FUKUSHIMA -- Replica weapons have been donated to a statue of "wimp Gundam" in Fukushima City one after another since his "beam rifle" was stolen.
In the past 1-1/2 months through July 27, the statue has received six replica weapons, like offerings. The iron statue, which is about 2 meters high, stands in the countryside in the city's Hiraishi district. Created by local amateur artist Chuji Sasaki, the statue was placed there in 2010. Because of its distinctive bowlegs and round face, it does not look strong, so people started calling it "wimp Gundam." People occasionally visit to take photos of this statue that has become popular among fans, but no one had previously given the statue any weapons, according to Katsunori Abe, the 71-year-old head of the district.
The donations were triggered by the theft in early May of the beam rifle placed in the hands of the statue. The theft was covered by media outlets, including The Yomiuri Shimbun, in June, and became a hot topic on social media.
First, a toy gun was left at the statue. On June 9, Abe found the Gundam statue had the gun in its hands. After that, weapons from the original TV anime "Mobile Suit Gundam" were sent one after another. Abe then asked a neighbor to make an iron rail to hang the donated weapons on. The stolen rifle has not been returned, however.
Those who donated the weapons have different reasons for their actions.
Tsuyoshi Ono, 49, an executive of a construction company in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, and his 8-year-old son, Taishi, a second-grade elementary school student, said they were heartbroken when they heard about the theft. As Taishi said things to his father like, "Hasn't the beam rifle been returned yet?" and "I feel sorry for the Gundam without a weapon," they decided to make one on their own. They then drove to the statue to deliver their handmade wooden beam rifle.
Ryu Yoshita, 36, of Tamura, Fukushima Prefecture, delivered a hammer. "I wanted to surprise people," he said.
As replica weapons continued to be brought to the statue, people began posting tweets such as "What's next?" and "Let's think about what suits it!" Yoshita's donation was intended to create a buzz on social media.
Six third-year students of the prefectural Fukushima Technical High School's mechanical department created an iron replica beam rifle in a class out of a serious motivation to contribute to their local community through manufacturing. Using photos and other materials as a reference, they drew a design to create a replica rifle that looked like the stolen one. Their creation began to look like a real rifle as they worked on the details.
"Many anime fans feel a certain obligation to the works that have affected them," said Takeshi Okamoto, an associate professor of Kindai University's Faculty of Applied Sociology who is well versed in pilgrimages to cultural sacred places. "Their love for the works make them think they want to do something for them."
A similar phenomenon occurred for the animation "K-On!" in 2009. After musical instruments and other items from fans were stolen from the former school building of Toyosato Elementary School in Shiga Prefecture, which was featured in the animation, items including more musical instruments were donated one after another.
In the present day, when such news tends to attract attention on social media, there is an aspect of people making interesting donations to compete.
"As long as the news attracts people's attention, various 'offerings' may continue to be made," Okamoto said.
The unprecedented spotlight on the Gundam statue has caused new problems. While the statue has drawn more visitors, some people have hit the statue and replica weapons, while others tried to remove the head. Given that, a surveillance camera has been installed on an assembly hall in front of the statue. Police officers in the neighborhood also strengthened their patrols.
In addition, rain and wind have caused parts of the weapons to come off or begin degrading. "Some of them were sent by anonymous people, so we can't dispose of them without permission," Abe said.
The statue is now surrounded by more weapons than it can carry, while being watched closely by a surveillance camera. Is the Gundam proud of this situation or perplexed by it? It's hard to tell from its facial expression.
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