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Pretty Boys & Alcohol Blend for a Sweet Collaboration

Last year, an NHK program attempted to inform viewers about different varieties of wine by dressing them up as handsome guys. This ploy isn't a new one, but boy is it popular. Bandai Namco Entertainment got wind of the idea it seems, since the company is rolling out a handsome sake variant to double as an internet video program and game, Miki no Mikoto (literally: Lords of Sacred Sake), through its &Cast!!! app.

The story takes place in a large downtown area where gods and ayakashi (supernatural monsters) are rumored to appear. The town is called "Matsuyoian" and Seishu no Miko (refined sake princes) work there as shop-keeps.

The official website revealed eight sake princes so far. Each character corresponds to a real sake variety available for purchase from a real brewery.

Kanbai Koshino, voiced by Kaito Ishikawa. Design by Suzuka Oda (Psychic Detective Yakumo). He's based on the sake Koshi no Kanbai, made in Niigata at Ishimoto Sake Brewery.

Hikari Tamano, voiced by Ryohei Arai. Design by Shiramine (Touken Ranbu). He's based on the 340-year-old sake Tamanohikari, made in Kyoto.

Sawanoi, voiced by Masaya Matsukaze. Design by Nitaka (Touken Ranbu). He's based on the sake produced by Ozawa Brewery in Ome City.

Kinkame, voiced by Eiji Takemoto. Design by Shiramine (Touken Ranbu). He's based on Kinkame sake, a small sake brewery based in Omi that uses methods from the Edo period.

Reizan, voiced by Yōhei Azakami. Design by Nitaka (Touken Ranbu). He's based on the iconic sake brand from Takamori, Kumamoto, near Mt. Aso. The brewery has been open since 1762.

Zakura Dewa, voiced by Hiroaki Miura. Design by Cocokanata. He's based on Dewazakura sake from Tendo, Yamagata founded in 1892.

Kunimare, voiced by Motoki Takagi. Design by Cocokanata. He's based the sake from the brewery of the same name, located in Mashike, Hokkaido.

Dassai, voiced by Satoshi Inomata. Design by Ruka Urumiya. He's based on the sake brewed by Asahi Shuzo in Yamaguchi.

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This doesn't mark the first time that Japan's iconic wine got the anthro treatment. Social game developer Alt Plus took a similar approach in 2016 in collaboration with at least 30 sake brewers. That project was called ShuShu ("shu" is another reading of the character for sake), and it planned to encompass a game and spread overseas eventually. The official website is still alive and introduced a new character in April.

[Via Nijimen]