SoraNews24 —Japan News—

After reading through a mountainous pile of entries, we’re ready to announce the four lucky instant noodle/Pokémon fans who’ve won some Pikachu ramen. Are you one of them? Read on to find out!

A few weeks ago, we spread the word about four packs of Pikachu ramen that were stranded in the U.S. and in need of good homes. Figuring that the best homes must of course be those of RocketNews24 readers, we asked you to submit your applications to become the guardians/eaters of these adorable Pokémon edibles.

To start, we’d like to say a great big thank you to everyone who entered. Your stories ranged from laughter-inducing to tear-jerking, and we honestly wish we had enough prizes for everyone.

Before we get to the winners, we’d like to share some of our favorite runners-up.

Kimi’s story starts off by touching our hearts, then filling them with fear.

“The reason why I really want the Pikachu ramen is a little absurd and maybe a little romantic. My boyfriend’s pet nickname for me is Pikachu because I apparently have the same sparky attitude and rosy cheeks. So I want him to eat these tiny Pikachus and watch his face his fall apart in horror as he comes to struggle with what he has just done.”
– Kimi Lim

While we’re rooting for Alan to accomplish his ambition, we were also a little worried about him getting indigestion from eating too many Pokémon.

“I deserve to win the Pikachu ramen because, as a poke-gourmand, it will complete my dream of finally eating all of the original Pokémon! Although not all have been delicious a goal is a goal, and only picachu prevents me from achieving my dream!”
– Alan Villanueva

Cheese in the ramen? You have our deepest sympathies, Luis.

“Please bring a little Pokémon fun to our boring instant ramen lives!!! Where i live there’s only Maruchan or Nissin cup noodles and honestly, the only “special version” we got it’s awful: american cheese flavor, so there’s that”
– Luis Carrillo

And our final runner-up, Hana, would have surely won if not for the fact that so many of the men on the RocketNews24 team are already happily married (and by the way, we hope you aced those tests, Hana).

“Please please PLEASE send me Pikachu Ramen because I’m crazy stressed studying for my board exams and all I ever needed to keep me awake is some Pika-loving and I promise not only to be your best friend for life but also send you a bribe when I get rich in the future and go visit Tokyo or marry one of your (if anyone is willing) staff– so what do you say? *fumingly catches breath*”
– Hana Carrera

And now, on to the winners!

● The Sweet Pika Love Prize

“Hi! I am writing to enter the Pikachu ramen contest. I am doing this for my boyfriend, Misha. Misha is in his late 20s. When we first met three years ago he told me about his hobby…Pokémon. At first, I thought, “Ok so my boyfriend plays Pokémon on his spare time. No big deal.” Then I realized it wasn’t just on his spare time! He trained for competitions and tried to make his team better. I bought him a plush and he brought it with him to his competition and played with it right next to him. He had “Pokémon” friends that call and text him for advice.”

“I wasn’t expecting to learn so much from Misha about Pokémon. He got me playing the games on my 3DS (that he bought me for my birthday). I love him and I know that he would love this ramen. He is always searching for Pokémon stuff and reading up on recent news (like when we visited my parents recently he showed them the Pokémon commercial for the Super Bowl!). I know that he would absolutely love this and he would add it to his shelf of Pokémon collections (or he might have to eat it!). He is a lifelong dedicated Pokémon lover and I love that about him! I fully support his Pokémon love affair and I would love to surprise him with this!!”
– Hannah Guida

You’re a lucky guy, Hannah’s Boyfriend. Just make sure you do eat the ramen (you can always wipe the empty container clean and store it on your shelf afterwards), and also that you take Hannah out for a nice, non-instant noodle meal to say thanks.

● The Blatant Accepting of Bribes Prize

“Pika….Pikapi….Chuuuu! Pika Pikachu Ramen. Chu Chu Chu. Pika pi. Pika pika Chuuuu! Ramen Pikachu pika! Chu pikaaaaaa. Pikapiiiiiii. Chuuuu Pikachu Chu. Pikachu Ramen pika pi.”
– Krishia Go

If we remember what we learned in the two semesters of Pikachuese we took in college, Krishia just offered to do all our laundry for a month. Thanks, Krishia! And don’t worry, we’ll make sure to ship the ramen and our dirty socks in different boxes.

● The Start ‘Em Young Prize

“Why do I deserve the Pikachu ramen? Well it isn’t really for me. It’s actually for my younger brother in elementary school. He’s a huge Pokémon fan and of course his favorite is Pikachu. He absolutely adores it! He has all the games, he has the old ones, he has posters, pictures saved on his phone. And the only place he wants to travel is Japan. No not for sightseeing, not for Disneyland Japan or Universal Studios. No, the only reason he wants to go is to visit the Pokémon Center over there.”

“Now for where he got his love of Pokémon from…well that’s from me, his much older sister. While this is still for my brother (mostly?) I also really want it! Who doesn’t want Pikachu??!?!? In RAMEN FORM?! Now not to say ramen isn’t delicious, but wouldn’t it just be 20838403792 times cooler to eat it from a yellow bowl of pure cuteness?! I’m not going to lie, when I was younger I always wanted my own Pikachu and I’ve passed that dream on brother. Not to mention, my family (including parents) have watched every single Pokémon movie there is. If we get one bowl we’d probably end up sharing it all together.”
– Caitlyn Tu

Yes, Pikachu ramen does have the power to bring the whole family closer together. Be warned, though, Caitlyn: spending their formative years playing video games and watching anime has caused some people to run off to Japan once they reach adulthood.

● The Compelling Narrative Prize

“Growing up I didn’t have many friends other than my family. One day my father left for work, and didn’t come back. My mother saw how heartbroken I was after one of my few friends had left my life for good. With the few dollars she could scrape up she negotiated a deal with the local Ms. Joy. I could go to the Pokécenter and choose an abandoned Pokémon of my own! I went and locked eyes with a Pikachu. He knew nothing but sand attack, but it didn’t take long for us to learn thunderbolt and scratch!”

“One night, he wanted to go outside very badly. I thought it was to do his business, but it wasn’t! He had been eyeing a stray Pika-girl for the past month! She would come to my porch and eat my Pikachu’s left over food. After a few days of my Pikachu having run away, he came home, packed a suitcase, put a little traveling hat on, and explained to me he had a family, and like all good parents I must let him go.”

“So that’s what I did. I miss him, but I know he’s with his beautiful wife and probably has some Pikachus of his own. I like to think that I helped him a little. He wouldn’t have known thunderbolt as young as he did without me, and I know he can use that attack to defend his family now.”

“I get a card now and then from him, checking up on me. This is why I would love that Pikachu ramen. It reminds me of my little Papito. And maybe, if I win the ramen, I can prepare it and invite Papita and his family over to enjoy it with me, so we can have one last meal as a girl and her Pikachu.”
– Brandi Candi

We honestly aren’t sure how much of Brandi’s story is true, but it grabbed hold of us right from the start, and our day is honestly a little better for having a mental image of Pikachu wearing a dapper traveling hat.

Thanks again to all of the entrants, and congratulations to our four winners! We’ll be in touch via Facebook message soon to get your mailing addresses, and if you could send us a picture of yourselves enjoying your prizes, we’d love to see how the Pikachu ramen cups are settling in at their new homes!

Follow Casey on Twitter to keep your finger on the pulse of anime-themed food.

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