Saturday, May 12, 2007

Pocky for Kitty.

Mina, the female protagonist in Black Poplar, is a japanophile. That goes for manga, Sanrio and snack food. She's mad for strawberry Pocky.

For those not in the know, here's the edited verison, cribbed from Wikipedia:

"Pocky is a Japanese snack food produced by the Ezaki Glico Company of Japan. It was first sold in 1965, under the name Chocoteck, and consists of a biscuit stick coated with chocolate. Pocky was an instant hit among Japanese teenagers, and brought in sales of 30 billion yen in its first two years. The name was changed to "Pocky", after the Japanese onomatopoetic word for the sound Pocky makes when bitten, pokkin (ポッキン). The original was followed by "Almond Pocky" in 1971, with an almond coating, and "Strawberry Pocky" in 1977. Today, the product line includes such variations as milk, mousse, green tea and coconut flavored coatings, and themed products such as "Decorer Pocky", with colorful decorative stripes in the coating, and "Men's Pocky", a dark (bittersweet) chocolate and "mature" version.

Pocky is very popular in Japan. In bars, it is sometimes served in a glass of ice water.

Outside of Japan, Pocky is fairly popular among Japanophiles and anime fans. Its constant association with the Engrish phenomenon and the oddness of some of its versions (like the "Men's Pocky" bittersweet flavor), as well as the several Pocky parodies seen on many anime/manga series, contribute to the snack's reputation."

Go buy some for yourself, or find out what kind of pocky you are by taking the quiz here.
(I'm reverse pocky!)