Personalized life with manga, drama, and rice

Written by: Rebecca Milner on August 15, 2008 at 4:11 pm | In Fashion & Lifestyle Trends, Marketing & Ad Trends |

Ultra-personalized souvenirs of special occasions might be a global trend, but Japan has added it’s own unique approaches to the theme.

Sakura Comics has debuted a service that allows couples to turn their love story into an original comic book, called “Wedding Story Manga.”

The plot unfolds around a personal story (a first meeting or a proposal, for example) while the characters are drawn to resemble photos provided by the customers. Clients can choose the style of drawing from a variety of samples and the length of the comic, from a two page black and white leaflet (¥29,800) to a 16-page full color mini book (from ¥191,800).

The finished product is intended as a souvenir for newlyweds to give to guests at the reception.

Another example is the Koizora-themed souvenir photo campaign from Watabe Wedding. This limited time service invites couples into a studio designed to resemble scenes from the incredibly popular drama Koizora (“Love Sky”), allowing couples to act out their favorite moments and poses. The professional images are then compiled into a souvenir photo book.

A TV version of the drama, which originated as a mobile phone novel, will run on TBS from August through September, as will Watabe Wedding’s campaign (package price from ¥20,000).

Weddings aren’t the only example, Yoshimiya has created a service for announcing the birth of a newborn with a commemorative bag of rice.

Not only the does the bag have the babies face printed on it, but the rice inside measures exactly the same as the baby’s birth weight. The idea is that far-away relatives can simulate holding the new family addition.

Yes, and then rip it open and serve it up for dinner. Don’t be so squeamish, mottainai!

Tags: Babies, Koizora, manga, Personalization, Rice, Weddings
Category: Fashion & Lifestyle Trends, Marketing & Ad Trends
Other categories: Technology & Gadget Trends