Itasha
As Itasha ( Japanese. 痛 車 ) automobiles are referred to in Japanese jargon , the body parts of which are provided with drawings of fictional characters from animes , mangas or computer games (especially Bishōjo games ). Usually cute female characters are used for this , which are applied by a mixture of paintwork and printed stickers . While automobiles are called Itasha , the term Itansha ( 痛 単 車 ) has become established for motorcycles and Itachari ( 痛 チ ャ リ ) for bicycles .
Word ancestry
The word Itasha is derived from the combination of the two Japanese words itai ( 痛 い , dt. "Painful") and sha ( 車 , dt. "Vehicle"). The combination of both words can be understood as "painfully shameful" or "painful for the wallet", since the design is usually associated with high costs. At the same time, Itasha is also a play on words to designate Italian automobiles ( イ タ リ ア 車 , Itaria-sha ), in which the expression in colloquial language contracts to Itasha ( イ タ 車 ).
history
The beginnings of such a design can be found in the 1980s. However, it didn't become popular until the 21st century, when the computer game and Internet market expanded rapidly. Events that specialize in Itasha have only emerged in the last few years. For example, an event aimed at Itasha, the Autosalone ( あ う と さ ろ ー ね , Autosarōne ) in Ariake, near the Comiket , opened its doors for the first time in the summer of 2007. At the same time, the vehicles, which could mainly be found in places like Akihabara ( Tokyo ), Nipponbashi ( Ōsaka ) or Ōsu ( Nagoya ), also found their way into computer games such as Forza Motorsport 2 and thus became accessible to a larger audience.
Spread in motorsport
Itashas were also known from motorsport. Initially appearing mainly at events in the amateur class, the first Itasha appeared in professional and international racing in 2008 and received quite a lot of media attention. The well-known dojin chain Melonbooks sponsored a Honda City in the JN1 class (vehicles with less than 1400 cc displacement) at the Japan Rally Championship , which was decorated as Itasha. After a confident start with three wins in a row and further good interim results, the car was able to win the championship. He was the first Itasha to win one of the major competitions.
In the same year, the Hatsune Miku study Glad BMW Z4 baptized car from study (a BMW tuning company in Japan) took part in the Super GT . He was again the first Itasha to take part in an international race of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The car was sponsored by, among others, Crypton and carried advertising for the vocaloid voice Hatsune Miku . Miku Hatsune , advertising figure and first synthetic pop icon , adorned all the larger surfaces of the body. For the races in 2009, it was announced that the car will have a new design but will also use Miku Hatsune as a mascot and advertising medium.
In the last race at Fuji International Speedway , a second Itasha appeared in the GT300 with the Mola Leopalace Z , so that the media spoke of an "Itasha rush within the Super GT". Driving with the new design for the first time, the Mola team managed to win the overall standings despite a sixth place in the last race. The victory was only recognized retrospectively. This further increased the media attention, which had already celebrated the appearance of a second Itasha.
When Tsuyoshi Tezuka was asked about the fact that he too had an Itasha sticker - Churuya-san - on the dashboard of his B324R during the races in the D1 Grand Prix , he said, amazed, that he hadn't known about it and that it was the team owner's idea must be.
Several Itasha took part in the GT300 class of the Super GT 2011 Round 2: a Hatsune Miku Good Smile BMW - Good Smile Company is a manufacturer of manga / anime-style figures - a Haruhi Racing Hankook Porsche , a Pacific NAC Ikamusume Ferrari and an Evangelion RT Test Type-01 Apple Shiden , who finished in 5th, 10th and 11th in the second race on May 1st, 2011, with the Evangelion car getting out after lap 8. During the training there was also an Evangelion RT Production Model-02 Direction , which however did not end it.
Individual evidence
- ↑ YouTube の ゲ ー ム 動画 が 起 こ し た 予 想 外 の で き ご と . (No longer available online.) In: IT Plus report. Nihon Keizai Shimbun , June 15, 2007, archived from the original on September 18, 2007 ; Retrieved February 25, 2009 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ 間 違 い な く SUPER GT の 歴 史 に 名 を 残 し た 初 音 ミ ク Z4 . ASCII MediaWorks , November 11, 2008, accessed February 22, 2009 (Japanese).
- ↑ Hatsune Miku BMW Z4 comes back stronger to GT 300 for 2009 season! Super GT.net, February 16, 2009, archived from the original on March 14, 2009 ; accessed on February 22, 2009 .
- ↑ 痛 車 が SUPER GT を 席捲! 大 波 乱 の 富士 最終 戦! . ASCII MediaWorks , November 11, 2008, accessed February 22, 2009 (Japanese).
- ↑ GT300 Class - Team Champion. (No longer available online.) Super GT.net November 11, 2008, archived from the original on December 16, 2008 ; accessed on February 22, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ 2011 Round2: Race Result. (No longer available online.) In: SUPERGT.net. May 1, 2011, archived from the original on May 20, 2011 ; accessed on May 29, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ 2011 Round2: Practice. (No longer available online.) In: SUPERGT.net. April 30, 2011, archived from the original on May 20, 2011 ; accessed on May 29, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
