And Crab Thunder is coming up with new and inventive ways to give us crabs.

It’s something few are talking about but everyone realizes; Valentine’s Day as we know it is at a major crossroads. Regardless of the difference between how it’s celebrated around the world, the current state of environmental and geo-political affairs has made it more difficult than ever to awkwardly express deep, complex feelings with slips of paper or candy.

No one knows this more than the popular Japanese chocolate bar brand Black Thunder. For years, they have been a thought leader in Valentine’s Day, playing games of 5-D chess with other chocolatiers and ensuring strong sales as the definitive Japanese Valentine’s gift to firmly say: “Hey, it’s a holiday but let’s not read too much into it, eh? Alright then, have a good one, buddy!”

But even they are feeling the sheer gravity of current events, from the pandemic, which reduced human interaction considerably, to the soaring prices of food. That is why Black Thunder is calling for us all to come together and hammer out what form the future of Valentine’s Day will take in the first-ever B-Class Valentine Future Expo 2023.

Rather than it being a threat to Valentine’s Day, Black Thunder is seeing the current situation as an opportunity to make it into something better and more relatable than the original holiday ever was. Through the B-Class Valentine Future Expo, they plan to build back better, focusing on six crucial points.

1. The future of giving

In Japan, and all over the world, chocolate is a common gift for Valentine’s Day. However, climate change is putting the global cocoa bean supply into jeopardy. So, what food can replace it as a symbol of love and peace? I think we can all agree it has to be crab.

Their hard shells belie tender and sweet creatures that can look quite a bit like little scuttling hearts if you squint your eyes hard enough. Also, because of indistinctions between L and R and B and V sounds in Japanese, the “rab” part of “crab” is a homonym for “love” which is why Crab Thunder: C…rab & Peace is in development, which replaces chocolate with crab and boasts an “overwhelming crab feeling!”

Once you envision a Valentine’s Day where everyone gives each other crabs, you’ll begin to see the future that Black Thunder wants us all to have.

2. The future of receiving

Crab Thunder: C…rab & Peace is just the launchpad of all that the Valentine’s Day of the future can be. Mother Nature has been kind enough to bless us with a wide and diverse range of crab species and Black Thunder will take advantage of this by creating a range of Crab Thunders suited for every conceivable recipient on Valentine’s Day, such as your cousin’s daughter (striped shore crab) or acquaintances in financial and insurance industries (Japanese spider crab).

▼ The complete road map to Crab Thunder species and their intended recipients

※For illustrative purposes only

3. The future of sharing

Remote working and social distance has made us drift further apart and also become less active, so why not bring people together and improve health by creating a traditional Valentine’s Day sport? Black Thunder has decided to do just that and are developing the game of Kanisbee (Crabsbee) which is expected to be completed by 2050.

4. The future of telling others how you feel

Even before the world became the way it is, Valentine’s Day has always been hard for those who struggle to express their feelings. Black Thunder is blazing a trail in this regard as well by developing a “Feeling Expressing AI” that can use a digitized voice tell our secret crushes how we feel with revolutionary advancements in split-second presentation and split-second calculation.

5. The future of enjoying being single

And how could we forget the fact that Valentine’s Day has traditionally alienated the large population of single people. And a certain segment of this population has immersed themselves into dating simulators rather than experience dating in a real fulfilling life. For them, Black Thunder has created Riaju Gakuen (Fulfilling Real Life School) which is different from other dating simulators in that it simulates dating in a real fulfilling life.

6. The future of clothing

Another pitfall of Valentine’s Day is knowing who and who not to give chocolate to. To this end, we can once again learn from the noble crab and dress up like one. Black Thunder consulted top designers and came up with the Kyu-Kani-Suit, a crab-themed outfit that sends a clear message of: “I’d like very much to receive some chocolate” and, of course, “I’d like very much to receive some crab” once the transition to Crab Thunder is complete later this century.

For those of us without a shellfish allergy, these truly are some exciting prospects for the future of Valentine’s Day, and if you would like to learn more about Kanisbee, Feeling Expressing AI, or any and all of these concepts that will be realized in the years to come, the B-Class Valentine Future Expo 2023 will be held at Pick Up Rankin in Shibuya, Tokyo, on 3 and 4 February.

And for those of us who can’t make it, a B-Class Valentine Future Expo 2023 website will be launched on 31 January, giving us more insight into advances and moonshots in the field of Valentine’s Day sustainability.

▼ Keep an eye on the Black Thunder Twitter account for a link when the website opens

This all might sound ridiculous, or possibly even unhinged, but remember this chocolate bar has been spot on about Valentine’s Day trends in Japan so far. Remember, we once thought they were crazy for selling school desks last Valentine’s Day, but they sold out!

So we should heed the call when Black Thunder encourages us all to participate and help create the Valentine’s Day that we want to live in together.

Event Information
B-Class Valentine Future Expo 2023 / B級バレンタイン未来博2023
Address: PickUp Rankin Shibuya Chikamichi, Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Dogenzaka 1-1-1
PickUpランキン 渋谷ちかみち 東京都渋谷区道玄坂1-1-1
Dates: 3 and 4 February, 2023
Website

Images: © Yuraku Confectionary Co., Ltd.
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