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Frozen, Yo-kai Watch Are Japan's Top Products
posted on by Sarah Nelkin
Nikkei Business Publications' Nikkei Trendy magazine announced the results of the "Best 30 Hit Products in 2014" annual column on Monday. The column lists the top 30 products and services and their popularity in Japan.
Disney's film Frozen took first place, with its Blu-ray release alone selling over one million copies in its first three days in Japan. The film has since been featured on food, home products, school supplies, toys, and other merchandise.
Level-5's Yōkai Watch franchise took second place, with Japanese children and their parents often struggling to search for "Yo-kai Medals" to purchase. A Yōkai Watch feature film is opening on December 20, and a second film was announced on Monday due to the 721,422 advance tickets the first film has sold- an all-time record for TOHO.
The remainder of the list is as follows:
3. Universal Studios Japan's "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" area
4. Gell Ball Detergent
5. Ban Sweat Block Roll-On
6. Iyemon Special Tea
7. Disney Tsum Tsum
8. Croissant Donuts
9. Cheap Smartphone
10. Abeno Harukas building
11. Kinetic Sand
12. Smart Dry
13. Dr. Air 3D Massage Sheet
14. Beef Suki Nabezen
15. Chrome Cast
16. Nanatsuboshi in Kyushu
17. Rare Sugar
18. Healsio Tea-presso
19. Friction Colored Pencils
20. MiraCurl
21. Asahi Super Dry: Dry Premium
22. Suzuki Hustler
23. Monster Strike smartphone game
24. FunLoom
25. Kakuno Pens
26. Noodle-Maker
27. Wonder Core
28. Cup Noodle: Tom Yum Goong Noodle
29. Manga Box
30. NISA financial service
Game developer Level-5 announced the Yōkai Watch franchise in 2011 with a game, manga, and anime already planned. The franchise's first game for the Nintendo 3DS debuted in Japan in July 2013, and two versions of the Yo-kai Watch 2 3DS game shipped in July. A third version titled Yo-kai Watch 2: Shinuchi (Yo-kai Watch 2: Headliner) will ship on December 13, and will tie in to the upcoming film. The anime premiered this past January. The manga has four volumes that have sold 1.5 million copies.
Source: Oricon
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