It's not uncommon for advertising companies to seize opportunities based on the popularity of certain animated TV shows.

For some reason though, it seems like Japanese companies really know how to target and please their fans.

Today some new art featuring "Yowamushi Pedal" characters was revealed at the Ikebukuro Parco Japanese shopping center. The art features Onoda and crew outside of their usual cycling uniforms and instead sport everyday fashion and shopping bags. In addition to the new advertisements, it seems fans that actually venture into the shopping center can grab some "Yowamushi Pedal" themed merchandise.

Using anime to advertise products is nothing new in Japan, and U.S. fans often commend advertising companies for good utilization it seems. In a report from Kotaku on a Mercedez Benz add with anime, fans seemed immediately interested in just about everything in the video.

"After watching Ben-To, I'm convinced anything can work with anime. Though, obviously, if they're going to follow a silly plot then they're going to have to make everything else silly," said Souls on Kotaku.

"Is it wrong that I want to see a half to full season of this anime even though I have no idea why they were chasing the noodle truck? As for the car, if they can sell one that can ride the side of a building, I'd buy it," commented Kdebones.

It makes sense then that the Ikebukuro Parco shopping center would want to benefit from the same anime appeal by advertising shopping with characters from popular cycling anime series "Yowamushi Pedal." Anime News Network reports that the center is offering fans a chance to purchase discounted "lucky bags" from January 1-4 to celebrate the new year.

The bags are themed either for Onoda's team from Souhoku High School or for the rival team from Hakone Academy. It appears the bags will be available for puchase online (for Otakus not willing to venture into public I guess?) but an in person trip gets you Teshima and Aoyagi rubber mascot keychains.

As for the artwork, it's just a typical day of shopping for "Yowamushi Pedal" characters, but Midosuji in particular somehow still looks as creepy as usual, even in a puffy bubble coat.

Perhaps the draw of Japanese advertisements featuring popular anime series is that it is both about selling the product, and making hardcore fans excited about something new they can collect/freak out about.