Source: 久保昌弘 Masahiro Kubo (@KingGodzilla13) - image used with permission

“A warrior’s trophies?”: Bizarrely decorated smartphone case has Twitter in stitches

An image posted on Twitter by Japanese dairy farmer and martial artist 久保昌弘 Masahiro Kubo (@KingGodzilla13) has been drawing attention.

The picture shows a smartphone owned by Kubo's wife. She fitted the phone with a clear case for protection, which isn't particularly unusual. However, what is unusual is the odd way she decorated it...

See for yourself:

Reproduced with permission from 久保昌弘 Masahiro Kubo (@KingGodzilla13)

Captured in the space between the phone and the case is a collection of human faces. The faces of the men are all the same photo, creating a bizarre object that almost seems to radiate an unusual power...

It's the kind of smartphone that would make anyone cringe if they saw someone else using it on the street, but there was actually a reason for this.

Kubo's wife was studying for the judicial scrivener exam, and every time she finished reading one of the reference books, she would cut out the author's face printed on the obi*

* A unique feature of Japanese books, obi (literally "belt") are "belly-band" strips of paper normally added outside dust jackets or slipcases, and used to provide various information such as title, price, catalog number, review quotes, etc.

Reproduced with permission from 久保昌弘 Masahiro Kubo (@KingGodzilla13)

"My wife, who's studying to become a judicial scrivener, cuts out the author's face from the obi every time she finishes one of her reference books and stores it in her phone case. I'm impressed that she's studying so hard like this."

In other words, this seemingly bizarre smartphone is a visualization of his wife's efforts. Each face represents her progress as she works towards her goal.

According to Kubo, his wife cuts out faces as "a break from studying." You can tell how much attention she put into it since each face is cut out so carefully.

The striking image amused many people, eliciting many comments, such as:

  • "I never thought of that. It's a great way to create a visual record of one's efforts!"
  • "I can't stop laughing at how surreal it looks. Are these the trophies of a warrior? lol"
  • "It reminds me of Being John Malkovitch"

    • It's a safe bet that more of these faces will be added to Kubo's wife's phone case in the future.

    Even if she gets tired of studying, every time she looks at the back of her phone, she will say, "I have already worked this hard!" So, it's sure to be a positive experience!

    By - grape Japan editorial staff.

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