シュークリームいたずらとマイケル・ジャクソンごっこ

What is “Niku-Panman”. Japanese Anpanman puns explained

アンパンマン (Anpanman) is Japan’s most beloved children’s superhero, a smiling head literally made of bean-paste bread who feeds the hungry by tearing off pieces of his own face. He’s everywhere in Japanese childhood, and his name powers a huge space of puns. This clip’s 肉パンマン (niku-panman) blends his name with 肉まん (nikuman), the meat bun, turning a snack into a superhero by swapping the filling.

These ~Panman portmanteaus are a Japanese internet and comedy staple. Every food gets its own Anpanman variant. The joke only lands if you grew up with the original, which is to say, if you’re Japanese. Subtitles rarely capture this layer of humour.