One of the hottest current J-pop/anisong acts takes their turn at composing cup ramen.
There aren’t many J-pop groups hotter than Yoasobi right now. The duo, consisting of Vocaloid producer-composer Ayase and singer-songwriter Ikura, is currently at the top of the music industry, having composed theme songs for popular anime such as Oshi no Ko, Beastars, and Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. It turns out that hit music isn’t the only thing they enjoy producing, however, since they’ve recently released their first official cup ramen together with Acecook’s Super Cup 1.5 times ramen series in commemoration of the brand’s 35th anniversary.
▼ Promotional clip to celebrate the new release
We were curious to see how the noodles would stack up against the music, so we purchased one of each of the two new flavors, which are as follows:
- Lightning speed, the smell of garlic–addictively spicy and delicious soy sauce ramen (Ayase’s version)
- Lightning speed, the smell of sesame–full of happiness salty tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen (Ikura’s version)
Everything, including the soup flavor, noodle thickness, and package design, were created by Yoasobi. The naming of each flavor and the characters on the lids, by the way, were taken from Yoasobi’s Arena Tour 2023–Denko Sekka (“Lightning Speed”).
We began with the spicier of the two, produced by Ayase, the male half of Yoasobi.
Pulling the lid back, we were delighted to find a handwritten message by him. Apparently there are two versions of his message (and two of Ikura’s), so you can look forward to discovering which one you’ll receive.
There’s nothing different about the prep from a regular Super Cup that you’d buy. We poured the first packet of seasonings on top of the noodles, then boiling water on top of everything, and finally waited three minutes for it to be ready. The last step was to empty the oil and furikake seasoning, a garlic and red pepper-flavored mix, which was probably the most important one.
Upon taking a bite, sure enough, the garlic flavor and spiciness packed a punch. Even though the broth base was soy sauce, it was hard to discern in the aftermath of that spicy wallop.
The noodles were round and slurped easily. They paired well with the strong soup base and left us feeling very satisfied.
The fillings included bits of fluffy eggs, spring onions, chives, minced soybeans, and red pepper. Everything gave off a very colorful appearance.
All in all, though this cup had a strong spiciness, it wasn’t difficult to eat. Ayase had wanted to create another kind of spicy ramen that wasn’t just kimchi-based, and we think he succeeded splendidly with this combination of flavors.
Next, on to the flavor that Ikura had created.
Our first impression of this one was that it was fairly light for being tonkotsu ramen. Hints of herbs came through in the salty, tonkotsu base. It also had plenty of sesame seeds peppering the broth, making it perfect for anyone who likes sesame flavor. The whole thing was somehow a nostalgic, comforting flavor and a great contrast to the previous soup as well. Ikura had also done a great job with hers.
The Super Cup 1.5 times x Yoasobi cup noodles are currently on sale for 240 yen (US$1.70) each at stores and Acecook’s online shop. Be sure to pick up a few for home or when you’re jamming to Yoasobi’s music at karaoke.
Source: PR Times
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