Have you considered that the new box is too "generic" or "corporate?" (For lack of a better word) In other words, the old box, while plain, adds a certain intimacy. It doesn't look like a huge multinational candy company sent it. The new box, though, looks basically like any other piece of Japanese media.
For me, the plain box gives me cheap Chinese vibes. It brings to mind badly damaged cardboard boxes with dubious electronics inside. The Japanese illustrated box is innocent and kind of cute (certainly not "rapey" as another commenter put it) and in a Western country, stands out from the things around it. Perhaps if you're in Japan, surrounded by Japanese media it might seem generic but I don't think that's a problem…
In addition, Japanese products are not unknown for overpackaging. It's probably not surprising that Apple took some cues in their packaging from Japanese product packaging to signal "upscale" meticulousness and attention to the customer.