Bandai 1

Centuries of Japanese tradition welcomes a contemporary anime character to its ranks.

It wasn’t long ago that Doraemon, Japan’s magical anime cat, appeared as a traditional wagashi sweet, which are designed to be eaten during formal Japanese tea ceremonies as a sweet counterpart to the bitterness of powdered green matcha tea. Produced by Bandai as part of their Tabe Masu (“Taberareru Masukotto” or “Edible Mascot”) line, the cute collection is continuing to bring anime characters into the centuries-old tradition, this time drawing on the cast of popular anime and manga franchise One Piece.

▼ Tony Tony Chopper, the reindeer doctor from the smash hit series, is the latest character to be given life as an edible Japanese sweet.

Bandai 2

▼ Each piece has been carefully crafted to replicate all the details of the original character.

Bandai 01

▼ To mark the July 23 release of the franchise’s upcoming movie, One Piece Film: Gold, there’s also a “commemorative movie colour version”, featuring the character in a striking black-and-white outfit.

Bandai 5

Bandai 05

Made from sugar, red bean jam and glutinous rice flour, both versions are filled with a sweet chocolate-flavoured filling. Retailing for 250 yen each (US$2.45) plus tax, the Chopper Wagashi will be available from online shopping site Omni 7, with orders being taken from 27 June to 15 July for delivery between 20 – 24 July.

Bandai 03

Source, Images: @Press