”I haven’t been strong enough,” Sanrio star says.

It’s been just about a year since Hello Kitty debuted as a YouTuber, and the Sanrio star recently opened up her online mailbag to answer questions from fans. Mixed in among queries about what she likes to do in her free time and how to find a romantic partner as Kitty-chan’s beau Dear Daniel was the following question:

“Is it wrong for a guy to like Hello Kitty?”

This might seem like a surprising question, given that Japanese society has a pretty high tolerance for, and admiration of, cute things. Sanrio itself even created the Sanrio Boys anime/dating simulator/merchandise line which was entirely about boys who like Sanrio stuff.

The primary target market for the Sanrio Boys franchise, though, was actually girls who wanted to be able to see handsome young men and Sanrio characters in the same scene. Statistically, guys are definitely the minority demographic in Sanrio fandom, and especially so when it comes to Hello Kitty, who’s generally even more traditionally girlish than her corporate siblings, and so those guys who do have a soft spot for Kitty-chan might feel a little self-conscious about it.

So how did Hello Kitty respond?

▼ “I’ll say this as many times as it needs to be said.”

▼ “It’s not wrong!!!”

It’s startling to see the ordinarily sweet-as-sugar Hello Kitty with such a fiery look on her face, but she wants to make her stance absolutely clear. What’s more, she’s not only sympathetic to any guys’ who’ve felt ashamed of liking her, she’s apologetic too, as she continued with:

“Honestly, this is because I haven’t been strong enough to shake off my pubic image as ‘a character that’s just for girls.’ I’m sorry for making anyone feel bad.”

Of course, Kitty-chan isn’t one to let things end on a sad note, and she displayed her unflinching optimism by turning things around to a more hopeful ideal.

“But I hope that we’re slowly progressing towards people no longer criticizing or being criticized by others for what they like, and that doesn’t just go for liking me. I’ll do my best to help make that happen. I’ll do my best!”

▼ Kitty’s video response

So there you have it: guys officially have Hello Kitty’s permission to like her, but honestly, she doesn’t think you need her, or anyone else’s permission to like something in the first place. Guys can like Hello Kitty, girls can like Gundam, and if you like both, that’s totally OK too.

Source: YouTube/HELLO KITTY / ハローキティ【Sanrio Official】 via Kinisoku
Images: YouTube/HELLO KITTY / ハローキティ【Sanrio Official】
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!