anpanclouds

As we sadly reported yesterday, Takashi Yanase, creator of the beloved Japanese character, Anpanman, passed away on October 13. Though you may not have heard of Anpanman or Yanase, both were immensely famous in Japan, with the cartoon being standard viewing for nearly every child.

And, as you can imagine, his passing touched the hearts of even the most curmudgeonly Internet commenter, especially when the photo above started circulating on Twitter.

The photo, it turns out, is actually about a year old, but was tweeted by two Twitter friends as a tribute to the great artist’s life and impact on Japanese childhood. In case you’re not too familiar with Anpanman’s rosy-red cheeks, this photo should make the resemblance much clearer:

anpanman

Though not quite as adorable as Hello Kitty, there’s something undeniably enthralling about the bread-headed character–and we would be lying if we said we didn’t find ourselves entertained whenever the show is on! Though 94 years is a good, long life, we’re sure many can’t help feeling a bit saddened by the loss of such an influential creator.

Japanese commenters found themselves inexplicably moved by the Anpanman clouds.

Awwww…(´；ω；`)

The Anpanman clouds seem like they’re saying, “Don’t be sad. I’m right here!”

The clouds really look like they want to go see Mr. Yanase. Such an amazing and beautiful natural model!

Ah! No! Stop it, tear ducts! What are you doing to me??

*Sniff* What? No! We’re not crying. Our eyeballs are just leaking…for some reason.

Source: Jin115
Images: Jin115, Horishoten