1000 boyfriends gathered in Akihabara! Report on the "Love Plus EVERY" love letter handover event held after 10 years!

A "Love Letter Handover" event was held on November 2, 2019 at Savonius Square in Akihabara UDX, Tokyo, in honor of the game "Love Plus".

This event was held to commemorate the release of the smartphone application "Love Plus EVERY" on October 31. The "kareshi" (players) were able to receive love letters written by Aika Takamine, Rinko Kobayakawa, and Nene Anegasaki, all of whom appear in the app.

The handover event itself was held in 2009, when the first Love Plus was released, and love letters were distributed at seven locations in Tokyo, including JR Akihabara Station and JR Shinjuku Station. At that time, it was a guerrilla event with no advance notice, and it was held about a week before the release of Loveplus, so passersby were surprised to receive the letters.

About 10 years later, the hand-off event was held. On the day of the event, it was announced that the handover event would be held at 11:00, but a long line had already formed before the scheduled time. At this point, there were already about 1,000 kareshi in line, and at one point, the number of people was so large that the line almost overflowed the designated area of the plaza.

Three girls wearing Juwano High School uniforms handed out love letters to the boyfriends, saying "Konnichiwa" and "Here are your love letters. The event was held simultaneously in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, but due to the unexpectedly large turnout, the distribution of love letters was over within an hour or so of the start of the event.

The design of the love letters distributed was the same as when they were handed out 10 years ago. This time, however, in addition to the letter, a QR code for the "Love Plus EVERY" download site was enclosed in a ring for smartphones.

The love letters were designed to show the individuality of each of the girlfriends. Aika is polite, Nene is cute, and Rinko is blunt. The letters can also be read from the font style and content.

The couples who received these love letters at the event were happy to read them out loud, exchange them, and engage in Love Plus talk. It was a symbolic event that seemed to indicate that Loveplus has spread to many people over the past 10 years.

The latest Loveplus title, "Loveplus EVERY," began distribution on October 31. Basic play is free. The game is currently under maintenance, but a follow-up announcement is scheduled for November.

(Reporting, text, and photos by ryuko)