E-Paper
Japanese man who became a dog 'doesn't want to live a dog's life'
A Japanese man who spent $14K on a realistic collie costume says people are “misinformed” if they think he wants to live like a dog.
On July 21, a video of a man in a collie suit roaming the streets of Tokyo went viral on the net. The Japanese man spent about $14K on a realistic costume of a collie to act like the dog since he loves animals. While people on the internet think he did this to be able to live like a dog, he says it is because of his love for the animal and its kind.
While the man refuses to share his real name, he is recognized as “Toco”. He has a YouTube channel named “I Want to Be an Animal” where he posts videos of him roaming around the city in his hyperreal collie costume.
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His videos went viral and have gained about 6.8 million views so far.
His decision has received various backlashes so far, for being too cumbersome, gait-headed and completely unlike the breed he wishes to represent. This time the netizens are of the thought that Toco spent all his money so he could live a dog's life.
Just like any other claim made against him, Toco has refused to accept this one as well.
He shared his desire with the New York Post saying, “to be an animal is like a desire to transform…a desire to be something that I am not.”
He stated that his desire to imitate a collie is not sexual and that he felt “sad that people think that.”
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Additionally, he reported that his family is completely supportive of his choice of lifestyle.
“The family was surprised but received it favourably, I am very happy that they accepted it,” said Toco.
The costume worn by Toco has been designed and made by a company named Zeppet, popular for making costumes for television shows and commercials. As per the creator of the custom-made collie suit, it took about 40 days for the dream to be made into a reality.
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His YouTube channel now has over 52,000 subscribers who regularly watch Toco's videos of him in a cage, eating dog treats and drinking coke. When talking about the response from the people, he said, “did not expect such a big response.”
