A Japanese creator named "Kanakawa," known for sharing anime and novel content on X, recently went viral after publishing a horror novel themed around singer Yonezu Kenshi. The unexpected twist? Yonezu himself popped into the comments, sending the author into a full-blown panic mode and a flurry of apologies, sparking a massive online discussion.
The whole saga kicked off on June 6th when Kanakawa posted a novel titled "My Boyfriend Might Be Yonezu Kenshi" on X. The author's initial post was self-deprecating, stating, "I wrote a psychological horror novel with Yonezu Kenshi as the theme, please don't sue me."
They even added a special warning:
"The following types of people are very likely to find this uncomfortable, so it is strongly recommended not to read it."
・Yonezu Kenshi fans
・Yonezu Kenshi himself
The novel unfolds from a female protagonist's perspective, detailing how her boyfriend gradually becomes "assimilated" by Yonezu Kenshi. It even features surreal scenes, like Yonezu suddenly appearing inside a car, portraying him as some kind of mysterious alien being. The style is both bizarre and absurd.
But the biggest shocker came on June 8th when Yonezu Kenshi himself replied with a simple, "I read it." That short phrase instantly blew up the entire conversation.
Faced with the man himself, the author completely freaked out, posting a lengthy apology on X:
"Mr. Yonezu Kenshi, I am truly, truly, truly sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My deepest apologies to you and all the fans who felt uncomfortable because of this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The flood of exclamation marks combined with the frantic tone had many netizens cracking up.
Since Yonezu only left "I read it" without expressing any further thoughts, the author admitted they couldn't tell if the reaction was positive or negative, deciding to wait and see. They explained, "If I were to just delete the novel and leave Yonezu's quoted post, it might confuse unaware fans even more." They also honestly confessed, "If he doesn't actually have negative feelings, then getting a reply from him would truly be a lifelong treasure for me." It's clear from their words that they aren't entirely displeased about Yonezu's personal comment.
This incident also catapulted the author to instant fame. Within just six hours of the novel's release, their X follower count surged past 17,000, reaching over 20,000 by June 9th.
▼ Over 20,000 by June 9th.
Meanwhile, many netizens praised Yonezu Kenshi's reaction. Given that Yonezu Kenshi got his start by uploading songs under the name "Hachi" on Niconico Douga, many believe he's deeply familiar with internet culture. One netizen commented, "Seeing Yonezu occasionally browse internet memes and even comment himself really reminds you that he's someone who grew up with internet culture."
But let's be real, the author's most terrifying experience wasn't writing a horror novel — it was having Yonezu Kenshi himself read it, right? LOL.