Japan’s new energy drink feels like getting slapped in the face by an anime girl

A slap in the face to Steins;Gate otaku, but in the best possible way.

Ordinarily, when something brings you out of a lazy or powered-down mood, we call it “a shot in the arm,” or maybe “a kick in the butt.” But the concept behind Japan’s newest energy drink is to make you feel like you just got slapped across the face.

Specifically, it’s supposed to make you feel like you just got slapped across the face by Mayuri Shiina, better known as Mayushii, part of the cast of anime/video game franchise Steins;Gate. In a pivotal moment of the narrative, when protagonist Okarin (Rintaro Okabe) is buckling under the emotional weight of trying to jump through time to precent tragedy, his childhood friend Mayushii decides that the best way to remind him of the strength he has inside is with some non-verbal, open-handed motivation.

Tokyo-based NN Drinks wanted to bottle that sensation, and the result is their new energy drink, called Mayushii’s Slap. While there’s no actual physical impact involved, slamming down the contents of the 50-mililiter (1.7-ounce) bottle should definitely give you a jolt, as it contains 120 milligrams of caffeine, about as much as three whole cups of black coffee. In addition to Vitamins C, B2, and B6, other energizing ingredients in the drink include honey, snapping turtle extract, ginseng extract, and royal jelly, though NN Drinks (the same geniuses who brought us drinkable whipped cream in a can) says the flavor is fruity and easy to drink.

The label is filled with all sorts of science-y kanji, as well as a number of warnings. Mayushii’s Slap is not recommended for pregnant women, children, and people in poor physical condition, which makes sense as they’re also groups that shouldn’t be slapped. Even for slappable individuals, NN Drinks asks that you limit yourself to one bottle a day, as any more is likely to make you more wired than energized. And finally, in a special cautionary point for fans, the makers stress that “Not drinking this will result in ‘zero’ caffeine and divergence to the Beta Worldline.”

Because of the importance of Tokyo’s Akihabara district as a setting in Steins;Gate, Mayushii’s Slap will be first available at a special pop-up shop just outside the first-floor entrance to the neighborhood’s iconic Radio Kaikan building on July 29, starting from 10:30 a.m. If you’ve already got plans on that day and don’t have the time-travel capabilities necessary to shift your schedule around, you can also order Mayushii’s Slap through the NN Drinks online shop here, priced at 660 yen (US$4.60) for a single bottle or 5,500 for a 10-pack, with shipping scheduled for August 20.

Source: NN Drinks via Otakomu, @Press
Images: NN Drinks
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