If several decades on the internet has taught me anything, it’s that nothing is sacred. Anything and anyone can be made into a meme, including the logo for the upcoming Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025. Unveiled yesterday, it didn’t take long before commenters, internet users, and fan artists alike jumped on the trend and started taking the mick. The results have to be seen to be believed.
The final design for the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 logo was decided upon following a month-long process, involving gathering hundreds of ideas from different artists on the theme of “the light of life.” The final design was taken by a panel of experts and artists alike, including renowned architect Tadao Ando and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure creator Hirohiko Araki. Nevertheless, it didn’t take long for the internet to pounce.
Immediately following the logo’s reveal, the words “いのちの輝き (the light of life)” and “大阪万博のロゴ (Osaka Expo logo)” started trending on Twitter. Comments ranging from genuine criticism to mild amusement kept it up there for a while, before the fan art started to roll in.
万博ロゴマーク 完全にSCP-066じゃん！！！！！！ pic.twitter.com/CwVKBgadft
— メテフィラ (@moving321) August 25, 2020
Perhaps the widest-drawn comparison between the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 logo and a pop culture property was that of SCP-066, the amorphous mass of braided yarn that appears in the collaborative fiction project. Obviously, that is terrifying, so it is perhaps no surprise that one Twitter user by the name of LOVEMATSU took it upon themselves to make a horror film about it.
Probably my favorite gag involving the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 logo was, however, its incorporation into the Made in Abyss universe. Looking at it carefully, it really does look like a design something Akihito Tsukushi might come up with for his ongoing manga. No surprises, then, that it fits right in next to Mitty from the series:
香りのよいミーティと命の輝き pic.twitter.com/UIHdoT0Kgc
— 🌱🌸💐🌼🌵🐾けもの🐾🌵🌼💐🌸🌱 (@kemono_kemo) August 25, 2020
Other comparisons drawn by Zirishia include an enemy from R-TYPE, a monster from Saya no Uta, and a Demon God from Fate/Grand Order. Even so, the logo was praised in the committee’s report for its “unique design” and “connections” to the original 1970 logo. No doubt the organizers for the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 are looking at the reception to the logo with furrowed brows, but they would do well to remember this: there is no such thing as bad publicity.
The Osaka-Kansai Expo will take place in 2025 in Yumeshima.