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Because nothing makes an itasha more painful to behold than painting it yourself…

If you’ve been with us for a while here at RocketNews24, then you’re probably familiar with the phenomenon that is itasha, or cars colorfully decorated with anime characters and themes. The name literally means “painful car” (痛/ita meaning “pain” and 車/sha, or “car”), because they are so garishly nerdy and stand out so much that they are painful to look at.

Most people probably get their itasha done professionally, but like anything custom-made that’s bound to cost a pretty yen. However, if you have the tools and the skills, then why not save yourself some money and do it yourself?

One Japanese Twitterer tweeted about the first hand-painted itasha they’ve seen out on the road which, while the artist may have had the stuff they needed, they didn’t quite have the skill…

https://twitter.com/pandakun0504/status/695882567052996612

@pandakun0504 writes, “I just saw my first ever hand-drawn itasha. Not to mention, the driver was some old man. It’s… kinda sad.”

While some commentors agreed with the original poster, others had plenty of nice things to say about the Hatsune Miku-covered car:

“This was probably done by his grandchildren.”

“I think the chibi-style one on the left is cute (Such kind eyes)”

“This is painful on many levels.”

“There’s a bus in my area painted kinda like this.”

“I want to become friends with this old man.”

What do you think of the paint job? Share your thoughts below!

Source and top image: Twitter/ @pandakun0504 via Hamustaa Sokuhou