If you’ve been living under a rock for the past year or two, you might have missed a significant change taking place in Japanese popular culture. What are we talking about? Why, adorable collectible monster franchise Youkai Watch, of course! The Youkai Watch series, which comprises manga, anime and video games has been steadily and skilfully easing itself onto the comfy throne once monopolized by Pokémon. Kids are going crazy for it, adults are being driven crazy over it, and poor old Pikachu and pals are being seriously left in the dust. Now, Youkai Watch has pulled off another victory over Pokémon by stealing its role as McDonald’s go-to calendar star.

The devastating (well, to fans of Pokémon) news comes via Twitter, where a user shared a snap of a poster advertising McDonald’s Original Youkai Watch calendar for 2015. That’s twelve months of Jibanyan, Whisper, Nogappa and the rest! (And none for Ash Ketchum, bye.)

So, will kids across Japan be flinging their sodas and nuggets in the air in frustration at the loss of the yearly Pokémon calendar they’ve come to expect? Hmm, given the enormous popularity of Youkai Watch and all its associated trinkets and doodads, we’re expecting the opposite – huge lines of excited kids desperate to get their hands on this newest piece of monster merchandise! And who knows? Maybe they’ll stick around for some free nuggets, too?

Source: Jin115.com
Main image: ©Evie Lund/RocketNews24