This Alien is Delicious! - Story Pitch

The internet is full of weird things. It seems every few weeks (or a month at the latest) some new meme pops up that for a short while everyone wants to experience or make a parody of. Some though have had a major impact on the internet and pop culture. We’ve have the Ice Bucket Challenge, “One does not simply walk into Mordor” moment from Fellowship of the Ring, “Shut up and take my money” from Futurama, and the distracted boyfriend meme. Recently though there was a meme that popped up that, while now mostly forgotten due to how fast the internet works, made the gears in my brain spin extra hard and fast: The realistic cake meme. It was such a unique idea and it was taking off so fast that people were starting to joke about how the person next to you might actually be a cake. I was watching some anime at the time and a big spark of creativity came into my mind. Since then I’ve had an idea…

Title: This Alien is Delicious! (Or in Japanese “Kono Eirian wa Oishīdesuyo!”)

What is it? This will be a manga/ anime or maybe just a series of light novels about a boy who discovers, and soon has to be a mentor for, a couple of members of an alien race that are hunted down because they’re considered a rare delicacy throughout the galaxy.

Inspiration: A few months ago a meme was going about the internet about cakes that looked like very realistic objects, from hands to glasses of water to potted plants, the list goes on and on. At one point there was a joke relating to this meme that was basically, “How do we know the person next to us isn’t made out of cake.” I laughed at that, but it also got me thinking… What if the person next to us was made out of cake and we didn’t know it? What if there were literal cake people walking about? That then spiraled into this idea and I’ve been developing it.

As I was working on it I decided the format of a Japanese media would fit in with the insane premise. I then later decided it would be a science fiction, slice of life story with ecchi (pervert)/ harem elements mixed in. Look, I wanted to have a little fun with this and Japan… they make weird things. Plus I don’t see any American show ever trying this. Not just because the FCC would immediately shut it down, but it’s too wild of a concept for American animation. Japanese animation is where to go with this.

What’s the Point? At first I just wanted to do it so I can prove you can take a random meme off the internet and turn it into something grander. But as I continued developing this idea I realized that I could use this story to bring a better level of romance than what I’ve seen in animation. I wanted to be a little more clever with the romance and the perverted moments and not just so much of the main character suddenly is thrown into a romantic or pervy scene without rhyme or reason. I want better buildup and some a bit more when it comes to characters bonding with one another. I want smarter, more interesting writing for romance.

Now from a business person’s perspective, anything with cute girls is going to immediately attract attention. The internet loves cute girls (sometimes too much). I want to use that first impression image to lure people in and hook them with a stronger story. By adding that meme element though it immediately gets people to think, “Oh this is something I’ve seen before, but different,” which will connect with them quickly. Plus… it’s cake and stuff, people love sweets.

The full idea:

Let’s start with a simple, but more developed summary. Tenpi, a high school student living with his baker parents and little brother, one day comes across a silver-haired girl while coming home with a bag of sugar. He soon discovers that this ain’t no ordinary girl, but alien from another planet. And she her kind are being hunted because of how delicious and sweet they are. Needing a place to stay she moves in with Tenpi and Tenpi must teach her how to blend in with humanity, along with a few of her fellow aliens.

Now let’s dive a bit deeper with the first three episodes/ chapters I got planned out.

Episode/ Chapter 1: A Sweet Surprise

We begin late at night as a man is driving home in his delivery truck. Everything is peaceful and he’s humming to a tune on the radio. Then he gets a phone call and has to take it, so he parks his car on the side of the road, as he’s talking we switch perspectives to a first-person one of someone sneaking up on this man. As they get closer we hear the man talking about how’s heading home (probably to his wife) and he’ll be there soon. Just as he finishes the call he notices the person coming towards him and at first he’s wondering who it is. Then his face becomes that of shock and we cut to black as something grabs him and pulls him out of frame.

