A very funny and awesome gift from my friend/co-worker Ayako. She was recently in Japan to visit her family. She said she spotted this, thought of me and brought it back.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Shinchan, he’s the Japanese equivalent of Dennis the Menace and Eric Cartman from South Park. Most jokes in his comics are lost in translation due to how the Japanese language works. You can watch the animated version on Hulu but they’re episodes from the Nineties so the American writers (a couple being the great team of Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer from Yo Gabba Gabba and Space Ghost Coast to Coast) throw in more current references like Jessica Alba. I collected the translated print versions which remain faithful on covering topics in Japanese culture; they’re also grosser. For example, Shinchan and his parents spend a day at a local waterpark. While they’re trying to enjoy in the lazy river pool, Shin relaxes so much, he takes a dump.
Thank you Ayako. I will be moving this cup to my desk at work for tea and hot chocolate.