Okay, so Youkai Watch is a cultural juggernaut in Japan these days, capturing kids’ hearts and enslaving them like so many collectible youkai monsters. But despite the brilliant marketing behind the franchise (how about something exactly like Pokémon… but with… traditional Japanese Youkai?! Genius!) we’ve often thought that the concept of using a common watch as a crux to base the whole thing on seems a bit, hmm, old-fashioned. Who even wears a wristwatch anymore, when we all have the time displayed on our various smartphones and other electronic devices? Well, it seems that the people pulling the strings have now decided to switch their merchandising focus from watches to tablets, taking inspiration from the “Youkai Pad” used by supporting character Whisper to call up information on various Youkai. (No, no, it’s nothing like a Pokédex. Honest.) The brand-new “Youkai Pad” is set for release early next year, and already fans have begun to slaver over it like hungry dogs at a barbecue.

Through an introductory video shown on the official Youkai Watch YouTube channel, we found out the following information about the new tie-in gadget:

  • It is indeed based on the Youkai Pad used by Whisper in the hit series.
  • It will contain information on over 380 different Youkai!
  • It’s compatible with all currently existing Youkai medals and can read information stored on the medals.
  • It can be linked to your Nintendo 3DS system.
  • It’s set to cost an eye-watering 7,800 yen (US$66). And by eye-watering, we mean: “inciting torrents of tears from tiny besotted fans who don’t have parents rich enough to drop that kind of dough on an interactive plastic toy”. There are also more recent reports that claim the Youkai Pad is actually now going to retail for 8,434 yen ($70), which is even more insane.
  • It was originally set for a November release but has been pushed back to January 17.
  • It comes with 2 brand new medals, featuring  Youkai characters “Ichigonyan” and “Steve Jaws” (Um…)

Here’s how twitter responded to the news of the new gadget:

https://twitter.com/KuRoamatou/status/501729179033812992

▲ “Seen something terrifying known as a ‘Youkai Pad’…”

▲ “Can’t let the kids know about the new Youkai Pad! The pestering will never end! (´ω`；)”

▲ “Youkai Pad? For Christmas? I have the shivers, and not just the good kind!”

Beyond what’s shown in the video and fans’ speculation, we don’t really know what the Youkai Pad is going to look like yet. For the hefty price tag, we hope it’s a bit more complex than the simple plastic Youkai Watch watches and actually lets you do lots of cool stuff besides just scrolling through databases of different Youkai. (Because after all, isn’t that what the internet is for..?)

Source: NariNari, Matome Naver
Main Image: P-bandai.jp
Inset Image: screenshot via YouTube