The game is called Unkore, and the game features anthropomorphised anime-style versions of intestinal bacteria. While this might seem rather silly, it’s not. The goal is to help others, which is driven home with the game’s tagline: “There is a life that can save in the shit.”
Unkore sounds like a riff on KanColle (aka Kantai Collection), which features anthropomorphisms of World War II naval warships. Here, though, “Un” is short for unko or “poop” in Japanese, and “kore” is “collection.” This, however, is a free game that doesn’t aim to get players to drop money. Rather, it’s interesting in other types of droppings…
Livedoor News reports that in Unkore, set in the kingdom of Untopia, players talk to anime girls and battle enemies. They also report the colour and shape of their bowel movements, which if they sound healthy get the seal of approval from said anime girls.
The free app is a way to track digestive health, and the project was spearheaded by Yousuke Ishii, a gastrointestinal surgeon, and president of the Japan Unko Society. As The Japan Times previously reported, Ishii decided to use the word “unko” after learning that it, along with oppai (“boobs” in Japanese), was one of the most used words on Japanese social media. The ensuing game has been developed by volunteers, hoping to raise awareness.
(Full disclosure: I am a columnist at The Japan Times.)
However, screenings for colon cancer are much lower in Japan than in the US and UK. Ishii himself was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease as a teenager is acutely aware that poop can be an indication of health. “Colon cancer, if detected in early stages, is pretty much curable, but most patients who come to hospitals are in advanced stages,” Ishii told The Japan Times back in 2015. “That’s because there are virtually no symptoms in early-stage colon cancer, and that’s why screenings are vital in detecting it.”
Leave a Reply