Interest

Moyashimon's A. oryzae Fungus Offered as 90-cm Plush

The Animate chain of character goods stores will begin selling a giant, 90-centimeter-wide (about 35-inch-wide) plush toy of the popular A. oryzae fungus character in Masayuki Ishikawa's manga Moyashimon for 8,400 yen (US$109) on September 22. The manga revolves around an agricultural university freshman who can see and communicate with microorganisms — as super-deformed characters. A. oryzae is the fungus that ferments soybeans into miso seasoning and rice into sake, among other benefits.

The toy measures 90 centimeters wide and 80 centimeters (31 inches) tall; the face alone is about 47 centimeters (19 inches) wide. The Comic Natalie website posted a picture of how the plush almost completely obscures a woman's face and upper body when she holds it up.

The sixth limited-edition volume of the manga bundled a plush A. oryzae toy that was "only" 40 centimeters (16 inches) tall. The DVDs for the live-action television adaptation also bundled a smaller plush A. oryzae toy. Animate will also sell three kinds of ballpoint pens topped with a miniature felt plush microorganisms, as well as a sea-bathing set (with a towel and plastic bag), place mat, and other character goods.

Del Rey Manga published the manga in North America, and Funimation and DramaFever.com streamed the live-action television version. There is also a television anime version.

Source: Comic Natalie