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Nomaneko

Nomaneko (飲ま(のま)ネコ, lit. “Drinking Cat”) was an AA-like character that the Japanese entertainment conglomerate Avex Inc. tried to capitalize on, but the plans were cancelled after a month and a half since 2channel users were outraged, accusing the company of 'plagiarism'.

History

In 2004, the Moldovan band O-Zone released Dragostea Din Tei which, despite their Romanian lyrics, became known as the 'Numa Numa' or 'Ma Ya Hi' song. On September 30, 2004, “Wata” (わた) initially uploaded a Soramimi-style Flash animation1) that used AA characters like Mona, Morala, and Onigiri, which later its way onto 2channel by October 5, 20042) and eventually caught the attention of Avex Inc.3)

The conglomerate was amused by the animation and contacted “Wata” to make an official promotional video for what would be known as “Koi no Maiahi” (恋のマイアヒ, lit. “Maiahi of Love”),4) and most people were unaware that the extended animation replaced the characters with generic ones until Avex Inc. announced on September 1, 2005 that they would be selling Nomaneko merchandise. 

　　　∧＿∧
　　 （　 *ﾟwﾟ）　Nomanoma, yay!!
　　 （　　　　）
　　　|　｜　|
　　 （＿）＿）

In short, people were outraged that Mona was 'plagiarized' and turned into a marketable character.5)6) During the trademark application,7) 2channel founder Hiroyuki Nishimura had sent a humorous open letter on September 24,8)9) so their application was dropped by September 3010)11) Aside from one threat,12)13)14)15) it ended once they announced that character usage fees would be declined by October 12, 2005.16)

Aftermath

In 2010, there was a stream where Avex Inc. founder Max Matsuura chatted with Hiroyuki Nishumura and reflected on the controversy, showing us that the two and their respective companies17) were generally on good terms. Then in 2018, a former Avex Inc. employee was interviewed about the controversy, recalling how stressful it was and how the company held daily debriefing meetings.18)

Notes

  • At the time, the “Koi no Maiahi” CD sold for 2,730 yen.19) You can still buy the CD.
  • During the outrage, users on /news4vip/ invented the “Nomatako” (のまタコ, lit. “Drinking Octopus”), borrowing Ayumi Hamasaki's logo as she was Avex's most profitable singer at the time.

See also

,
1)
"マイヤヒー" (September 30, 2004). Erueru.
2)
"ﾏｲﾔﾋ-ﾏｲﾔﾊｯﾊ-" (October 5, 2004). 2channel /swf/.
3) , 4)
"クリエイターインタビュー復活！" (June 27, 2005). MUZO.
5)
"「のまネコ」は「モナー」？　ネットで騒動に" (September 9, 2005). ITmedia.
6)
"「恋のマイアヒ」の“のまネコ”はモナーにインスパイア～エイベックス" (September 9, 2005). Internet Watch.
7)
The trademark was technically filed by “ZEN Co., Ltd.” (有限会社ZEN) on behalf of Avex Inc.
8)
"■のまタコについての公開質問状■ (September 24, 2005). 2channel.
9)
"２ちゃんねるの西村氏、エイベックスに「のまタコ」について公開質問状" (September 26, 2005). Internet Watch.
10)
"■いわゆる「のまネコ」問題についての当グループの考え方" (September 30, 2005). Avex.
11)
"エイベックスが「のまネコ」商標登録取り下げ、CDの特典映像も収録中止" (September 30, 2005. Internet Watch.
12)
"のまネコ使用中止求め殺害予告、専門学校生を再逮捕" (November 22, 2005). Yomiuri Shimbun.
13)
"【要求】AVEXは即時、のま猫ﾋﾞｼﾞﾈｽから完全に撤退しろ" (September 30, 2005). 2channel /news/.
14)
"【ニュース】対AVEX作戦発動決定" (October 1, 2005). 2channel /news4vip/.
15)
"【のまネコ】　　　　　　　　■予告続報■ " (October 3, 2005). 2channel /news3/.
16)
"エイベックス、「のまネコ」キャラクター使用料を辞退" (October 12, 2005). ITmedia.
17)
It should be noted that Avex Inc. was a majority investor in Dwango, the company that was responsible for Niconico Douga which Nishimura served as a director on until 2013.
18)
"【衝撃】炎上当事者が激白！ エイベックスのまネコ騒動の裏側「毎日が地獄だった」" (December 11, 2018). Buzz Plus News.
19)
"「のまネコ間題」ってなによ" (November 1, 2005). Nikkei Business Publications.
nomaneko.txt · Last modified: 2025-03-22 14:54:09 by namelessrumia