Interest
Yo-kai Watch Displaces Long-Time Favorite Anpanman in Children's Poll
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
The late Takashi Yanase's Anpanman has long been the favorite character of Japanese children. The franchise's lead character is a bean-jam filled superhero whose co-stars were based on jam, butter, cheese, curry, and other foods.
Every year Bandai asks parents about their children's favorite characters and for 13 years the winner was Anpanman. This year the tasty hero is displaced in favor of Level-5's Yōkai Watch franchise. The game and television show won 19.9 percent of the vote based on 800 parent responses. It was especially popular among elementary and younger aged kids. Anpanman still took second with 12.9 percent, followed by Frozen with 5.3 percent.
Bandai credited Yōkai Watch's catchy song and dance numbers in the television program for boosting its popularity. The series ranked second last year.
The franchise's take over has mounted, with the character Jibanyan moving into Pikachu's usual territory, topping merchandise sales charts, and Bandai even announced that the property is outselling Gundam.
Dentsu Entertainment USA and LEVEL-5 Inc. announced on Tuesday that the Yōkai Watch anime will run on the American television channel Disney XD. The agreement thus far includes 26 episodes. Broadcast will begin later this year.
Source: The Asahi Shimbun
