
Life-sized sushi monster figures are coming to get us all hooked on cuteness
This new line of displayable toys looks like a raw deal for sushi enthusiasts, but in a good way.
Sometimes, it's the little things in life that can maki your day brighter–and when life gives you adorable little sushi monster figures, you should just roll with it.
Otaku shopping store AmiAmi recently announced that it's now taking pre-orders for Sentinel's 'Sushi Monster Sushi L.A. Real Sushi Size Figure Collection 2' following the success of the first series, which consisted of egg, shrimp, and tuna sushi offerings. This time, some new variations of popular sushi toppings join the mix in a six-pack of five standard toys plus one randomly selected secret toy out of three options.
▼ The new sushi monster lineup
While we've never had an encounter with a sushi monster in real life, if we were to have one someday, we can only hope that the monster will look something like these guys with their sushi topping hairdos, beady little eyes, and cute rice limbs. Let's now take a look at each of the five new known figures.
The runny egg sushi is decked out egg-cellently with its Zoro-like mask of nori.
Meanwhile, the runny egg & wasabi overkill sushi seems to be having a hard time reining in its raw emotions with a spill of shockingly green wasabi.
The sweet shrimp sushi has a veritable shrimp ponytail. If this were our sushi toy, we would be shellfish and wouldn't want to share it with anyone.
Similarly to the runny egg & wasabi overkill version above, the sweet shrimp & wasabi overkill sushi looks like it's seen better days (certainly nothing to be green with envy about).
Lastly, replacing the tuna sushi in the first series, the salmon sushi is a real catch, lending a bright visual impact to the mix.
By the way, the sixth figure is a salmon & wasabi overkill sushi that comes in three currently unknown variations. Having a mystery monster is certainly one way to keep reeling us in–hook, line, and sinker.
Each of the sushi monster figures measures between 70-75 millimeters (2.8-3 inches), which mirrors the actual size of nigirizushi ('hand-pressed sushi') in real life. Consequently, they also make great specimens to practice using chopsticks.
You can display the sushi monsters in various ways, from the face-down approach that mimics an actual plate of sushi…
▼ Tails up!
…to upright in what we suppose is their truest monster form. They still come across as nothing but adorable, though.
AmiAmi's online store is now taking pre-orders for the six-pack of sushi monsters detailed above. It costs 5,280 yen (US$36.42) and is expected to ship in November. In the meantime, if that feels like an impossibly long time away, check out some of Japan's other niche sushi figures or cute snacks made from rice that will float everyone's boat. Let the good times keep rolling!
Source, images: PR Times
● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


SoraNews24
14 hours ago
- SoraNews24
Donuts beyond mochi mochi: Mister Donut's new donuts are so soft they're almost drinkable
Japan's favorite donut chain rolls out Micchurin donuts to celebrate its 55th anniversary. 'Mochi mochi' is a Japanese word that can be kind of difficult to explain, but is easy to feel. It refers to a consistency that's soft and chewy, but also has a certain satisfying weightiness to it. As you can probably guess, mochi mochi is often used to describe the texture of mochi rice cakes and dumplings, but it's also an apt description for the style of donuts made by Japan's favorite donut chain, Mister Donut. With Mister Donut celebrating its 55th anniversary this year, though, they wanted to do something special, and they've created some new treats that they promise 'go beyond mochi mochi.' Called Micchurin, these new baked goods took two years to develop, and Mister Donut says the result is a texture unlike anything else they've ever offered in the half-century plus of being in business, and that it'll leave people amazed that donuts can feel like this. Looking at their slightly amorphous shape, you might be tempted to think these extra-soft and chewy donuts are just donuts that are baked for an unusually short time. That's not the case, though, as Mister Donut says the Micchurin are still fried donuts, but that their texture comes from a special coating that softens them up. And just how soft are they? Well, when we picked one up at a press preview, our fingers immediately sunk into the dough! Mind you, we weren't trying to squeeze the Micchurin. We'd picked it up with the same gentle grip we always do when handling something as precious as a donut, but even that modicum of force caused it to indent. These new donuts are so soft that it almost feels like you could drink them. There's clearly potential here for all sorts of limited-time and seasonal Micchurin flavors, but to start Mister Donut is rolling out four kinds: kinako (cinnamon-like roasted soybean powder), mitarashi (a sweet soy sauce glaze traditionally poured on mochi dumplings), azuki (sweet red bean paste), and brown sugar with warabimochi, with prices ranging from 205 to 226 yen (approximately US$1.40-US$1.55). The Micchurin donuts go on sale at Mister Donut branches across Japan on June 4. Top image: SoraNews24 Insert images: Mister Donut, SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]


