in Japanese society, where overall AIDS awareness remains relatively low. According to the website of the Yokohama AIDS Action And Information Center, Com-chan was intended to be an educational character to increase AIDS awareness in young people, while the pictures circulating online are from an article featuring Com-chan that was published in a weekly magazine.
However when one one netizen uploaded photographs of the character onto Twitter, they immediately drew the attention of bloggers and Twitter users alike, with many finding the character hilarious.
From Naver Matome:
【Pretty Bad w】 “Yuru Character Based On A Condom” From Kanagawa Prefecture Strikes Out www
Kanagawa Yuru Character Mascot Is Trending
“I’m Com-chan, the fairy who lives in a condom wrapper!”
Original twitpic
森近 緑 ＠ レモン:
Com-chan…I mean…Kanagawa….
ななお:
Kanagawa’s official yuru character wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwCOM-CHANwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
えらぶ、Ｅｒａｂｕ:
Hilarious w
零:
What’s going on Kanagawa? What’s going on with this Com-chan thing?
かりんとう:
Com-chan is baaaaaaaaaaad wwww
Still In Shock www Just What I’d Expect From Kanagawa
Mayuka Wakatsuki:
So in Kanawagawa prefecture, the only official yuru character we have is Com-chan, which is based on a condom. And I can’t hide my shock at it. twitpic.com/cyg67j twitpic.com/cyg67v
Mayuka Wakatsuki:
Huh? What’s that? What’s Comu-chan? Is this like, Miura Jun official? Hmmm? Even if you search for it you won’t find it wwww twitpic.com/cygj8m
Com-chan Is Pretty Awful www
あーす:
I caught a glimpse of this article while I was at work, and I was unable to suppress my laughter!
世虎（農奴）:
Com-chan is definitely to the refined tastes of Kanagawa. Way to focus our attention. Condom mascot, ww
こめやん:
宵:
You just have to be completely dumbstruck at Kanagawa’s yuru character, Com-chan.
ざこ科ざこ属の雑魚:
Com-chan is so kawaiiii [cute]…but..it’s pretty bad though.w
兎「だうー」:
Com-chan…this is pretty bad….
7sドールverT@ゼクス始めました:
Com-chan is cute, right←
こむ犬:
LMAO Com-chan wwwww LMAO…
なかさん✨ :
Com-chan is surprisingly cute…but…(~_~;)
braham_2525:
Com-chan…kinda messed up…
おれりゅー:
Com-chan is a good thing! Condoms are really important!! Kanagawa should be proud of this!! Pff…
午前零時:
At the moment, no one would even imagine that Com-chan will become the most popular yuru character…
ﾐｰ:
Thing is, the person inside Com-chan is still a virgin.
Comments from Hamusoku.com:
ハムスターちゃんねる:
Wh-what’s this…
ハムスターちゃんねる:
How you gonna explain that to children?
ハムスター名無し:
We’re living in the future.
ハムスター名無し:
Wow (total shock).
ハムスターちゃんねる:
Filth characters at last.
ハムスター名無し:
This is irrelevant to me.
ハムスターちゃんねる:
It’s like if they call it a fairy then it’s job done.
ハムスター名無し:
I’ve had enough of this prefecture.
ハムスターちゃんねる:
I want to stop being a citizen of Kanagawa…
ハムスターちゃんねる:
Fucked up.
ムスターちゃんねる:
That condom looks pretty loose, like it’d come off.
ハムスター名無し:
Child: “Mummy! What’s a condom??”
ハムスター名無し:
It’s a good thing. Condoms wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
ハムスターちゃんねる:
It’s better made than I thought, and the face is cute. I’d kind of imagined it would be like Funasshi [crazy, unofficial mascot of Funabashi, Chiba]
ハムスターちゃんねる:
Sagami original [Sagami is the oldest condom manufacturer in Japan].
ハムスターちゃんねる:
If girls flocked around Com-chan, my heart would flutter.
ハムスター名無し:
Right then, is it OK if I put it in?
ハムスター名無し:
C-R-A-Z-Y
ハムスターちゃんねる:
In the US they show the kids how to put on condoms in class, it’s aimed at elementary school students and it’s candid. Japanese sex education is way behind, and they try not to show the kids this kind of thing.
