The rule was simple: draw a finger pointing to “yes” or “no.” The response was an endless stream of funny and clever ways to respond.
It all started with a tweet by Twitter user Toshihiro Anzai who posted an image of an RSVP presumably for a wedding. On the paper is the outline of a fist and two options at the top to either attend (left) or be absent (right).
Potential guests were to draw in a finger pointing at their intentions, but as Anzai noticed, the fist was skewed a little too much to the left, making it hard for people to point to “absent.”
▼ “It seems difficult not to attend.”
欠席するのが難しいぞ。 pic.twitter.com/9cgUmlqNUN
— 安斎利洋 (@ToshihiroANZAI) March 1, 2016
Little did Anzai know that this request would send ripples across the Japanese twitterverse and bring in scores of clever ways to circumvent the RSVP issuer’s trickery.
Sting once said there are 50 ways to leave your lover. Well, here are 50 (give or take) ways to leave other lovers alone on their special day. Enjoy…
As with most situations, magic was a highly recommended way out of the predicament by blasting “attend” with a finger beam.
@ToshihiroANZAI こうすれば良いです pic.twitter.com/Lt2Wwiq5j4
— 烏海 (@_ukai_) March 2, 2016
But not so fast…just as the laser struck “attend,” it suddenly slid to the right side and survived.
https://twitter.com/Rion4_6/status/704949170965245952Only for a moment though! The pinky beam took care of it for good.
.@Rion4_6 @ToshihiroANZAI 発破 pic.twitter.com/7grskjYd3C
— 烏海 (@_ukai_) March 2, 2016
Oh no…
@_ukai_ @Rion4_6 @ToshihiroANZAI 逃れられない運命なんですよね pic.twitter.com/otP4kqm7Kh
— Sndrx#3475:Yuko (@yuko_snd) March 2, 2016
Some took advantage of the original hand’s lack of definition, which many would assume was the back side pointing straight ahead. However, a few creative strokes of the pencil will solve that!
@ToshihiroANZAI 自分の立ち位置を変えてしまえばいいのだ! pic.twitter.com/l5SRLl4Wdx
— SP@スシを補給している (@1374SP) March 2, 2016
@ToshihiroANZAI
— 樹本有紀 (@kimotoaki) March 2, 2016
一時間考えた。 pic.twitter.com/qW4zNbVlZ5
@ToshihiroANZAI 逆握り pic.twitter.com/dZXOXtx04m
— チ 一 か ま (@shiawasena_eri) March 2, 2016
▼ “I can’t see it!”
@ToshihiroANZAI pic.twitter.com/tVyvJm4dSY
— Raven (@itsumonojikan) March 3, 2016
Many others didn’t see a hand at all and used the base image as a head of the refusing party.
▼ “Sorry…”
@ToshihiroANZAI pic.twitter.com/bX5DaphOBV
— Shu※@精神と時の自宅待機 (@kihanmoto) March 2, 2016
https://twitter.com/takowasabi0/status/705765664120672256@ToshihiroANZAI pic.twitter.com/ZnpAOW2vX7
— Ⓜ️正宗 (@MAthumbnail) March 2, 2016
.@ToshihiroANZAI pic.twitter.com/FbrQRUSxuE
— 水魚@VRC (@water_fish_jp) March 2, 2016
Some took this concept further and employed various characters from manga, anime, video games, and even convenience stores to help out.
@ToshihiroANZAI pic.twitter.com/niZIHGDLN8
— おばけ (@obakemoji) March 2, 2016
▼ That pink thing is one of 7-Eleven’s Valentine’s Day Chocoman snacks.
https://twitter.com/siduyamasan/status/704909388339875845.@ToshihiroANZAI すいませんでした pic.twitter.com/PQZOrYvdc7
— 寄木はこね🍭 (@hakonenyosegi) March 3, 2016
https://twitter.com/1tsuda9/status/704986673591906304 https://twitter.com/m521318/status/705576086747217923 https://twitter.com/koukinindoumad1/status/705015533503016960@ToshihiroANZAI シンイチ…欠席 pic.twitter.com/miBi1v5sos
— かわしゃん(仮bot) (@kawasan0504) March 2, 2016
@ToshihiroANZAI まどかの(ry pic.twitter.com/p1yHhF6RUc
— K.T Ng (@Cichol_Ng) March 3, 2016
@ToshihiroANZAI いざ行かん最後の戦いへ pic.twitter.com/CW7L5YegAv
— アクシズ (@axiz_ithaca) March 2, 2016
https://twitter.com/me8lapple/status/705119769842700288@ToshihiroANZAI
— 川野 凌 (@meilerdeamon) March 2, 2016
ジャイロ、そこへ行くぞッ!
(出席) pic.twitter.com/PuORVpyqyd
Then there were those who just said, “To hell with it.” and engaged in some leisure activities instead.
