One of my great joys of writing for Metal Injection for nearly six years is occasionally talking about the weird stuff Japan does. This time we've got the children's mascot Nyango Star, who I quote is "an apple that’s been inhabited by the spirit of a dead cat, and he absolutely shreds on the drums." Absurd? Of course, but that's just about the best character description I might hear in all of 2019. We wrote about Nyango in 2017 but he was recently profiled by Vice News:
Nyango Star represents Kuroishi City — a farming community in Japan’s northern prefecture of Aomori — where the population is declining and aging. But Kuroishi’s mayor is hoping Nyango Star’s viral success will help the shrinking town maintain economic viability.
Thanks, Japan. You're wonderful. Never change.
