The small town of Ugomachi, whose fortunes skyrocketed last year following the introduction of ita-rice packages featuring moe artwork by Navel eroge illustrator Aoi Nishimata, will be following up its huge success by employing the same otaku-oriented marketing approach to another staple crop – watermelons.
The watermelon girl illustration shown above was once again provided by Nishimata’s capable hand, making this the third such “ita-food” packaging to be done by the illustrator most widely known for her art on Shuffle!
As was reported previously, the main selling point of the ita-rice was the appealing moe art decorating it, with the actual edible contents being mostly an afterthought.
In keeping with the Akiba marketing style that made the rice such a success, the new watermelon art features an even more moe loli this time around, although some wonder if “Suika-chan” (Watermelon-chan) shouldn’t have been saved for some other product, as the mention of “melons” might more naturally suggest a more well-endowed character…
If you might be at a loss as to what this sort of packaging might look like on the final product, these images of the earlier ita-rice and ita-strawberries (also illustrated by Nishimata) should give a general idea:
The actual contents do not generally differ from their more drab normal counterparts, though of course the price tag is rather different.
The new ita-watermelons are set to be unveiled on July 11 at a festival in Akita Prefecture.
More information is available at the official JA-Ugo website, as well as details on their local brand of watermelon.
Moe!! But seriously I really want Suzuhira Hiro and Aoi Nishimata to work together again. They blend well. 🙁
hmmm watermelons and strawberrys, delicius
Moe Marketing at work…
gotta love moe marketing lawlz
id like to smash her watermelons, if you know what i mean.
Lol, somehow i can imagine those granny figures used in old rice and farm products packaging being envious to these young girls..