Anata mo watashi mo Agapella

The time has come for us to share with you about something that is very, very close to the heart of Agapella.

It is Pocky.

Seldom do we convene without it.

It is the other member of the group.

It is very, very important.

These are the Pocky Rules of Engagement:

1) Only that which is made by Glico shall qualify as Pocky.
2) The family of Pocky shall include all varieties of iced Pocky, un-iced Pretz, and giant incarnations thereof, produced in Japan or by Glico licencees outside Japan.
3) If any member should see a new, previously unsampled flavour of Pocky anywhere, and especially if they are abroad, they are bound by duty, honour, and the threat of having to organise the score library if they don’t, to purchase it for subsequent tasting, budget constraints notwithstanding.
4) Particularly well-received Pocky varieties may of course be purchased more than once.
5) Pocky-like non-Glico items may also be purchased for subsequent tasting, with the full recognition that they may be of dubious legitimacy or scandalous derivativeness, and thus open to receive disdain or outright rejection.
6) Pocky opened for sampling shall be passed around in an orderly and properly respectful manner, insofar as that is possible.
7) Donations of Pocky are gratefully accepted.

Under these rules, Agapella have in the last five years amassed a collection of Pocky experiences. Some have been good. Some have been bad. Some have been transcendent. Some have been mercifully forgotten about. Some have moved us near to tears.

This is the list of the flavours we have encountered:

Almond Pocky
Almond Crush Chocolate Pocky
Almond Crush Double Chocolate Pocky
Baked Potato Pretz
Banana Pocky
Cheesecake Pocky
Choco-Banana Pocky
Choco-Orange Pocky
Chocolate Pocky
Curry Pretz
Coconut Chocolate Pocky
Corn Pretz
Crispy Pizza Pretz
Decorer Pocky Chocolate Mousse
Decorer Pocky Apple Custard
Decorer Pocky Lemon Fromage
Decorer Pocky Mont Blanc Mousse
Decorer Pocky Peach and Strawberry Mousse
Decorer Pocky Strawberry Gateau
Digestive Pretz
Excerich Chocolate Pocky
Fish Roe & Cheese Pretz
Five Black Pocky (black pine nut, black soybean, black sugar, black sesame seed, unpolished black rice)
Five Fruit Pocky (peach, apricot, jujube, plum, chestnut)
Fresh Butter Pretz
French Toast Pretz
Grilled Cheese Pretz
Honey Lemon Pretz
Honey Hotcakes Pocky
Honey Pomelo Pretz (Glico China)
Ika Shichimi (spicy squid) Pretz
Kinako (roasted soybean) Pocky
Koi Tomato Pretz
Kuro Goma (black sesame) Pocky
Kyoho Grape Giant Pocky
Larb (spicy chicken salad) Pretz (Glico Thailand)
Mango Pocky
Marble Pocky Mild & Bitter Chocolate
Marble Pocky Matcha Chocolate
Marble Pocky Rum Raisin
Marble Pocky Caramel Chocolate
Marron (chestnut) Tsubu Tsubu Pocky
Matcha Tsubu Tsubu Pocky
Meets Wine Baked Pretz Mozzarella
Meets Wine Baked Pretz Cheese Pizza
Melon Pocky
Mentaiko (pollock roe) Pretz
Mens Pocky
Milk Pocky
Mousse Pocky Blueberry
Mousse Pocky Extra Chocolate
Mousse Pocky Mango
Mousse Pocky Matcha Green Tea
Mousse Pocky Milk Chocolate
Murasaki Imo (purple sweet potato) Pocky
Nagano Grape Giant Pocky
Paripo Uma Peanut Butter Pocky
Pejoy Reverso Malt Chocolate (Glico China)
Pejoy Reverso Matcha (Glico China)
Pejoy Reverso Tiramisu (Glico China)
Pejoy Reverso Red Wine Chocolate (Glico China)
Peking Duck Pretz (Glico China)
Pineapple Cream Pocky
Poare Chocolate
Poare Banana Custard
Pocky G
Pocky G Berry
Pudding Pretz
Reverso Pocky Chocolate
Reverso Pocky Strawberry
Reverso Pocky White chocolate
Roast Pretz
Royal Milk Tea Pocky
Salty Shrimp Pretz
Strawberry Pocky
Strawberry Tsubu-Tsubu Pocky
Satsumaimo (sweet potato) and sesame seed Pretz
Tahitian Vanilla Pocky
Tomato Pretz
Wasabi Nori Pretz
Winter Pocky Limited Edition Bitter Chocolate with cocoa powder
Yubari Melon Giant Pocky

We know there are more that we have not yet tried.

We can feel them waiting for us, out there, on the shelves.

It is only a matter of time.