In an interesting business move, EasyCard Corp, which produces metro cards in Taiwan, will be printing special edition cards featuring Japanese adult actress Yui Hatano, despite a public backlash.
The cards, which allow users access to metro stations and can be used in convenience stores, will feature “devil”- and “angel”-themed art of Hatano, although neither actually contains any nudity. The original plan was to simply go with the devil costume, but after a public outcry they’ve decided to add the angel costume as well.
Although Taiwan is one of the more liberal countries in Asia, there are still a number of conservative elements among older generations and religious groups, some of which seem to have been bothered by the idea of the special edition metro cards. Whether it was the specific art or the use of an adult star for the project isn’t clear. EasyCard Corp, for their part, not only stuck to their guns and moved ahead with the devil-themed cards, but also decided to produce a second, softer angel card. It’s an interesting move that isn’t likely to please anyone who was against the cards in the first place.
Though there was a plan at one point to scrap the entire project, EasyCard Corp decided to not only keep going, but to make more of the cards.
The cards are special editions, so while people can opt to buy them, they don’t have to, and there’s no real danger of getting one by accident. They’re also part of a charity project, although what charities will receive how much of the proceeds from sales isn’t clear.
