Anime and Japanese Pop Culture Themed Drinks

 

If you are an Otaku there are many ways you can blend your love of anime and Japanese culture into what you eat and drink. This month we will take a look at some of the fun drink products that you can find out in all different types of places to meet your Otaku needs. Not only can these drinks be found at Asian markets, but I have seen them sold at Cons and geeky related stores as well.

Drinks You Can Pick Up At The Store

Liquid Rage Aggretsuko Energy Drink

Of all of the energy drinks I have had in my lifetime this is one of the best. It doesn't have that strong salty taste that most energy drinks and had a nice mellow citrus. I will be buying this one again. Aggretsuko is a red panda business woman that anyone that gets frustrated at work can relate to. Putting this character on an energy drink just makes sense to those in the know. 

InuYasha Half-Demon Energy Drink

It wasn't half demon, but full demon. If I had to say something nice about this drink... the most I could say is it wasn't salty like many energy drinks. This drink was not good at all. First the 'flavor' I got was maybe berry. It didn't tell you a flavor on the can but the flavor was massively overpowered by how horribly sour it was. This was like Warhead level sour. I was barely able to drink it, but I did manage to get the whole can down. Avoid this drink unless you super love sour candy. I know I won't buy this one again. I got this can from Five Below. Also Inuyasha is a classic anime that I would recommend that people check out if they have not yet.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders Energy Drink

I could not tell you what flavor they were trying to go with this one. It was slightly sour, but not overpowering. At the same time I wouldn't buy it again because the flavor was just weird and not in a good way. I have tried to watch the JoJo anime on Adult Swim, but just couldn't get into it like I just couldn't get into this flavor. Found at Rocket Fizz.

Ocean Bomb (Yogurt Flavor)

At first I wasn't going to try this flavor because I didn't feel like yogurt would be a good flavor, but then I thought about how could I try the rest of the crew but leave Luffy behind. Luffy is the main character from One Piece so I decided to give him a try. The flavor was not what I had expected. What they were calling yogurt to my American toung was just cream soda. Nothing weird or special. It was ok, but for the price to size ration not really worth it because I can get normal cream soda for cheaper. I would only recommend this if there is something specific that you want to do with the can. Tried March 2023.

Ocean Bomb (Mango Flavor)

This can was themed from One Piece which is a pirate themed anime. The mango flavor was super light and was more like a mango cream soda. I would get this one again. I found this drink at Hmart in Aurora and tried it in July 2023.

Ocean Bomb (Melon Flavor)

Tis was a Dragon Ball themed can/drink. It was really good and had a nice mellow taste to it. The weird thing was that the melon flavor was almost like bubble gum. I'm not sure how that worked, but somehow the drink did feel bubble gum-ish. I would try this one again. The writing on the can just out of view says "Super Saiyan Rose." The drink had 90 calories, 22g or 8% carbs, 22g or 44% of sugar so this means that this can is a sugar bomb. I found this at Hmart in Aurora and tried it in May 2023.

Ocean Bomb (Peach Flavor)

Sometimes I wonder how people pick certain characters to be a flavor if we don't know their favorite flavor, but with Majin Buu his head does kind of remind me of a peach....anyway.... It was ok. It had more of the medicine type flavor of peach then a good one. I wouldn't get this drink again. Found at Hmart.

Ocean Bomb (Pineapple Flavor)

Sailor Moon was a series that I watched as a kid and finding drinks with the characters on it was kind of nostalgic. Here Sailor Uranus is representing pineapple. It tasted like super watered down pineapple juice. It was watered down so much that it was a bit disappointing. I think I would only buy this again if they didn't have any other options and they do have better flavors. This drink came from Hmart. Tried March 2024.

Ocean Bomb (Cucumber Flavor)

For Sailor Jupiter they went with cucumber....hentai... anyway. I was actually surprised that when you first sip it there really is a cucumber like flavor. I say 'like' because it does taste just slightly off and then there was a weird aftertaste. Would I drink it again....not sure. I think I would just to help my brain wrap around the 'like' part of the flavor since I like cucumber water. I found this at Hmart and tried March 2024.

Ramune Jujutsu Kaisen (Blackberry Flavor)

This drink I found at one of the local Asian markets, mMart. Of the Ramune flavors, this is actually one of the best ones I have tried. The flavor was clear and not overpowering. The design on the bottle was hard to photograph because of how dark it was, but that does match the fill of the anime. I'm not as familiar with this anime, but I know I find the panda amusing. I would get this one again. Tried January 2024.

Ramune Naruto (Lychee Flavor)

Super good if you like lychee. At the same time I think this would be a good drink to use to introduce people to the lychee flavor since many other lychee drinks can be overpowering to those new to the flavor (sometimes even to those that are used to the flavor). I found this one at Mmart. Tried February 2024.

Drinks At Restaurants

Kirby's Fruity Flurry (Kung Fu Tea 2022)

When I ordered this drink from the start the order did not do well. First they said that even though they were still advertising for the drink that they weren't selling it any more because they ran out of things to make it. When I asked what they were out of they said the special crystal boba it was supposed to have. I asked if they could make it with normal boba and they said they would try. The drink I got was not very good, it was sour and not in a good way, and just not a good experience. At the same time I do not know what else they had to adjust from the base. This is a good example of where a store should just take the marketing down if they can not deliver on a product. This would get a F grade from me.

Top Picture From: https://www.themarysue.com/what-does-ova-mean-in-anime/