When word came out that Pizza Hut Japan would be doing a time-limited cross promotion with Macross F, I knew that I had to get in on the action. I’d missed the Marimite crossover, I’d missed the Geass crossover, but I’d be damned if I was going to let a box adorned with Ranka and Sheryl pass un-greasespotted by pizza that was meant for my stomach! What follows is the tale of a surprisingly short journey to the final frontier – not of space, but of arterial blockage:
The saga begins at the Pizza Hut website, where I was asked to become an online member. I did so, and was ushered to the special members only Macross section of the site, where they provided a downloadable wallpaper (presumably illustrated by the staff who animated episode eight) and some cell phone voices (Ranka and Sheryl saying “you’ve got mail!”).
I then ordered a pizza via the online system, being sure to ask for the Macross postcard to be included that would give me a chance at winning fabulous prizes (a manga, signed episode script, album, or poster). Of all the bizarre pizza options I picked a thick crust “deluxe” with pepperoni, bacon, green peppers, and onions; for my first pizza in months I wanted to play it safe. The total bill came to 1,900 yen for a medium pizza and two complimentary cans of oolong tea. Delivery in Japan is expensive. ;_;
In the time it took me to screencap the above images from the site the pizza had arrived – these guys mean business. The transaction went smoothly and I was soon 1,900 yen poorer and one pizza richer:
I ate half the pizza, drank a can of oolong tea, and put the rest in the fridge for tomorrow. The box is saved for posterity, only slightly stained; it will go in the hall of fame of perishable paper-based anime goods along with Rei on a soft drink cup.
And thus ends the tale of one man’s exploration into the unknown depths of pizza: the final frontier. Now that I know how easy it is to order I’m afraid I’ll be falling into this trap more often… at least when there’s some anime on the box.
Shingo has not written an editorial in months, but plans to do so more often. He still is the editor of this site, by the way, though the only work he’s editing these days is his own; he has also just realized to his horror that Japan has tricked him into engaging in its national online pastime: food blogging. There cannot be orz enough…
The thing that I really can’t stand about Pizza Hut is that they always use these giant thick puffy bases. Real pizza’s meant to be thin. I guess living in a city with a large Italian community has spoiled me. :(
They do have a thin crust version. But the standard has dropped considerably since I had my 1st pizza at the hut in the 90s. (at least in SG)
Gene Roddenberry called.
He wants his horrible Star Trek pun back.
Also you need to write moar. As in a lot moar.
>>NegativeZero, blacklotus
Yeah, I deliberately ordered the thick crust with the thought that I wanted more carbohydrates for my yen. It wasn’t worth it, in hindsight; it’s thin crust all the way next time (if there is a next time).
>>DrmChsr0
I blame Macross for including “Frontier” in their series name. <_< I want to write more... we'll see how things go in the next few weeks, there are a few editorial pieces I'm hoping to have out soon.
1 regular pizza+2 cans of drinks = 1900yen? holy shiat. Here in MY we can get 2 large pizza for usd15~. But then again, we dont have fancy pizza hut boxes ;__;
Is that actually a packet of soy sauce in the box? I can’t imagine how that combination would taste.
Bacon and green peppers on a pizza? Ugh…
>>e-jump
When I was in college (not that long ago) with a student discount you could order a large pizza for $6.00 plus a couple of dollars in tips, sounds about the same as your situation. I miss that.
>>Al
Upon closer inspection it seems to be some sort of basil/pesto sauce. I wasn’t adventurous enough to try it last night, maybe later today…
>>Buemba
That’s about as normal as it gets for Japanese pizza. :/
Negativezero* you tell me i used to live in new york and pizza was up every weekend, delicios thin artesanal pizza, that thing was huge about $12 bucks, but ohh boy it was worted, now that i live in houston TX, is so hard to find even a dicent one, tacos everywhere though T_T.
I would have used “renal” rather than “final”, but that has more to do with the kidneys rather than the intestines…
When are the Japanese going to join 2008 and start giving out wallpapers that are 1280×1024 and larger for widescreen monitors.
And I agree with NegativeZero, having grown up in the NYC area all the pizza chains suck ass. The family owned pizzaria pizzas are to die for.