Ramen donburi rice bowl series with Edogawa Ranpo references released

Do you recognize all of the mystery writer’s scenes?

Here’s something that Japanese mystery novel fans will love: Felissimo, a Japanese company, is releasing a series of three donburi rice bowls decorated with scenes from Edogawa Ranpo’s works as part of their Museum-bu brand. These bowls can hold anything from ramen to soup, cereal, or stew.

For those who aren’t familiar with Ranpo (1894-1965), he was a Japanese mystery and thriller writer so notable that Hayao Miyazaki made a Studio Ghibli Museum exhibit inspired by him, and there’s even a band that references his work.

The specially designed bowls were inspired by the fact that Ranpo once sold ramen at an outdoor food stand before becoming a full-time novelist. The inner and outer edges, as well as the bottom of the bowls, are decorated with individual scenes referencing one of Ranpo’s works. Here are the details of each of the three bowls.

The first bowl (pictured above and below) contains depictions of Ranpo’s full-length novels and incomplete works, namely Panorama Island Story, The Demon of the Lonely Isle, Beast in the Shadows, and Akuryo.

The second bowl (below) shows scenes starring Kogoro Akechi, the fictional detective famous in many Ranpo works. Try to spot the references to The Psychological Test, Fiend with Twenty Faces, Monster’s Trick, and The Case of the Murder on D. Hill.

The third bowl (below) includes shoutouts to some of Ranpo’s short stories: The Human Chair, The Traveler with the Pasted Rag Picture, The Diary, and Doctor Mera’s Mysterious Crimes.

The bottom of each bowl is decorated with a dragon (ryuu in Japanese) and a pine tree (matsu) in reference to an alternate pen name Ranpo once used, Ryuunosuke Komatsu.

▼ Clearly, a lot of detailed research went into the creation of these designs.

These donburi bowls are being released over three months, costing 2,300 yen (US$17.19) each. The first bowl is available for pre-order now on Felissimo Museum-bu, with an expected delivery time of mid-May. Keep an eye on Felissimo for more in the series!

Sources: PR Times, Felissimo
Featured image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Felissimo
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