"Kemono Friends" was one of 2017's biggest anime hits. The series, focused on a human girl exploring a zoo called Japari Park alongside various anthropomorphized critters, won over fans despite its simplistic animation style. As you'd expect from any hit, merchandise soon followed in a stampede of toys, drinks and snacks. And, in 2018, the goods keep on coming.
One of the latest products comes from FamilyMart, which introduced two special warm buns themed around "Kemono Friends." Featuring swirls based off the logo of the fictional Japari Park, the Japari-man come in a cheese curry flavor and a chocolate variety (both ¥130 after tax). The latter sounded more appealing to try on a day when Tokyo was thawing from a recent snowstorm.
The chocolate Japari-man is as simple as it gets. Save for the Kirby-pink color of its exterior and the swirl, this warm snack offers ample amounts of chocolate in every bite. And that's it. The website claims the snack also boasts a rum flavor — complete with a whopping 0.2 percent alcohol content — but good luck tasting that even if you're totally sober. It really is just a lot of sweet, gooey chocolate. Maybe not that exciting but, on a cold day, it's a nice pick-me up.
