From RSO: My love for sushi stems from my fondness for Japan. In 2015, I proposed to my then-girlfriend on top of the Tokyo Skytree and attended the World Yo-Yo Contest. Fast forward to 2019, with a 6-month old toddler in tow, our little family toured the beautiful cities of Kyoto and Osaka. Although we had memorable sushi meals in Japan, there is still a tinge of regret because we did not patronise the sushi outlet beside the Tsukiji market that time.
Japanese sushi chefs’ love and respect for sushi preparation are awe-inspiring. Often lauded for their culinary excellence, they are immensely passionate about their craft and spend years honing their skills. You would easily find a delicious sushi meal in any random restaurant in Japan.
I have adopted a similar mindset for all RSO releases so far. RSO yo-yos are prototyped extensively, and the journey is comprehensively documented. Considerable time is also spent on the story, artwork, engraving, accessories and packaging for each release. These add production costs to each yo-yo, but RSO has been able to keep its prices similar to (if not lower than) many companies who mainly sell bare-bones titanium yo-yos today.
For an RSO yo-yo named Sushi, the intricate details had to be absolutely perfect. Since the release of Gravity, I have been brainstorming for unique shapes that differ from the primarily organic RSO lineup. One of the most coveted RSO yo-yos is the titanium Bowl: Japan Edition, which had a ramen theme. Naturally, making a second yo-yo inspired by another Japanese food staple was always on the cards.
Now, this may sound ridiculous, but for this model I went to great lengths to ensure that the yo-yo halves would look like they were cut from a sushi roll! The pieces form a cylinder when lined up together.
Sushi is not a rim-weighted yo-yo, less so than Gravity. Sushi had to weigh less to avoid a “heavy” playfeel. Each half of Sushi is almost 1g lighter than a Gravity half. With the included disc SE, Sushi plays unhurried, controlled and steady, just like an omakase meal you would have at a top tier Michelin starred sushi restaurant. I would describe the playfeel as “floaty”.
However, suppose you want a quick sushi fix; simply swap out the disc SE for aluminium ultralight SE (not included). Sushi weighs a mere 59.0g in this configuration and plays zippy and light, and is bound to instantly satisfy your sushi cravings.
Don’t be fooled by Sushi’s squarish shape - it is pretty comfortable to hold. Despite its reasonably high walls, it has a generous gap and handles multiple string layers effortlessly. It is also one of the more stable RSO throws so far. Without having to consciously try to ensure that the yo-yo does not tilt, you can be fully focused on the gastronomic experience.