Japan’s latest high speed train looks set to be called “Hatsune” after Miku fans noticed it shared a colour-scheme with the virtual idol and flooded an online competition to select a name for the train.
The train tself, the latest “E5” class of shinkansen with a top speed of 300kph, is due to service lines in Tohoku. The choice of colour scheme appears to be coincidence.
Fans noticing the similarity immediately began a campaign on Mixi and Twitter in order to flood the polls with their choice of “Hatsune.”
The voting itself remains open until the end of the month, but with no other organised efforts to name the train it seems unlikely anything can stop Miku fans, short of disqualification.
On the other hand, normals and even some Miku fans are not happy:
Creepy.
Doesn’t your crotch get hot knowing our Miku-chan is now something train otaku fap over?
They do look a bit alike somehow.
It’s an exceedingly ugly Miku-chan…
They’ll be guys who splatter themselves on the train you know.
Stop that, creepy otaku.
Won’t they be happy that they can “get inside” Miku?
It’s absolutely disgusting that you’d come up with that…
Don’t name an ugly vehicle like this after Miku-chan you damn idiots!
i dont think it was a coincidence, think the CEO is a mikutard who didn’t have the guts to say it in the open.if it was just the color, okay, thats a coincidence; but the color and name poll? that just happens to be too convenient.
The train design might be a turn-off to many, but in the world of efficient travel, speed IS beauty.
On the other hand, everyone wants to ride in a train that simply oozes with style.
[i]*Sigh…*[/i]
So, did the [i]negi[/i]-twirling goddess’ fans get their wish, or the organizers simply pulled the competition off due to “unforseen and regretful circumstances”?
The only way this could be better would be a TGV or a Paris Transilien train painted in Hatsune Miku colors.
(RER colors are good enough though ^^)
From what I understand on the website, it name will be “Suica”… anyone can confirm this ??
no, it’s Suica-compatible. Suica is the name of IC ticket cards issued by JR East.
I’ll definitely steal that “Miku”…