Garigari-kun Rich ――Image Shiritori has begun (#13)

(#12) Neko-kawaigari (doting on a cat) → "gari" → Garigari-kun Rich

〽 Napolitan, a nostalgic sound
Its sweet aroma makes everyone fall for it
Napolitan, an eternal idol
Burn the flames of love and stir-fry it
I want to see you, my beloved Napolitan♪
(From Trio the Shakine's "Beloved Napolitan")

Masao Sen: "What do you mean, potage!"

(3 minutes 37 seconds)

…Ah, no, I meant Napolitan, not potage (・_・)
Well, the corn potage flavor was definitely a bit questionable, but still…

―――――――――――――――――――(2,645 characters from here on)

Garigari-kun.

Personally, it is a summer staple that I want to have stocked in my freezer at all times, with two or three bars on hand during this time of year.

The standard Garigari-kun (soda flavor) is, simply put, a bar-type ice cream consisting of shaved ice wrapped in a popsicle shell.
The "gari-gari" (crunchy) texture is truly pleasant.

And above all, what is worth noting is its price.
Sold for50 yenback in 1981, the price of Garigari-kun was raised to60 yenin 1991 due to the introduction of the consumption tax, but from there, it amazingly

maintained that price (60 yen) for 25 years.

This is despite the fact that the consumption tax, which was the cause of the previous price hike, was subsequently increased twice more.

However, due to soaring raw material costs and logistics expenses, the company reached a point where they werebarely making any profitfor about two years, and in 2016, they "heartbreakingly" raised the price by another 10 yen to70 yen.

(1 minute 01 second)

The video above is the TV commercial from when they decided to make that price hike.
Starting with the president, who has a bitter expression in the center of the screen, all the employees lined up are silent, and there is absolutely no dialogue or audio other than Wataru Takada's "Neage" (Price Hike) playing in the background.
Finally, there is a bow of apology from everyone, seen from an aerial overhead shot.
And floating alone in the background is

60→70

The number (・_・)💦

It is a full-effort one minute that truly embodies the feeling of a difficult decision.

This obsession with low prices, which could be considered somewhat unusual, is rooted in the concept that Gari-Gari Kun is
something elementary school students can easily buy.

It can be summed up in one word: wonderful.

Since it's something "elementary school students can easily buy," thankfully, grown adults can buy it in bulk even more easily ♪(￣∀￣)♪

Another feature of Gari-Gari Kun is that in addition to the three standard flavors of soda, cola, and grapefruit, new flavors are born one after another, such as mango, W-mandarin orange, and golden pineapple. Including limited-time and seasonal items, the number of varieties easily exceeds 50
(*1).

This strategy of releasing new flavors every season has greatly boosted Gari-Gari Kun's status as a year-round product, and it has also shown developments that differentiate it from the standard Gari-Gari Kun, such as

Gari-Gari Kun Rich (140 yen), and
Otona na Gari-Gari Kun (350 yen)

which is a box type containing six smaller Gari-Gari Kuns.

The stance of continuing to challenge new flavors is generally well-received, but there are some that have become exceptions in terms of both public evaluation and sales figures.

That is the Napolitan flavor sold in 2014.

Popsicles and Napolitan.

Well, when you line them up like this, "Of course they wouldn't go together (lol)" is a combination you'd want to say that about.

However, it is also true that there are indeed miraculous collaborations in the world brought about by combinations that seem almost impossible.

In the world of frozen desserts, strawberry daifuku is the prime example of that.

Furthermore, two years before this Napolitan flavor was released to the world, in 2012,
Gari-Gari Kun Rich Corn Potage flavor had already been matched up in a mixed martial arts of taste.

Moreover, while this Corn Potage flavor had mixed reviews regarding its taste, it went viral online in terms of buzz, and as a result, it sold so well that production couldn't keep up and it was suspended after just two days—

it sold that much ( ﾟДﾟ).

If Corn Potage can work, then Napolitan should work too! (o^-')b♪

It is unclear whether such a simple and optimistic mood existed during the development stage.
However, the result of the Napolitan flavor, which was given the green light and released, did not sell as well as initially expected; in fact,

it resulted in a massive loss of about 300 million yen.

It caused a loss of about 300 million yen.

However, even if I've lost my touch, I still have my pride as someone who considers themselves a Gari-Gari Kun freak.
There is no way I should just follow the crowd without verifying it myself, just by conforming to general public opinion!

—So, I decided to try this Napolitan flavor myself (o^-')b♪

Now, for my impressions...
Honestly, it's a flavor that's hard to describe.

I don't think the reproducibility of the Napolitan flavor is bad at all.
However, I feel that the negative aspects due to that high level of reproducibility are significant.
How should I put it? Cold pasta isn't delicious, so why would you chill it even further...
I can't help but want to make that kind of retort^m^
(※These are my personal impressions)

I really think these were ingredients that should have been eaten separately...(^^ゞ💦💦

That said, I would like to offer the highest praise to the frontier spirit of the Akagi Nyugyo staff in charge of new flavors, who are pushing forward through the wilderness of unknown tastes.

It's okay, failure is the mother of success as that lifelong honorary manager of the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants says.

And, I'm waiting again this year for Garigari-kun's new flavor ♪＼(^o^)／🎉

May tomorrow also be a day where as many people as possible
can feel excited about new trials and discoveries

#OverflowingWithExcitement
#WhatAreYouTalkingAbout
#MustBeCrazy
#Whatever
#LivelyBunch

■ Bonus

This is the car before the current image shiritori train (13th car). If anyone felt curious about the title "Doting on a cat" or the joke image below, please feel free to take a look when you have some time.