"I was inspired by the heroic female anime characters, which appeared in the ‘90s... from the 1990s, Sailor Moon became one of the popular heroine anime characters. And 10 years later, another popular anime series called Pretty Cure dominated the anime industry in Japan. Hence, my artworks only feature female characters because I want to provide them with power in our society."
—Mr.Mr. is a self-described member of the otaku subculture, a community interested in fantasy digital worlds and popular culture like anime, manga and video games. Iminathi – Rose, 2019, depicts a fierce girl in an anime style with punky pink hair and a military style helmet. Both strong and playful, the figure gazes into a fantasy galaxy of French fries, strawberry shortcake, candy and corndogs, which are reflected in her oversized pupils. The unique, custom-shaped canvas and the stylistic reference to popular illustration in the present work recalls Pop Art and Superflat, the style pioneered by Takashi Murakami. Fusing high and low forms of contemporary visual culture, Iminathi – Rose is an astute response to contemporary Japanese culture.