Now we fully begin the episode. It’s summer vacation and Tenpi wakes up like it’s any other day. He blinks blearily, puts on clothes, gives a small brush to his teeth, and goes down to breakfast. As he walks down, he hears how his father didn’t sleep very well and his mother is complaining how he shouldn’t have been out so late. But she also gives him a cup of coffee and kisses him, showing that their relationship is quite stable. After that Tenpi’s mother, Ichika, serves breakfast, which is pancakes. That brings in Tenpi’s little brother, Kota, and the whole family sits down to eat. They also turn on the television and they all see some recent news about strange lights in the sky a few days ago and that people are still wondering what that was about. We hear them discuss other things as well like a normal family.

After breakfast Tenpi washes out the dishes while his parents get ready for work down in their bakery below their flat and Jin is finishing up his meal. After dishes Tenpi relaxes for a bit before getting a call from his closest friends, Naomi. She is often a shut-in gamer, very friendly with Tenpi, but often likes to stay indoors and play video games. On this day though she asks if he wants to hang out and Tenpi is surprised because it’s very hot and Naomi usually isn’t one for hot days. She thought tells him she’s making an exception because she hasn’t seen him in a while. That is going to hint they’re good friends and there’s a possibility Naomi has deeper feelings for Tenpi.

With that they both meet up at a nearby arcade. They do a bunch of friend stuff like game, laugh, and all that stuff. While out they’re out she offers him some sweets (probably something like ice cream), but he tells her he’s already had pancakes for breakfast. She’ll make a little joke about him worrying he’ll put on weight, like when they were younger. This’ll tell the audience that while Tenpi has a sweet tooth and was chubbier when he was younger, he’s worked that weight off and has had past events about being heavier. Eventually Tenpi gets a call from his dad, telling him they’re running low on sugar and he wants him to buy some. With that the pair break off and Tenpi buys the ingredient from a local grocery.

On the way home Tenpi walks about, wondering about what his dad said at breakfast, on how he couldn’t remember how he got home. What could that have been? As he’s doing so though he walks by an alley and gets knocked over by somebody. Both are stunned for a second and when Tenpi clears his head he sees a girl around his age with silver blonde hair. She’s lying on top of him and her face fell on top of the bag of sugar, which burst from the fall. The look on her face is that of fear, but that quickly changes to that of curiosity and… something else. She sniffs at the bag of sugar and then without warning grabs it and starts running off.

Tenpi, shocked at what’s going on, starts chasing her, confused as to what’s going on. As the chase goes on we, the audience, notice chunks of skin lying on the ground. Eventually the chase leads the two to a construction yard and Tenpi at this point tells her to stop because she’s entering a dangerous place. Still following her she accidentally and unknowingly hits something that causes a huge pipe to start falling. As Tenpi calls out once more the mystery girl looks behind and realizes he’s about to be crushed. Then her arm oddly stretches out like goo and grabs Tenpi by the shirt, saving him from the falling pipe, but causing him to hit his head on something hard. His vision starting to fail, he sees that something is off with this girl, that… she looks different that before. Then he falls unconscious. When Tenpi wakes up we finds himself strapped to a table in some weird room he’s never seen before. He panics at first, wondering what’s going on. Then he sees a the mysterious girl from before walking towards him with something that looks like a gun in her hand. Tenpi really panics then as this girl gets right up to him. But then she pulls out the bag of sugar, most of its contents gone.

“What… is…. this?” She says to him.

Tenpi is weirded out at first, thinking it’s a dream. The girl gets closer though and repeats what she says he tells her it’s sugar. The mystery girl raises her gun-like device and puts it to Tenpi’s head and pulls the trigger. Tenpi closes his eyes, thinking he’s about to die. But opening his eyes he realizes he’s alive and the girl is looking at the sugar with a whole new eye. Still wondering what’s going on he asks what she just did to him, to which she responds, in halting English/ Japanese (whichever region the show/ manga is translated for) that she basically copied thoughts and brain waves to translate his language into something she can understand. That’s why she can speak his language, though not very well. It’s enough though and she’s improving through more uses of it. At this point Tenpi is completely lost until he notices something: A humanoid figure, though mostly a light blue, looking out from behind a corner. It’s an alien. He is on an alien ship! Once more the panic is coming out and the mystery girl can’t shut him up. At last, tired of his freak out, she covers his mouth and demands to tell her where he got this “sugar.” He explains he got it from the market, but this isn’t a good answer for Vel as she mutters how she can’t go there. Vel then demands to take her to another spot where this “sugar” is.

