BODY: Fans of The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. (Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan) got a gloriously silly gift this week. To mark the 10th anniversary of the anime adaptation, the franchise released a 30-minute "endurance video" featuring lovable meathead Nendo Riki (voiced by Daisuke Ono) doing what he does best: relentlessly inviting everyone to go eat ramen.
The premise is exactly as absurd as it sounds. For a full half hour, Nendo delivers his signature catchphrase — "Rāmen kui ni ikōze" ("Let's go grab some ramen") — on a near-endless loop. It's a knowing joke aimed squarely at longtime viewers, who know that Nendo's one-track appetite is one of the show's most reliable running gags.
Alongside the video, the anniversary project announced a collaboration with JR Central's "Oshi Tabi" (推し旅, roughly "traveling for your fave") campaign. The initiative encourages fans to visit real-world locations tied to their favorite anime and characters, riding the rails to themed destinations — a natural fit for a series whose deadpan psychic hero, Kusuo Saiki, would almost certainly rather teleport.
The anime first aired in 2016 and quickly became a cult favorite for its rapid-fire comedy and Saiki's exhausted internal monologue about hiding his supernatural powers. Ten years on, the property still commands a devoted fanbase both in Japan and abroad.
The insider take
In Japan, the "endurance video" (耐久動画) is its own comedy micro-genre — a single gag stretched to absurd lengths until repetition itself becomes the punchline. Pairing that with JR Central's "Oshi Tabi" is a shrewd move: rail operators here increasingly court the anime-tourism market, and the campaign turns a beloved gag character into a reason to buy a train ticket. Don't be surprised if a Nendo-approved ramen shop near a Tōkai station suddenly sees a spike in pilgrims.
Originally reported by GAME Watch (Japanese).