There Have Been a LOT of Anime & Cup Noodle Collaborations
Anime characters are always used in some really run advertisements. But the Cup Noodle collaborations may be some of our favorites.
Unless you got into anime this week (and if that’s the case welcome and I’m sorry in advance), you’re probably already aware of the truly wild ways popular anime characters have been used in marketing and advertisements. Sure, we’re always seeing cartoon characters and people on cereal boxes. But when it comes to anime collaborations, some of these ads are next-level creative. Cup Noodle has always had some of the more interesting and funny offerings out there. Most recent of which was…
Cyberpunk Edgerunners
I love this. Lucy and David deserved the exact peaceful downtime that this ad is picturing. Why are they in what looks like a ramen shop that seems to exclusively give customers cup noodles? Who cares, their chopsticks are LED. The world around them is a mess and the advertisements in the background are teasing them with trips to the moon. But this little noodle date is really slice-of-life adorable, and I think that’s a theme we all really enjoy throughout all of the Cup Noodle collabs. This particular image exists as part of a larger ad campaign with a thirty-second commercial that parodies the anime’s opening sequence. Which is frankly delightful. No notes. But let’s take a look at a few other Cup Noodle anime ad collaborations…
One Piece
Do you know what Cup Noodles are needed? A One-Piece high school alternate universe story. I’ve seen the entire show with animation less pretty than these four commercials that top out at four minutes cumulatively. And those animes didn’t exist solely to sell noodles to broke college students. This ad campaign was so well done that people were actually interested in a full One Piece high school AU. But that’s what fanfiction is for.
Attack on Titan
Instead of going slice-of-life, Attack on Titan swung hard in the other direction with their noodle collab. These poor kids aren’t allowed to have a peaceful alternate life in a classroom with Cup Noodles. No, they’re being attacked by the same man-eating giants. Only now the titans are wearing the Smoky Chili flavor noodles as a costume. Is that better? Worse? Armin’s face says worse. And if you like this ad, take a moment to watch this Attack on Titan and Schick collab commercial. Yes, the razer company.
Project SEKAI
This wasn’t a one-off advertisement as much as an entire campaign. It involved five songs, boost items, and promotional illustrations, and of course, each song or singer had their own flavor. For example Identity by Hatsune Miku went with Plain Flavor, while Tokugawa Cup Noodle Kinshiere by Kusanagi Nene was Miso and Garlic Flavors. This one was really over the top, and I respect that.
Do you enjoy some Cup Noodles? What’s your favorite wild anime product collaboration or commercial? Do any of these ads make you want to buy instant noodles? Let us know in the comments!
Ja Ne, Adventurers!
