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In putting together an article for RocketNews24, I use just a laptop for the vast majority of the process. On rare occasions, though, it’s quicker or more convenient to grab a notebook and pen to jot down ideas or outline a story.

As much as I love writing, the physical act of putting pen to paper doesn’t really hold all that much mysticism to me. I’m not sure exactly why, but it might be because I’ve got terrible penmanship. In order to form letters that I’ll actually be able to go back and read later, I have to concentrate so intensely that I just don’t have the leftover mental capacity to get emotional about the subject at hand.

Soon, though, there’ll be a way for anybody to get misty-eyed, no matter how bad their chicken scratch, with a notebook that’s scientifically designed to make you cry when you write in it.

Manufacturer Magnus Ferreus recently announced a new product called the Onion Note (“note” being the Japanese term for “notebook”). Thankfully, though, unlike the grapefruit and lavender-scented letters we talked about recently, the Onion Note doesn’t share the pungent smell of its edible namesake.

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Instead, Magnus Ferrus chose the product’s name because its pages are treated with allyl propyl compounds. These compounds are commonly found in onion oil, and are the reason chopping up one of the vegetables makes you cry.

Of course, most of us are pretty unlikely to ever have to dice a page from our notebook (although tearing one up can be rather stress-relieving). Instead, the heat caused by the friction of writing on the page causes the compound on the paper to evaporate, sending the gas up to your quickly-watering eyes.

Magnus Ferreus demonstrates in the following video.

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▼ (Plop!)

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Wow, that’s powerful stuff. What kind of emotionally-charged message could this woman be writing?

▼ Translation: “There’s pudding in the refrigerator.”

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Now don’t get us wrong, we love our chilled desserts as much as the next guy, but this seems a tad on the dramatic side. Let’s look at another Onion Note ad, and see if the scenario seems any more deserving of a couple tears.

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We guess it’s possible that after searching for years, this guy has finally landed a job in New York. After moving to Manhattan, he sits down for a moment to write the first entry in his journal that will chronicle his new life, and is simply overcome by the significance of the moment in which he’s realized his lifelong dream.

Or, perhaps, Magnus Ferreus is just having a little fun. After all, even though allyl propyl compounds will make your eyes water, they don’t necessarily produce the kind of gasping and sobbing seen in the videos.

▼ You shouldn’t ordinarily make the noises this man does in the kitchen (or library, for that matter).

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Still, the company’s CEO seems pretty straight-faced as he talks about their new product.

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Pricing is yet to be announced, as is the exact date the Onion Note will go on sale. It does look like Japan will be getting the unique notebook before anywhere else, though, and given the country’s love of cathartic movies, TV shows, and music, we imagine at least a few interested scribes will be ready with cash in hand whenever the Onion Note does show up in stores.

Sources: IT Media, Onion Note
Top image: YouTube
Insert images: Onion Note, YouTube (1, 2, 3)