Ao-chan
| Company Mascot | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General Information | |
| Name | Ao-chan |
| Debut | 2004-03-12 |
| Representation | |
| Represents | 🇹🇼 AOpen (in Japan) |
| Owner | 🇹🇼 Acer |
| Appearance | |
| Hair Color | Blonde |
| Eye Color | Black |
Ao-chan (Japanese: 蒼ちゃん, pronounced あおちゃん) was the Japanese mascot of AOpen, a computer parts manufacturer.
History
Around March 12, 2004, some local tech journals reported Ao-chan's debut appearance in the manual of the AX4SG Max II and AX4SPE Max II motherboards[1][2]. She and Dr. Chabashira were introduced to make instructions easier to understand. The press speculated about her role as a potential rival to Gigabyko, who debuted the previous year.
However, her only other appearance was exactly five years later on March 12, 2009, where she was featured for the AOpen TM-507 White computer case, which has the particularity of having a front door that could be used to display a photo[3][4][5]. Ao-chan was used in official product photos and cases exposed at stores, though her picture was not included in the actual product[6], making the motherboards from 5 years ago the only obtainable items featuring her.
Her second appearance was enough to make her appear in the 2009 and 2010 Akihabara Moe Characters Contests, in both of which she finished last.
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On the AX4SG Max II Box -
Bio in the Physical Manual -
TM-507 Product Image
Profiles[7]
Ao-chan is a humanoid robot created by Dr. Chabashira as a show of his abilities. She looks almost human with expensive artificial skin, faithful reproduction of subcutaneous tissues, and the integration of a unique emotional expression engine designed by the Doctor. In the manual's story, she appears as the Doctor's assistant, but it looks like she is going to cause more trouble than help...
Dr. Chabashira (茶柱博士) is described as (apparently) an authority in electronics, mechanical engineering, who is also (apparently) strong in mathematics, chemistry and philosophy, and who is (apparently) the first to prove the Poincaré Conjecture. A single man looking for a wife and whose hobby is (really) to build computers.
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Ao-chan -
Dr. Chabashira
Trivia
- The 蒼 Kanji pronounced as あお (ao) means blue[8], which is referenced with the predominant color of her costume.
- In the 2009 image, she is saying "知る人ぞ知る..." ("those who know, know...", with the implication that it is not known to many, but those who do know very well[9]), possibly referencing her own and very obscure appearance exactly 5 years earlier, which only those interested in moe mascots would remember.
External Links
- AOpen AX4SG Max II Product Page (archive)
- AOpen AX4SPE Max II Product Page (archive)
- Japanese Manual
- AOpen TM-507 Product Page (archive)
Notes and References
- ↑ Ascii.jp: Gigabayko-chan's Rival! Ao-chan Appears in AOpen's New Mobo!
- ↑ Akiba PC Hotline: AOpen also Adopted a Beautiful Girl Character, Ao-chan Appeared in the Manual
- ↑ My Navi +Digital: AOpen: a Micro ATX Case Where the Front Door Becomes a Photo Stand - With a Power Supply, 7,000 Yens
- ↑ PC Watch: AOpen: Mini Tower Case that can Decorate Photos on the Front Panel
- ↑ Akiba PC Hotline: March 20, 2009 issue: AOpen TM-507 White
- ↑ In the Product Page, there is a disclaimer that her image is for reference only.
- ↑ Page 3 of the AOpen AX4SG/AX4SPE Max II Japanese Manual
- ↑ Wiktionary: 蒼, あお
- ↑ Goo.ne Dictionary: 知る人ぞ知る