We end the first episode with the intro of the show. I don’t know what it’ll be exactly, but I’m thinking an upbeat toon and meeting the characters of the show.

Episode/ Chapter 2: Unwrapping the Truth

We start off with Tenpi guiding Vel, now in not dirty, but certainly not clean clothes, to his home. She tells him that he won’t say anything about what happened on the ship or she’ll hurt him. Still scared he wonders if his parents can help distract her as they call the police. But nobody would believe him in that Vel is an alien, she looks so real and he’d be laughed at. At this point the intro plays. After the intro the two reach Tenpi’s home at about sunset. They enter the door and his parents greet Tenpi but notice Vel behind him. Oddly Vel freaks out and hides behind Tenpi, clearly scared and trembling. Tenpi, confused more than ever, but scared of Vel, tells his parents that she was a foreigner who had gotten into some trouble and he wanted to help her (which is kind of true). His parents ask a few more questions and eventually they greet Vel and give her a snack from their bakery.

At this point we discover that Vel absolutely worships sweets. Like think of the biggest sweet-tooth person you know and multiply that by ten because she sniffs the pastry and her mouth instantly starts to water. She just devours the sweet immediately and everything, including Tenpi, is shocked by her enthusiasm. Realizing everyone is looking at her she freezes and apologizes for her actions. Everyone except Tenpi laughs it off, while he’s starting to connect the dots together.

Now at this point Tenpi’s mom suggests Vel washes off and get some new clothes and tells Tenpi to show her the bathroom. Once they’re in it Tenpi has no idea what to do, not knowing if she even knows what it means to wash up. Vel solves this problem by using her translation device on Tenpi. Learning what to do she immediately starts to undress without a care in the world, causing Tenpi to blush and bolt for the bathroom door. Vel watches him escape and wonders why he acted like that. Now that he’s outside the room though it finally dawns on Tenpi that hasn’t been a dream… this is real. He has met aliens, one of them demanded he take them to sugar, and now that alien is taking a bath in his own house.

His thought are interrupted by Vel, speaking through the door. She apologizes to Tenpi, saying her being around must be odd for him and that she feels bad after his parents treated her so kindly. It’s just that… she’s kind of desperate and without her around her friend will fall apart. Outside the bathroom Tenpi is wondering what she’s meaning by that, but also feeling a little better about her because she does sound genuinely sad.

As he ponders this though he hears a gasp and a cry for help and following his first instinct he opens the door. Okay, now you expect a funny, perverted moment, but it’s less than and more… Well let me tell you. What he views as he enters the bathroom isn’t a naked girl. Well, not entirely, but the body is completely smooth, no nipples or vagina, like a mannequin. But Vel’s body looks like it’s melting away, like a bar of chocolate put out in the sun. Additionally these melted parts have fallen off in globs and underneath this shell is Vel’s true form: All red, with a body that looks like a really thick paste in a humanoid form. As he looks in shock at what he’s seeing though he smells something. Something sweet. Not too sweet, but powerful and filling him with a great sense of hunger. And it’s coming from Vel herself.

Vel’s face, already that of fear, turns to pure terror as she back away from Tenpi into a corner. She’s shivering all over, like a scared animal, with wide, black eyes looking at Tenpi like he’s a predator about to pounce on his prey. Tenpi’s mouth is watering as he looks at Vel and he has a strong desire to sink his teeth into her. But as he looks at her trembling body and horrified face a memory comes back to him. He is little, around 8 or 9 years old, chubby and sweating and running away from a bunch of kids. Eventually he trips and these kids are standing over him, laughing and mocking him and kicking him about for being fat and a loser. He’s scared and defenseless and wishes they would leave him alone. The memories from the past return to the present and Tenpi sees Vel for who she is: Scared for her life like he was back then. Looking at her a bit more, Tenpi walks out of the room, closing the door behind him. We get a shot of Vel’s true face once more, fear replaced by shock, but also confusion and curiosity. There is silence for a while from outside the bathroom and Tenpi goes up to his room in silence. In there he sits down on the bed and just thinks about Vel and that he can see why she’s so secretive and cautious: She’s being hunted for her smell and taste…

