Regain (3 Flavors) Reviewed & Explained

Nutritional Drink Brand Launches Energy Drink

The Regain Energy Drink, released by Suntory, was introduced as a bold entry into the energy drink world with the ambition to dominate the market. It garnered significant attention in the media, but failed to capture the true essence of an energy drink and seemed to be more of a product aimed at office workers. As a result, it quietly faded from the market. Eventually, it even introduced an energy drink targeted at students, leading to a sense of confusion about its direction.

This is an example of a major Japanese beverage company struggling to sustain a foothold in the energy drink world, highlighting both the difficulty of achieving absolute popularity in the energy drink scene and marking the end of Japan's energy drink boom.

Joint Development by Suntory and Daiichi Sankyo

Regain Energy Drink was released as a major project targeting young workers, with Suntory marketing it as a product for those in need of an energy boost. It utilized the recognition of the Regain brand, famous for its association with office workers, and capitalized on television ads featuring Sumire as Ram-chan. The project quickly gained awareness.

Given the close relationship between energy drinks and nutritional beverages in Japan, and the strong recognition of the Regain brand, there was a strong expectation that Regain Energy Drink would be a major success. It was widely available in vending machines across the country, and many retail outlets seemed to carry it due to the power of the massive corporation behind it.

Too Much of a "Corporate Worker" Energy Drink?

It’s unclear how energy drink consumers in Japan viewed Regain Energy Drink, but the brand name, packaging design, and the emphasis on its supposed "effectiveness" gave it a strong association with office worker-themed nutritional drinks, leaving one to wonder what made it different from its predecessors.

The TV commercials heavily leaned into the corporate worker image, even creating a slightly altered version of Regain's old theme song, which garnered a small amount of attention. The product seemed to emphasize a concept of being useful "in moments of need," a phrase that many people dislike, and ultimately became associated with this "corporate worker" vibe.

On social media, it was not well-received by energy drink enthusiasts.

Regain Energy Drink, Shockingly Discounted at 23 Yen

After struggling with an excess of stock, the Regain Energy Drink was sold off at a rock-bottom price of 23 yen via a website called Choppuru, and the product was discontinued within a year. There were questions about whether the more expensive Regain Energy Drink 2000 even sold well.

Although it likely didn’t lead to a loss, the sight of it being sold off at such a deep discount after boasting about dominating the energy drink scene was shocking.

Perhaps the Uniquely Japanese Flavor Was Too Strong

The Japanese combination of "nutritional drinks and office workers" is deeply ingrained, so it’s natural that it would extend into energy drinks as well. Whether it was accepted or rejected, the strong corporate-worker association with the drink — both in good and bad ways — is something we can’t say for sure, given that the product was discontinued after only a year.