This has to be one of the best stories out of Japan — maybe ever.
Children are excitedly collecting trading cards from a game featuring ojisan (middle-to-older aged men) who are community heroes from the town of Saidosho.
There are 47 different cards featuring 28 men, each with special abilities.
For example, the Firewall card features Mr. Honda (74), who is a retired fire brigade leader.
He deals 200 damage to his opponent, but also takes 50 damage every other time his card is used. Just like a real firefighter!
The men featured on the cards are just as excited as the kids.
The most popular of them all is probably All-Rounder Mr. Fujii (68), a former prison officer turned community volunteer. His card is so sought after that local kids have even started asking him for autographs.
‘I was honestly shocked when they asked me to sign it,' Mr. Fujii said, laughing. ‘I never imagined I'd become a trading card, let alone have fans.'
The game was created by Eri Miyahara, the Secretary General of the Saidosho Community Council.
She said,
We wanted to strengthen the connection between the children and the older generations in the community. There are so many amazing people here. I thought it was such a shame that no one knew about them. Since the card game went viral, so many kids are starting to look up to these men as heroic figures.
The stats and powers of the cards are not arbitrary either. The more involved in the community the ojisans are, the more powerful their cards, encouraging local men to become more involved in the community so they can get featured on a card and up their stats.
The cards are only available at the community center and are often out of stock, with kids waiting outside to grab new packs as soon as they arrive.
If you ask me, this seems like a trend that should go global.
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