After a while Tenpi hears a noise outside his room and a knock. Tempi says to come in and the door opens to reveal Vel, her shell no longer melted, looking like any normal girl and wearing some spare clothes from Tenpi’s mother. She asks if she can come in and after Tenpi gives permission walks in and sits in front of Tenpi. There she gives him the truth: She and those aliens he saw on her ship are called Scilisians and they’re an endangered species hunted down because they’re an extremely rare delicacy wanted throughout the galaxy. She and her friends are, like most of her kind, on the run and in a fit of desperation they chose Earth as their new home. Tenpi takes it all in, but then Vel demands to know why Tenpi didn’t eat her. He explains he knows, in a ways, what it means to feel weak and helpless and hunted and he couldn’t do that to her, no matter she tasted like. This surprises Vel and she looks at him with new eyes. Then almost out of nowhere she hugs him, causing him to blush some, but quickly giving a gentle hug back.

She pulls away gently and asks him for help, that they don’t know how to live on Earth and without him they might die or somebody will find out the truth and put her people in danger. Tenpi, feeling sorry for her, agrees. At this point he hears a call from his mother, calling for Vel. She leaves Tenpi then, going to his mom who’s telling Vel she has a place for her to sleep for the night. Tenpi, feeling a sort of responsibility and questioning what he just got himself into, gets into bed and goes asleep. And then we cue the ending credits and the end of the episode.

Episode/ Chapter 3: Decorating the Cake

Tenpi wakes up in bed, like every other day. However, when he wakes up he has a little shock: Vel was sleeping right next to him in the bed. Yes, I’m going with that trope, but more than just a possibly perverted scene I want to show that she didn’t want to sleep in the open or on her own, and so slept between Tenpi and the wall behind him. She explains this to a clearly blushing Tenpi while he explains she can’t do that on Earth. Not only is the language going to be a barrier, but also human customs, including gender, sex, and relationships since they’re a lot different for her people.

As both walk down the stairs they are both greeted to breakfast, leftover since today is a big day for Tenpi’s parents and they need to be ready. Some of these leftovers are the pancakes from yesterday and Vel, smelling them, eagerly starts to devour them with syrup on top. She’s honestly like a little kid around sweets and see would see a lot of that out of her throughout the series. Eventually she’ll learn to eat normal, non-sweet food like veggies and stuff in order to blend in with other humans and there is a joke during the early stages of this that’s based on the “Jelly Donut” meme from the older Pokémon episodes.

Now before they leave Tenpi’s parents are going to find out that Vel doesn’t have any extra clothes to wear. And so, since she’s a foreigner, they give her some money and tell Tenpi he has to take her out to get some new ones. Tenpi feels a little shocked and nervous that he has to help a girl pick out clothes, but this is especially for Vel since she doesn’t know anything about fashion. She’ll question Tenpi why she can’t keep the pajamas his mom gave her and he explains that people wear all kinds of clothes. Additionally, because of this sudden change in plans, Kota has to come along since he’s a little kid. So now Tenpi has to keep an eye on an alien with little knowledge of human culture and his little brother. He gives a sigh a little sigh at the thought.

We switch locations and all three are at the mall. I think it’ll be a great location since Kota wouldn’t want to be in just a clothing store, which would be Tenpi’s first pick to get Vel some new clothes. I was originally planning on just Tenpi and Vel, but this’ll force Tenpi into a more human filled environment and introduce Vel to more of human culture. Throughout the bus drive Vel’s very fidgety and scared and at the mall it’s worse. But Tenpi, in an attempt to calm her down, shows her an ice cream store. She doesn’t notice the sweetness at first, but when she takes her first bite of ice cream her eyes become stars and she love it! Now she’s calmer and happier and they both walk about, trying to find a clothing store. When the eventually find one Kota wants to go play on the indoor playground and Tenpi lets him as he and Vel enter the store.

