Whenever Char Aznable from "Mobile Suit Gundam" comes up, his moniker "Red Comet" immediately brings to mind his "Red Triple Speed" piloting prowess, a reputation earned from his performance in "Char's Zaku II."
Turns out, a Japanese X (formerly Twitter) user recently stumbled upon a watermelon seedling called "Sweet Comet" at a garden store. What really cracked them up was the ridiculously chuunibyou-esque tagline on the photo: "3x More Powerful, Newtype." Naturally, they shared their hilarious find on X, and it blew up!
This over-the-top ad copy immediately grabbed everyone's attention. Who knew a watermelon could channel its inner Gundam? And since it's red, being "three times more powerful" somehow just makes sense, right? LOL.
Of course, once netizens caught wind, the comments section exploded with hilarious parodies of Char's famous lines. Even though it's not the "Red Comet," everyone's minds instantly conjured up that iconic crimson figure.
The "Sweet Comet" was developed by Kaneko Seeds, a seed company based in Gunma Prefecture. You can even find details about this unique watermelon on their official website. While it might seem new, "Sweet Comet" actually launched over a decade ago. When they first cultivated this super-sweet, round, comet-shaped watermelon, they held an internal naming contest. The winning name, "Sweet Comet," was chosen because, naturally, some of the development team were huge Gundam fans! XD
And for those wondering, the "3x More Powerful, Newtype" tagline actually refers to its sweetness. The company sheepishly admits it's "a bit of an embarrassing dad joke," but hey, the sweetness really is about 1.5 times higher than average!
"Sweet Comet" tends to go viral every few years around this time, mainly because it's only available for pre-order from October to January, with seedlings shipped around mid-April – meaning you only have about a month to snag one. But the company is confident, stating, "Once you grow it, you'll understand just how amazing this variety is."
It just goes to show, naming truly is an art form. A great name can definitely spark curiosity and get people talking! XD