That has to be a joke. This has no hint of tentacles or sexualization that I see. It's a couple of youngish* people sharing or (long shot, if you take the greedy view) tugging over the box of sweets.

*The age is hard to tell, it's like trying to divine Buggs Bunny's age from his cartoons. But the age is irrelevant as it's two people with a box of sweets.

I believe in Japanese "hentai" just means pervert, or perverted. It's only in the West that it's associated specifically with tentacle porn.

You're still right, though.

>Eh, I'm pretty sure most people in Japan would mutter 'hentai' if they saw that box on your desk.

You mean "kawaii," right?

Maybe if it was teenage girls all the way around. If a 25+ year old male had that laying around, I guarantee you all the women I know would non-judgmentally classify him as 'probably hentai'.

Yeah I think it's really borderline, besides the product is candy - not girls so why make girls the main / standout part of the very publicly visible packaging. It just looks... Dodgy!

Sort of... It follows Japanese advertising characteristics and they are selling Japanese candy. So.... But, yes, I think the people depicted are too prominent and the candy should be more conspicuous. The packaging might benefit by giving the candy more prominence?