Vel is pursuing the clothes, learning a few things and getting assistance from one of the workers. She’ll probably be measured for a bra, which we won’t see and which Tenpi won’t see, but the idea of that still makes him flush a little. Eventually she’s fitted and starts going through the clothes again. She picks out some and goes to a changing room to try them on. Now at one point asks Tenpi for help and pulls him in, asking him to tell her what clothes would help her fit in the most. This’ll be one of those perverted scenes, but we’ll also get a confirmation that her shell is like a mannequin, totally smooth all over, so no actual nudity. Now over the course of the show the shell will be “updated” to newer versions that have stronger immunities to heat and water and as these shells improve they become more human, including more “feminine features.” It’ll be a sign that Vel and her kind and learning more on how to be humans.

Now after a few clothes eventually Tenpi is called in by Vel and we see Vel’s signature outfit for the series: A casual white and red, thigh length dress with short, white sleeves, and a red collar. The main alien characters are based off of well-known sweets, with Vel being inspired by red velvet cake. That’s why I gave her silver blonde hair. It might become a more blonde hair after feedback, but I also have a few relatives with silver blonde and I want to represent. Anyways, this outfit is going to make Tenpi blush and make him smile and Vel’s going to like it, thinking she’s got a great outfit to blend in with people.

After the clothes shopping both now leave the store and discover that Kota is gone. Tenpi is going to be worried out and Vel is going to be a bit confused, then worried as well. They start to look for him, but Vel is too nervous to talk to anybody or go out on her own so she stays at Tenpi’s side. At one point Tenpi is freaking out and Vel is worried as well. She sees a security guard and is about to approach him when she freezes, scared to talk to another human. But then she sees Tenpi’s worry and, still scared but determined to help out, talks to the security guard as best as she can and tells him about the situation. Tenpi notices her going to the guard and at first tries to stop her since he doesn’t want her cover blow, but finds out she handled it well and security is searching for Kota right now. Very soon Kota is discovered, playing in another part of the mall, and Tenpi berates him for wandering off. But then he hugs him and Vel sees how much he cares for his family.

As they go home and Tenpi, after agreeing to Kota he wouldn’t tell their mom and dad about him running off, asks Vel how she feels about today and her time out in the human world. She tells him that she was scared, but… it was also nice. He then praises her for talking to that guard, that it must have taken a lot out of her to do that and she beams at that, saying that it was indeed the scariest part. But she had to do it, he’s done a lot for her in the past day and she wanted to make up for it. Now I was thinking of having him pass it off like it’s nothing like a usual protagonist, but then I decided, since he can be a bit shy too, that he’ll thank Vel for the help. The episode will end with them returning to Tenpi’s home and his parents talking about how beautiful Vel now looks in her dress, to which she’ll be a bit overwhelmed by all the attention and Tenpi will give a chuckling sigh.

After Thoughts:

Anime and manga have been a big part of my life. They are a breath of fresh air compared to the animations of American because they get so wild sometimes, from fighting giants with equipment that turns you into Spiderman with swords to a dragon that turns into a house maid living with an office lady. The possibilities are endless and attempting to make my own has been very fun. I barely have even scratched the surface with the notes and development I’ve made on this project. My friends have helped me a lot with this and I’m very thankful for their assistance, so many things I hadn’t considered were added to this story. And all from a meme about cake… God bless the internet and Japan.

I’ve only scratched the surface with my ideas for this story. There are still two other Scilisians that come with Vel: There’s Purin, based on the pudding sweet, who is a bit chubbier than most anime characters, the techie of the group, and very hands on when it comes to learning. Then there is Suzette, inspired by Crepes, who is a shortstack of the team as well as the youngest and most energized of the group. With her human shell she becomes kind of an athlete in the human world. The later on we learn a secret about Naomi, get a transfer student who is secretly a conspiracy nut, and some drama as the Scilisians begin to discover more of Earth, its customs, and its services. From the internet to the beach, I’ve got a lot in mind. Hopefully I'll be able to make additions to the story as time goes by.

Feel free to give feedback or critique what I got in mind. There's always room to improve~