Pocari Sweat
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Image:Pocari Sweat English.jpg 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, sugar, 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 "Chinatown" areas of many cities around the world.
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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.
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 Inoue Takehiko) 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.
