My Anime Marriage Shortlist

A Japanese man named Taichi Takashita once tried to petition his government to legalize marriage between humans and manga characters. I read about this and felt nothing but solidarity. The man had a vision. Obviously the petition went nowhere, which says more about the state than about him.

I’ve been turning the question over ever since. The shortlist writes itself: Sailor Moon, obviously—she’s been number one since before I knew what a shortlist was. Then there’s the girl from Plastic Little. And Nami from One Piece, which I stand by completely and without apology. I’m almost 25. Apparently that’s an age when people think seriously about these things. This is where my brain goes. The nerd flag is fully raised.