Have you ever wanted to get teased by a school child in a somewhat flirtatious way? Hopefully not, but nevertheless there's a video game for everything these days. A crowdfunding campaign hopes to raise enough money to produce a "VR anime" based on the series Teasing Master Takagi-San. If the campaign succeeds, playersꩲ will be able to enter the classroom of the show and be subject to Takagi-san's teasing in person.
Teasing Master Takagi-San is a manga series about two classmates named Takagi and Nishikata. Takagi has a crush on Nishikata and expresses this by teasing him. The series followed their day-to-day lives as he tries to get back at her with little pranks and challenges, only for her to end up turning the tables. It's an adorable, innocent take on a slice-of-life romance. The anime adaptation is currently in its second season. It seems the popularity of the anime led to the decision to make a Takagi-San VR game.
However, the decision might not be that of the actual official producer. Instead it looks to be fan-driven, as funds are being raised through Japanese crowdfunding site Makuake. According to , the people behind the crowdfunding campaign are looking to raise 15 million yen for the project. That's around $140,000 US dollars. If raised by October 10th, the money will go towards making an Oculus version of the Takagi-San story.
Players would play as Nishikata and see important events from the manga and anime through his eyes. When phrased that way, it actually sounds like a good idea. The dynamic between Nishikata and Takagi is the show's key﷽ feature. Considering that, bantering with Takagi in person makes a lot of sense. It might even let some players experience those heart-pounding moments more closely.
The issue, of course, is that these are very much young students. Takagi unmistakably looks like a child. So ex🐲periencing a romance with her first-hand in VR seems a little sketchy. Unfortunately, there's a precedent in anime for both sexualizing young characters and emb🎐racing fans who do the same. As long as it sells, we're bound to see more products like this.
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