In the
Japanese entertainment industry, the relationship between artists and fans is
usually quite distant, but recent history has shown that the bond can be
unbreakable. Social networks were moved by the viral case where an Idol
searches for a missing fan moving heaven, sea and earth, showing that
for her her followers are family. The protagonist is Nanase Takahashi,
who did not hesitate to go out on the streets to find one of her most loyal
"7 Otakus".
It all
started when one of his most devoted fans, a man in his 50s who lives alone and
suffers from heart problems, did not appear for a special radio event where he
was to be invited. Seeing that he didn't answer messages or calls, Takahashi
and the rest of his small group of superfans panicked. Armed with only the
model of her car and an old mailing address, the Idol and her squad began a
search worthy of a detective movie.
Details
of the odyssey where the Idol searches for a missing fan and the unexpected end
The search
was intense and revealing. The group first broke into the man's apartment in
Kanagawa, finding a desolate scene littered with rubbish and dirty dishes, a
sign that something was wrong. Fearing the worst due to his heart condition,
they scoured nearby hospitals checking admission records, but luck was not on
their side. Finally, desperate and exhausted, they decided to comb the streets
of Shinjuku and go to the police, where Takahashi had to stand firm for the
officers to pay attention to him, since he was not a direct relative.
The outcome was tragicomic: the man was safe and sound, but behind bars. It turns out that the night before he had too many drinks, he got into a fight with another drunk at the train station and ended up arrested and held incommunicado. When the cops pulled him out and he saw that his favorite idol had personally come looking for him, the man broke down in tears, touched that so many people genuinely cared about him.
About
Nanase Takahashi and "The 7 Otakus"
Nanase
Takahashi is a race queen and idol who has built a unique
relationship with a select group of seven middle-aged men (between 40 and 60
years old), affectionately known as "The 7 Otakus". Unlike other
fandoms, these men have been with her since her beginnings at underground
events, creating a loyalty that goes beyond the stage. This story has served to
remind us that, sometimes, the bonds in the Idol world are much more human and
deeper than they seem.
