It is official. The newest mascot for Internet Explorer is none other than an anime character named Inori Aizawa.

Although the news is surprising, Microsoft Singapore is not the first to create an anime persona and will definitely not be the last. Vocaloid, a voice synthesizer that sings the lyrics the user inputs, is most known for the character Hatsune Miku, who gained enough popularity to hold concerts as a hologram. Similar to Hatsune Miku, Inori Aizawa has amassed many fans and thus has been made official profiles on the social media sites, Facebook and Twitter. On top of that, she was given an email address (inori_aizawa@outlook.com).

Who is Inori Aizawa? According to her official Facebook and Twitter page, she is “an anime personification for Internet Explorer!”

Her biography states, “When I was younger, I used to be a clumsy, slow and awkward girl. However, just like the story of the ugly duckling, people told me that I have really matured and changed over the years. I feel confident in my abilities now, and I’m eager to show you what I can do.”

Microsoft Singapore partnered up with Collateral Damage Studios to promote the latest update on the once neglected web browser, Internet Explorer, and what better way to gain attention than giving it a persona of a cute, magical girl?

“We intend to release a customized version of IE that can be branded with Inori Aizawa and [become] the crowning glory to draw people to use IE” stated a representative of Collateral Damage Studios via blog post.

With a new partnership and the character design completed, Microsoft Singapore decided to go above-and-beyond than simply making a new mascot. They decided to team up alongside CACANi, a company specializing in animation technology for digital media industries, to create an animated video.

This promotional video was revealed at Anime Festival Asia (AFA) 2013 in dedication to all the anime fans around the world. There is no doubt the production grabbed the attention of anime lovers. With the promotional video having over 2,000,000 views on YouTube, to say Microsoft Singapore succeeded would be an understatement.

The video displayed the character’s crime fighting abilities against viruses and other potential threats to browsers and computers such as a shield for antivirus protection against malware and upgraded speed. Inori Aizawa is the representation of Internet Explorer’s progress and evolution.

Will you give it a chance?