Shopping Guide
Valentine’s Day might still be a few weeks away, but preparations for it are in full swing here in Japan! With so many types of chocolate, both the ordinary and the deliciously unique, there’s something for everyone to send to their significant others, friends and… favorite anime characters?
That’s right! In Japan, it’s common for eager fans (generally female) to send Valentine’s chocolates to their favorite anime or manga character via the series’ editorial department. And this isn’t just a case of everyone at the office receiving some nice chocolate to share around - popular sports manga The Prince of Tennis has an entire event for ranking the amount of chocolates that each character receives!
Take a look at this photo from last year’s ranking process for an idea of how intense the Prince of Tennis love is…
【テニプリバレンタイン日誌❁】
— 許斐剛 (@konomi_takeshi) https://twitter.com/konomi_takeshi/status/700238770294001664">February 18, 2016
毎日続々と皆様の愛情こもったキャラ達へのチョコやプレゼントが沢山届いてます♪
҉٩(#´◇｀#) ۶҉ ｱﾘｶﾞﾄ～!
みんなのキャラ愛がストレートに伝わって楽しいな♪(๑•̀ㅁ•́๑) ✭*゜ https://t.co/76YOkQjdof">pic.twitter.com/76YOkQjdof
Even author Konomi Takeshi was overwhelmed by the sheer number of sweet deliveries!
【テニプリバレンタイン日誌】
— 許斐剛 (@konomi_takeshi) https://twitter.com/konomi_takeshi/status/701199618546098176">February 21, 2016
迷路みたいだね…(๑´｀๑) https://t.co/h17H8MMUf4">pic.twitter.com/h17H8MMUf4
And as for the final tally, it added up to a whopping 112,863 gifts!
【テニプリバレンタイン日誌】
— 許斐剛 (@konomi_takeshi) https://twitter.com/konomi_takeshi/status/705993905955741696">March 5, 2016
今朝まで8人体制で、一生懸命皆さんのキャラへの愛情を集計し終わりました҉٩(#´◇｀#) ۶҉ ｱﾘｶﾞﾄｰ!
プレゼント総数11万2863個♪
個人別は⑱巻で、学校別ランキングはこの後発表します✭*゜ https://t.co/6kjHQhPhWN">pic.twitter.com/6kjHQhPhWN
The final winner was Atobe Keigo, the arrogant yet charismatic captain of Hyoutei Academy, with 8948 votes!
【跡部くんのクラスメイト募集企画】
— 許斐剛 (@konomi_takeshi) https://twitter.com/konomi_takeshi/status/774246956071653377">September 9, 2016
跡部くん「俺様が校舎を増築してやったぜ‼」
向日くん「ええ～⁉」
忍足くん「跡部…やりおるわ」
跡部くん「っー訳で、お前ら全員俺様のクラスメイトだ‼」 https://t.co/hxO6JEFxG0">pic.twitter.com/hxO6JEFxG0
This ranking event has been held every year since 2001, with the exception of 2003 and 2015. The first year started out with about 300, steadily increasing to over 9,000 around the ten year mark. Those numbers reached explosive heights with 2014’s haul, a jaw-dropping 181,890! Maybe their rooms were so full with chocolate that they couldn’t fit in any more for 2015!
But Prince of Tennis fanatics need not fear, as the event came back last year and will be running for 2017 as well. In this announcement, Konomi expressed his excitement for this year’s gifts, which are sure to be sent with lots of love for the characters and series! Furthermore, while results in previous years were released through an upcoming volume of the manga, he’s hinted at a new form of announcing the final ranking for this year.
『テニプリバレンタイン🎁』やるのかな？と、もぬもぬした日々をお過ごしの皆さん‼
— 許斐剛 (@konomi_takeshi) https://twitter.com/konomi_takeshi/status/819854452391694336">January 13, 2017
＼＼\\٩(`･ω･´)و ｵｫｫｫ!!!//／／
今年もお祭り開催テニプリキャラクター達は皆さんの愛情いっぱいのチョコ🍫ドキドキ待ってます🎵
でも無理しないようにね✨
今年は新しい形で発表も🎊 https://t.co/rSSopxJxxA">pic.twitter.com/rSSopxJxxA
While The Prince of Tennis may be running the largest Valentine’s anime event around, it’s certainly not the only one! Massively popular mobile game and anime Granblue Fantasy also joined in the fun last year, sending back character messages for chocolates sent!
RTで見かけなかったので、グランくんとランスロットさんとヴェインくんのセリフも宜しければどうぞ https://t.co/ql6AB8btH8">pic.twitter.com/ql6AB8btH8
— 虹色シャブ芸人 (@usui_kakin) https://twitter.com/usui_kakin/status/707797217776672768">March 10, 2016
Who do you think scored the most love?
アルベールとノアとフレッセルからバレンタインのお返しカードが…！！こちらこそありがとう… https://t.co/fUPnJIX4N2">pic.twitter.com/fUPnJIX4N2
— しがらき (@sshigaraki) https://twitter.com/sshigaraki/status/707790468277473280">March 10, 2016
And first place went to... Rackam, the suave-looking steersman who soars the skies!
【グランブルーファンタジー】【新キャラクター登場】9/28(月) 19:00より、新キャラクターが登場しました！レジェンドフェス限定！SSレア 「ラカム（リミテッドシリーズ）」（CV.平田広明） https://twitter.com/hashtag/%E3%82%B0%E3%83%A9%E3%83%96%E3%83%AB?src=hash">#グラブル http://t.co/ryiLRWG9k2">pic.twitter.com/ryiLRWG9k2
— グランブルーファンタジー (@granbluefantasy) https://twitter.com/granbluefantasy/status/648438289897164801">September 28, 2015
And whether there’s an event going on or not, there are always those who want to express their love nevertheless, whether it’s through sending gifts, writing letters or drawing fanart!
「バレンタイン」
— ふゆみつ (@huyumitsu) https://twitter.com/huyumitsu/status/698523801995194368">February 13, 2016
あげるのはもちろんくまちゃん！
https://twitter.com/hashtag/%E3%83%AF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88%E3%83%AA%E7%89%88%E6%B7%B1%E5%A4%9C%E3%81%AE%E7%9C%9F%E5%89%A3%E3%81%8A%E7%B5%B5%E3%81%8B%E3%81%8D60%E5%88%86%E4%B8%80%E6%9C%AC%E5%8B%9D%E8%B2%A0?src=hash">#ワートリ版深夜の真剣お絵かき60分一本勝負 https://t.co/l7nOYFYekd">pic.twitter.com/l7nOYFYekd
We’ll be looking forward to what this year’s Feb. 14 brings to us and all our favorite anime characters! Which character would you send Valentine’s chocolate to?
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article