SoraNews24
3 days ago
- SoraNews24
Deep-fried mint chocolate croquettes and gnocchi gratin on sale at Tobu Department Store in Tokyo
It's a breath of fresh fried mint. We here at SoraNews24 are constantly seeking culinary oddities wherever they may appear, but sometimes we just stumble onto them too. Such a thing happened to our Japanese writer Tasuku Egawa while browsing around the Tobu Department Store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Japanese department stores often have large food sections on their basement floors that sell high-end cakes and chocolates or gourmet ingredients for meals. When Tasuku headed down there he spotted an interesting sign. It was for a special mint chocolate food campaign called Atsumare! Choco Minto, which is going on now. Minto is the Japanese pronunciation of 'mint,' but for this event the ' to ' part was written with the kanji used to denote a political party, often preceded by ' min ' to make ' minto ' as a shorthand for 'Democratic Party,' so this event roughly translates to 'Gather 'round! Mint Chococratic Party.' This pun is popular among foodies as an allusion to the very divisive nature of mint chocolate in which Japanese people seem to either love or hate it in such a clear way that it could be compared to political alignments. ▼ I've never been so politically motivated before. Many of the food vendors on the floor had special versions of their products adopting the great taste of mint chocolate. As expected, there was a vast array of cakes, parfaits, and milkshakes. But as Tasuku perused the menu, something far more daring jumped out at him. ▼ 'Mint Chocolate & Nuts Rich Mint Cream Croquette' In Japanese cuisine, cream croquettes are deep-fried globs of white sauce and some kind of savory meat or vegetable like crab or pumpkin. What Hakko Kitchen Rich Cream Croquette Tokyo seems to have done with this for the Mint Chococratic Party is add mint to the sauce and toss in some bits of chocolate and nuts for texture. Tasuku headed over to Hakko Kitchen and stared at the croquettes for a while. Sensing his disbelief the staff explained that this item sold out over the previous weekend and a TV crew even came to cover them. Not only that but they sold them at mint chocolate events in the past and there have been people waiting for them to come back. That was enough to intrigue our writer to try one despite the steep price of 681 yen each (US$4.72). While there he also spotted a Mint Chocolate & Cream Cheese Potato Gnocchi Gratin for 1,080 yen ($7.49) and felt compelled to try that too. He was reassured because department store food stalls are usually refined establishments that wouldn't just sell random foods for shock value if they didn't also taste really good. Hakko Kitchen in particular had been in this location for 60 years, so they probably knew what they were doing. But after arriving at home and staring his Mint Chocolate & Cream Cheese Potato Gnocchi Gratin in the blue face, he began to have second thoughts about this. He took a first scoop which had a big potato gnocchi in it and popped it in his mouth. The taste of mint chocolate was front and center while the gnocchi added some salty notes and the cream cheese kept everything grounded as a gratin dish. Tasuku concluded that it was good for him as a solid but moderate member of the Mint Chococratic Party, but the complexity of its taste might be an issue for hardline mint chocolate fanatics as the purity of the flavor could be described as diminished or corrupted somewhat. Next was the Mint Chocolate & Nuts Rich Mint Cream Croquette. It looked just as good as any cream croquette on the outside. Tasuku thought about how ice cream is sometimes fried in the USA, so this should work in the same way more or less. Breaking it open, our writer was greeted with a load of nuts and liberal amount of chocolate chips. His first bite was a full blast of firm mint chocolate flavor. Unlike the complex taste of the previous item, this was the clear taste of mint chocolate through and through. It's certainly too bold for anyone who's not a fan of mint chocolate, but who are we kidding? Anyone not into mint chocolate would have bailed on these croquettes a long time ago. But for those who want a fresh take on an old favorite, the Gather 'round! Mint Chococratic Party food fair will be held until 4 June. Event information Gather 'round! Mint Chococratic Party / あつまれ!チョコミン党 Hakko Kitchen Rich Cream Croquette Tokyo (croquettes and gratin only) / 発酵kitchen リッチクリームコロッケ東京 Tobu Department Store / 東武百貨店 Address: Tokyo-to, Toshima-ku, Ikebukuro 1-1-25 東京都豊島区西池袋1-1-25 From 22 May-4 June Website Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]


SoraNews24
5 days ago
- SoraNews24
Beyond matcha sweets: Japan's favorite katsu sandwich maker releasing matcha pork cutlet sandwich
Masters of their crafts in Tokyo and Kyoto team-up for a very unusual, but very appealing, innovation. It might be hard to believe, but matcha sweets are, for the most part, actually a relatively recent addition to the Japanese culinary scene. Yes, green tea ice cream has been a thing for a long time, and a handful of traditional Japanese confectionaries used matcha, but for the most part matcha was a beverage, not a flavoring. Of course, modern Japanese society has now fully embraced all sorts of sweet matcha treats. But what about using matcha as a seasoning for something savory? Maisen is a Tokyo pork cutlet restaurant that was founded in 1965, which also has pre-prepared takeout shops in some Japanese department stores' food sections. One of their biggest hits is their hire katsu (pork tenderloin cutlet) sandwich, pictured above. This summer they're offering a new version, created in partnership with tea-brand Iemon (part of the Suntory group): a katsu sandwich made with matcha!?! The cutlet itself is the same deep-fried slice of tenderloin that Maisen fans know and love, but the soft, crustless bread is matcha infused, with Iemon green tea powder kneaded into the dough before baking. Maisen promises a refreshing green tea flavor and aroma as you bite into the bread, and even the sweet and savory katsu sauce that's poured on the cutlet slices is a special matcha version made just for this collaboration. Maisen's Iemon Hire Katsu Sandwich goes on sale June 1, priced at 540 yen (US$3.70). In recognition of the Iemon brand's Uji/Kyoto Prefecture roots, it'll be available at the Maisen branches in the Kyoto Daimaru, JR Kyoto Isetan, Kyoto Porta department stores/shopping centers, and will also be coming to the Osaka World Expo via a Maisen food truck, though there's no exact date announced for that yet. Meanwhile, here in Tokyo we'll be keeping our fingers crossed and our stomachs growling that this special sandwich eventually makes its way to east Japan too. Source: Maisen, PR Times via Japaaan Top image: Maisen Insert images: PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!