By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)
When it came to promoting store-bought noodles to the Japanese public, using characters created by affluent manga artist Rumiko Takahasi (creator of Maison Ikkoku, InuYasha, and Rin-ne) is a no brainer. In fact we here at Otaku no Culture think the meeting at Aceccok to agree to such an idea would’ve taken about as much time as cooking one of their instant noodles.
In December Aceccook of Japan will release a pair of cup noodles featuring character artwork from Takahashi’s manga. The products are marketed with the 30-40 year-olds in mind but this may introduce earlier Takahashi characters to a whole new generation.
The cup of noodles will contain flavours that are popular in Takahashi’s home town of Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture.
Of the varieties Urusei Yatsura will feature a “light soy sauce” with the ingrediants bamboo shoots, onions, leeks, and roast pork. This selection will contain 50g of noodles in a 58g cup. Ranma ½ will feature a “rich miso” flavour with the ingrediants of cabbage, minced chicken and pork, bean sprouts, leeks, and red pepper. This variety contains 50g of noodles in a 70g cup. Noodles from both versions are made from Koshihikari rice grown in the Niigata region.
The ramen will be released in convience stores and supermarkets across Japan on December 7th. Each cup will retail at 180 yen ($1.46 US or $1.94 Canadian).
Also available since November 9th from Aceccook is the Yokai Watch soups. Yokai Watch is available in sweet corn or wonton.
Source(s): Acecook Japan, Crunchyroll, and Vintage Anime Fans.
Illustration Source(s): The Fujishima / Takahashi Page.
