A look back at energy drinks in 2015

2015 is almost over. As an Energy Drink Maniac, there's still the hashtag campaign left at the end of the year, but I think it’s time to look back at the energy drinks of 2015.

About the Energy Drink Industry

First of all, this year, although there were many new releases, it became clear which energy drinks faded away and which ones continued to be supported and remained alive. However, Red Bull’s Blue Edition renovation and Monster Energy continuing to fail with campaigns made it feel like a year of unfulfilled potential.

Additionally, the Choppuru bombing sale drove many energy drink maniacs to buy in bulk until the middle of the year. I feel like many new people who were drinking energy drinks every day were joined by those who bought them just because they were cheap, which got them hooked on energy drinks as well.

Similarly, it feels like the number of people participating in the hashtag campaign has steadily increased, and the intensity of energy drink mania has deepened more than ever. It’s impressive how, by just looking at Twitter, you can get a good sense of what’s going on in the energy drink world lately.

What hasn’t changed is the abundance of articles about energy drinks being dangerous, like "death by Red Bull," aimed at getting more clicks. In the end, the fake news site about death by Red Bull seemed to fool many Japanese media outlets and popular blogs, but I think it was an eye-opener for energy drink enthusiasts who saw the lazy culture of just copying and pasting without verifying the content. For Energy Drink Man, it was a good thing that it helped delve into how much misinformation is out there, and it showed what being a true energy drink enthusiast should look like.

About Energy Drink Man’s Personal Life

I was able to attend an event organized for the first time by Red Bull Japan's headquarters.
Although I couldn’t do anything special, I really enjoyed it ((o(´∀｀)o))

This year, I was able to travel to the U.S. twice, which I felt was satisfying enough. I would have liked to extend the trips, but it’s hard to do that (^_^;)

The incredible speed at which energy drinks from around the world gathered at my place without reducing the number of drinks to be reviewed was abnormal this year. Additionally, due to moving and a rush of work, I was unable to review as much as I would’ve liked, which is very disappointing. At the end of 2015, I have about 80 drafts, but I haven’t been able to publish them yet… I’ll do my best to get them out soon m(_ _)m

A unique feature of this year was the increase in rare energy drinks that only energy drink enthusiasts would understand. There are many items I wanted to write about but couldn’t because I didn’t physically have them. Though, like with reviews, I haven't been able to write about them, so it’s a bit of a catch-22.

About Energy Drink Mania Next Year

Regarding rare items, Energy Drink Man tends to only talk about things he has actually gotten his hands on, drank, or visited. This also applies to social media. Although I got my hands on many items this year that I wanted to write about, I hope next year to share the deeper world of energy drinks in a way that only Energy Drink Mania can express.

By finally doing what I couldn’t this year, I plan to create an opportunity for the general public to discover Energy Drink Mania.

That said, energy drinks and Japan still don’t quite align, and I think it will continue to be treated as “strange,” so I’m not trying to change that. However, Energy Drink Mania will continue as it is and aim to express the fun of energy drinks and the depth of the energy drink world in the coming year.

Thank you, everyone, for 2015, and I look forward to your support in 2016 m(_ _)m