Interest
Live-Action Fullmetal Alchemist Film Gets Character-Inspired Parfait, Sushi
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Conveyor belt sushi chain restaurant Kappa Sushi is celebrating the upcoming release of the live-action Fullmetal Alchemist film with a collaboration. The only new menu item for the campaign is a parfait, but online commenters are discussing the promotion's choices for sushi to represent the film's characters.
The promotional image for the campaign lists five of Kappa Sushi's "recommended" menu items for the film's characters.The sushi item inspired by Al's armor body is tekkamaki, sushi rolls filled with tuna. The first kanji character in the name of the dish means "iron." Hawkeye's item is surf clam sushi because the Japanese word for "surf clam" is pronounced similarly to "Hawkeye." Lust's dish is "Philosopher's Stone salmon roe" sushi, which references salmon roe's resemblance to the franchise's Philosopher's Stone. Kappa Sushi recommends shrimp to symbolize Envy because the Japanese word for "shrimp" sounds similar to "envy." The restaurant describes Gluttony's dish as "'Can I eat it?' gluttony demi-glace mayonnaise Hamburg steak" sushi.
While online commenters find the character-inspired sushi concept amusing, people are also dubious. Some commenters think the idea is a bit of a stretch and the connections between the existent sushi and the film's characters are too forced.
The collaboration's parfait is inspired by Winry's apple pie from the film. The base is pudding, and it includes vanilla ice cream, apple sauce, and crunchy pie pieces. Kappa Sushi launched a Twitter and Instagram campaign for the parfait on November 22. While supplies last, people who order the parfait and post a picture of it with the designated hashtag. They will then be entered into a lottery for a chance to win one of 100 meal tickets worth 1,000 yen (about US$9) each.
The film is also collaborating with Sanrio on limited-edition merchandise featuring Fullmetal Alchemist characters.
The live-action film opened the Tokyo International Film Festival on October 25 for its world premiere. The film will have IMAX and 4DX screenings when it opens on about 400 screens in Japan on December 1. Director Fumihiko Sori attended as Anime NYC screened the live-action Fullmetal Alchemist film's United States premiere on November 19.
The film will also open in over 190 countries around the world, including in the United States and Europe. According to the website, it will be the widest international opening for any Japanese film — live-action or animated. (The Japanese film industry often lists territories among "countries"; for example, Hong Kong is often listed separately from mainland China.)
[Via Yaraon!]