.@ToshihiroANZAI
— なでちん (@Ndtn_) March 3, 2016
悩むのをやめましょう。 pic.twitter.com/caIeBsMXmu
https://twitter.com/Free__Wifi__/status/704899674411540481 https://twitter.com/spyair_0131/status/704931750770827265@Ndtn_
— なでちん (@Ndtn_) March 3, 2016
暇すぎてクソコラ量産してる pic.twitter.com/XJVwKDbm5y
@ToshihiroANZAI ガルパンはいいぞ pic.twitter.com/a8CrSfImKB
— 竹林子🌙 (@ticrinko) March 2, 2016
However, when the games and nose picking ended the question still lingered. This caused many to react in anger.
https://twitter.com/10hiken08/status/704906714089459718@ToshihiroANZAI 出席したかったのに指が折れちゃったら仕方ないよねー pic.twitter.com/wpH5HDRf7Y
— りょうちゃんですよーーー!!!!!! (@Ryotapooon) March 2, 2016
https://twitter.com/acul_acul2/status/705008986282545152@ToshihiroANZAI もちろん一択 pic.twitter.com/34s9yDASut
— ユーキ (@yukill_s) March 2, 2016
And of course, there were many middle fingers bandied about. Although not nearly as notorious in western countries, flipping the bird has been rapidly catching on among younger Japanese people in recent years.
@mrchackn @ToshihiroANZAI
— つるぎ (@tsurugiCLM) March 2, 2016
はい pic.twitter.com/pWS1axsKvv
@ToshihiroANZAI pic.twitter.com/L3egjXXYqI
— Sndrx#3475:Yuko (@yuko_snd) March 2, 2016
Bold respondents flipped the script on the event holders and created challenges of their own.
@ToshihiroANZAI これでどうでしょうか pic.twitter.com/xWjQ16QQaA
— いっぽ (@delicious_time) March 2, 2016
This one has two replies, one of which is an amidakuji (ghost leg) game and the other a QR code.
@ToshihiroANZAI pic.twitter.com/OXCAFN58cw
— meeco (@meemi2010) March 2, 2016
This one instructs the receiver to cut along the bottom line and then fold along the vertical lines to get the answer.
@ToshihiroANZAI
— 翔 @加乃可愛い (@kurokame_pd) March 2, 2016
自分なりに考えた結論です
. pic.twitter.com/60MKsSDlhi
Then there were those who decided to disregard all laws of nature, physics, and logic.
https://twitter.com/whitecat_0001/status/704890250276028421無限ループって怖いですよね@ToshihiroANZAI pic.twitter.com/WOOBS8FMyi
— kekka77 (@kekka0628) March 2, 2016
.@ToshihiroANZAI pic.twitter.com/HTtmGloHap
— Kotetsu Shoichiro (@y0kotetsu) March 2, 2016
@ToshihiroANZAI その狂った現実を打ち壊す! pic.twitter.com/V7QCD9H6hp
— 廿さん🍵 (@New3karusiumu) March 2, 2016
@ToshihiroANZAI
— せやま (@meshiruka0) March 2, 2016
見落としがちですよね pic.twitter.com/lxjgdGqDhH
@ToshihiroANZAI pic.twitter.com/NnzL8qj93n
— NGJ/Tema(てま)@ネットギアさんをよろしくね (@tema2424) March 2, 2016
The meme got so big that even Starscream from Transformers joined in.
▼ “Which one should be the Decepticon Leader?”
[Starscream (left), Megatron (right)]
@ToshihiroANZAI つまりどっちが破壊大帝の座にふさわしいかということだな! pic.twitter.com/ivxTMnzWvr
— 航空参謀スタースクリーム (@stsc_newleader) March 2, 2016
▼ “Not so fast Starscream… You are the fool!!”
[Bottom line was altered to read “Please, choose which one is the idiot.”]
@stsc_newleader @ToshihiroANZAI
— 破壊大帝メガトロン (@Megatron_decep) March 2, 2016
そいつはどうかなスタースクリーム…
この愚か者メガ!! pic.twitter.com/zMXsdcXVbK
▼ “Gyah! Lord Megatron!!”
@Megatron_decep
— 航空参謀スタースクリーム (@stsc_newleader) March 2, 2016
ゲェーッ!メガトロン様!!
In the end it turned out that it wasn’t really hard to say “no” after all using technology.
@ToshihiroANZAI びよーん pic.twitter.com/vZ6QcTosQm
— フフダ (@HaruBoc) March 2, 2016
▼ Button underneath: “confirm”
@ToshihiroANZAI pic.twitter.com/qQUJevZ9lR
— 𝙼𝚄𝙼𝙴𝙽❒ (@mumentan) March 2, 2016
@ToshihiroANZAI 絵心ないですが、頑張りました(´・ω・`) pic.twitter.com/WNZriKCjlx
— la_forge (@la_forge) March 2, 2016
@ToshihiroANZAI pic.twitter.com/oXIsCHkGhr
— ブラッキーP♪ (@BlackyP_Uduki) March 2, 2016
Or simple common sense.
https://twitter.com/4423Makuharist/status/704891373170892801@ToshihiroANZAI 指させばいいんですね?どの指でもいいんですね? pic.twitter.com/980V4iNM8V
— こありん (@coari_) March 2, 2016
With all the rejections we’ve seen today, you might be worried that no one will attend this gathering. Luckily, someone took mercy and pointed to yes…about 12 times over.
@ToshihiroANZAI 威圧がかかるバージョンもどうぞ pic.twitter.com/cTOTHCglYu
— 烏海 (@_ukai_) March 2, 2016
I tried to create my own, but since I didn’t feel confident writing in Japanese I decided to use a universal language.
@ToshihiroANZAI pic.twitter.com/1aafmGFO86
— Steven Le Blanc (@StubbsLeBlanc) March 5, 2016
If you have your own creative way to refuse someone’s special day, let us know in the comments below and maybe we’ll post it along with the rest.
Source: Twitter/@ToshihiroANZAI (Japanese)
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