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New edition canned fish rings in capsule machines nationwide, now with tuna!

Master Blaster Feb 16, 2020
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It’s never been a better time to be a tuna can enthusiast.

Last year the very foundations of the capsule toy market where shaken by the arrival of canned seafood rings. Made with the cooperation of real cannery Maruha Nichiro, with a little luck of the turn anyone could walk away with an extremely realistic looking can of boiled mackerel or Akebono snow crab on their finger.

▼ Last year’s ring

To say they were a hit is an understatement, and several machines were reportedly emptied out right after launch. So it was probably no surprise that a second series was in the works.

Our own Mr. Sato was among those lucky enough to get some the first time around and when this new wave hit the streets he wasted no time snagging two capsules of fishy joy.

However, this new line of rings was even bigger than he expected. This time they were modeled after actual canned foods by Hagoromo, and in addition to the two types of tuna – regular and the processed kind known as “sea chicken” in Japan – there was also canned corn and fruit.

It was all great, but Mr. Sato was especially happy to see sea chicken get added to the line-up. It seemed like a glaring oversight not have had it in the last series, but was finally here. Even better, there were three types of sea chicken rings: Sea Chicken L Flake, Sea Chicken Fancy, and Sea Chicken Mild (with less oil).

After popping open his two capsules, our reporter was ecstatic to get not one but two cans of tuna. Actually, strictly speaking it was four cans, because due to the smaller size of the Sea Chicken Mild, the ring is in the form of a three-pack.

It’s certainly the most unique of the rings, which by capsule toy logic probably makes it the rarest as well, so Mr. Sato was especially psyched to get it.

Like before, the labels are recreated with astounding faithfulness to the original. Considering the miniature size of them, it’s a heck of a good printing job retaining all the details of complex kanji characters. Even the fine print under the recycling logo clearly reads “akikan recycle” (“recycle empty cans”), if you have the eyesight to make it out.

▼ The flakes in Mr. Sato’s skin should give a good sense of scale.

And with the three-pack of Sea Chicken Mild, that miniaturization is even more impressive. If you can read everything on it with the naked eye, then you can probably skip your next optometrist appointment.

Despite all this shrinkage, the rings themselves could fit comfortably on Mr. Sato’s meaty paws.

Indeed, the wizards at Artuniv Techni Colour have done it once again. The combination of their unstoppable popularity and wide array of canned foods sold means you can expect your favorite to appear in a Japanese capsule machine sooner or later.

Campbell’s, we’re looking at you.

Related: Artuniv Techni Colour
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