Pocari Sweat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pocari Sweat (ポカリスエット) is a popular Japanese soft drink and sports drink, manufactured by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.. It was first sold in 1980.
Contrary to the odd name and translucent-grey color, Pocari Sweat does not taste like sweat; it is a mild-tasting, relatively light sweet drink. The "Arctic Shatter" variety of Powerade-brand sports drink very closely resembles it, in both color and flavor. Ingredients listed are water, Stevia, flavourings, acids, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium lactate and magnesium carbonate. It is sold in liquid form, in aluminium cans and plastic bottles, and also in powder form.
The drink is also produced and distributed in other regional countries, such as Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates. In addition the drink can be obtained in the ethnic Asian areas of many cities around the world.
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[edit] Curious name
The reference to the bodily fluid resulting from perspiration in the name of the beverage tends to have a certain offputting or humorous connotation for native English speakers (to the extent that it has been parodied by humorists such as Dave Barry). However, the name was chosen by the manufacturers originally for the purpose of marketing the product as a sports drink in Japan, where people generally do not mentally translate names appearing in English and are therefore not bothered by the connotation. It was largely derived from the notion of what it is intended to supply to the drinker: all of the nutrients and electrolytes lost when sweating. (The first part of the name, Pocari, means "like a cloud floating in the sky" or "a situation in which a cloud is floating in the sky" in Japanese, and has a connotation of lightness, buoyancy, and ease. "Sweat" was apparently intended to suggest diligence and its fruits - the idea intending to connote to the user that Pocari Sweat works to make one feel fresh and relaxed. However, some Japanese apparently drop "Sweat" from the name in common usage. [1])
[edit] Trivia
The arcade game Golden Axe featured a parody of Pocari Sweat. In the ending sequence when the characters run through the town, a variety of parody shops can be seen in the background, most notably a large "Hokari Sweat" sign.
The manga Slam Dunk (by Takehiko Inoue) also features its characters drinking Pocari Sweat throughout the manga. Another manga, Crimson Hero (By Mitsuba Takanashi), features Nobara buying Pocari Sweat and sharing it with Tomoyo's ex-boyfriend, Haibuki.
The vice-captain in the manga Battle Club (By Yuji Shiozaki) is obsessed with Pocari and always has Tomako get it for her.
[edit] See also
- Calpis
- Engrish
- foreign branding
- Cloud Nine (a term which has some similar connotations in English to pocari in Japanese, except that the idea in English is more of joy than of relief or calmness)
