This series is my occasional countdown to Anime Weekend Atlanta. I’ve done it two or three times with varying levels of success, and I am once again embarking on a quest to spend 100 days writing 100 posts about anime, manga, animation, comics, film, and conventions. We’ll see what happens.
100 Days of Anime 2026
Day 005/100
OP of the Day: “Good Morning World” by Burnout Syndromes from Dr. Stone (2019)
Currently Watching: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Much has been made of depictions of food in anime. From the female protagonist running late for school with a slice of toast clutched between her teeth to elaborate bento box lunches, from the visual feasts of Ghibli films to culinary-themed series like Food Wars and Silver Spoon, anime characters do a lot of good eating.
It seems to be a veritable rite of passage for teens at their first anime convention to pile around a food truck slinging bento boxes or ramen. I’ve never been to a convention without at least one both (usually more) piled with Japanese packaged snacks and sodas. And, picky eater with a delicate stomach that I am, convention travel for me is as much about good eating as it is about anime and manga (maybe more).
But for me, especially on a searingly hot day like today, it’s not the steaming cauldrons of ramen or the densely packed meat skewers that hit close to home. It’s not the colorful mounds of fruit or the wobbling piles of filled-to-bursting dumplings. No lovingly rendered confection or mountain of beef so real you can smell it through the screen inspires in me the same urgent, dire need to consume as this one image.
It is the can of Pippu soda from Cowboy Bebop‘s “the Ballad of Fallen Angels.” Am I just that hooked on sugar water? No, it couldn’t be that. A can of soda, dripping with condensation next to a computer, hand at keyboard? What could be more archetypal? Makes me want a cola real bad.
Until next time.
Note: Back in 2022 or 2023, I got to see Burnout Syndromes perform “Good Morning World!” live at Anime Weekend Atlanta. Helluva time.
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