KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — A Kelantanese fan of popular Japanese animation Doraemon has his wife to thank for allowing him to wear a baju Melayu with the cartoon printed on it for their wedding this week.
The photos of the 33-year-old Kelantan man went viral after he posted them on his Facebook account under the name Abann Dass.
Mohd Firdaus Mohd Ali, who is the groom in question, told local portal mStar Online that he has been an avid fan of Doraemon since he was a boy, with his passion going beyond just watching the cartoon series to being the owner of Doraemon-themed items such as clothing, towels, pillows and blankets.
Mohd Firdaus, who bought the cloth with the Doraemon print in Jakarta last year, said the wedding attire was only made about a month before the ceremony as he was busy with his work as a cosmetics entrepreneur.
“Initially, this Doraemon attire was only planned to be worn during the photography session. But about five days before the wedding ceremony, I told my fiancee that I wanted to wear it on the wedding dais.
“She didn’t want to, saying it would be embarrassing if others talked about it. But I persuaded her and said, ‘If you love me, it would be OK to wear it for a while’,” he was quoted as saying by mStar Online, adding that his fiancee finally relented.
Mohd Firdaus then had an hour-long bersanding ceremony or sitting on the wedding dias with the Doraemon baju Melayu on Friday in Kota Baru.
He revealed that there were also photographs of him and his 33-year-old wife in matching Doraemon attire on the wedding dais, but said these were currently being withheld from being released online at the request of his businesswoman wife.
He said he will only release them when the wife is ready, noting that she is a “shy, quiet, sensitive” person who was shocked at the idea that Doraemon would be the concept of their wedding attire.
Saying that his wife was understanding, Mohd Firdaus plans to gift his wife a planned honeymoon trip next month to the Balkan region, including Bosnia, Croatia and Greece.
This is not the first time that a Malaysian has proudly expressed his or her passion for Japanese animation characters.
Local online goods seller Yus Amina Mohd Zawizah was seen decked out in costumes featuring Japanese cartoon character Hello Kitty during Hari Raya last July, while also getting media attention this February over her refusal to sell her Hello Kitty-inspired clothing.
