#179 San-Dolce Sea of Japan

Well, the first match of the second half of the season, an away game against Kashiwa Reysol, ended in a scoreless draw. We held the initiative in the first half but couldn't score, and in the final stages, we had to rely on a divine save by Kojima to hold off the opponent's comeback after their substitutions. While there is a prevailing negative impression due to not being able to beat a team currently in 18th place despite it being an away game, and the fact that both Horigome and Takagi have left the team again due to injuries sustained during this match, the next game is coming up.

This weekend, we have a home game against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. And it's our first night game of the season! It's been the height of the rainy season in Niigata since around this week. The forecast for the day is currently rain, but I really hope it clears up. Let's win no matter what, and let's all light up the Planet Swan of victory together!!

Now, for the theme of this provocation illustration, Hiroshima is represented by Momiji Manju. I'm using the posing from the classic gag "Momiji Manju~!" by B&B from the Showa-era comedy boom (sorry if it's hard to tell).

In opposition to that, Niigata has brought three sweets (Panda-yaki, Kasen Jouki, and Tiramisu Daifuku). Why three, you ask...

The origin of the team name Sanfrecce Hiroshima comes from the anecdote of the "Three Arrows" by the local Sengoku warlord Mori Motonari, combining the Japanese word for "three" (san) and the Italian word for "arrows" (frecce). I was thinking of using sweets to counter the Momiji Manju, and when I realized that "sweets" in Italian is "dolce," I decided to go with "San-Dolce" to counter "Sanfrecce." Is that too forced? By the way, the three Niigata sweets I chose this time were selected entirely based on my own judgment. Let me introduce those three again.

First, "Panda-yaki" is a sweet from Bunsuido Honpo, wrapped in a white, chewy dough filled with red bean paste or custard cream. Among them, the most popular one is the Yahiko specialty made with edamame bean paste called "Yahiko Musume"! It's so delicious that it won the No. 1 Grand Prix in the 2010 "Nippon Nationwide Local Snack Ranking."

Next, "Kasen Jouki" is a popular sweet from Niigata confectionery shop Saikatei, featuring special red bean cream wrapped in sponge cake. Saikatei is a long-established confectionery shop founded in 1958 with 16 stores in Niigata Prefecture. Among them, when you think of Saikatei, this "Kasen Jouki" comes to mind. The red bean cream has a subtle sweetness that matches the sponge cake perfectly, making it very delicious.

Finally, "Japanese-style Tiramisu Daifuku" is a daifuku from Manpei Kashiten, filled with plenty of mellow tiramisu cream inside a soft, coffee-flavored skin. The modest sweetness and the slightly bitter, chewy skin are a perfect match. This is incredibly delicious, isn't it? There was a time in the past when you could even buy it at Big Swan.

As mentioned earlier, the three sweets were chosen based on my own judgment, so I'm sure there are many other opinions. I hope to introduce those on another occasion. By the way, please forgive me as Poppo-yaki has already appeared for the Ryukyu match, Bandai Daiko for the Yokohama FC match, and Praline and Hakkai Boumu for the Tochigi match. I have summarized the links at the end of the text.

And, I actually drew one more provocation illustration this time. Or rather, I've just wanted to draw it for a long time. When you think of Hiroshima and Niigata, a three-member female idol group born locally comes to mind for each. Hiroshima has the three members of Perfume, and Niigata has the three members of Negicco. Both groups have a high level of artistry that goes beyond the framework of just being idols. I have actually been to concerts for both groups, and I remember both being wonderful. The three members of Negicco often appear at Albirex match venues too! By the way, the title of this note, "San-Dolce Sea of Japan," is a play on Negicco's masterpiece "Sunshine Sea of Japan."

So, on the day of the match, it's not Chocolate Disco... but let's beat Hiroshima and go with Planet Swan Disco!!