02.01.2011 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Moe for something with value...
I had to snap a picture of this advertisement for a girls' school in Suginami, an area known for its high concentration of anime production houses. The sign reads: "Get fired up! For something with value." I assume they mean schooling, but, based on the location, I couldn't help but read the "moe" in "fired up" as a pun on "moe" in the otaku sense. That is, a response to a fictional character or representations of fictional characters. With that in mind, I read the "with value" as something other than what otaku are fired up about, i.e., stop getting fired up about fictional characters (which is a waste of time) and start focusing on schooling (which has a value). Am I reading too much into this? I admit, I was cranky - on a crowded train in the middle of the night - when I saw this...
Tags: Moe CM 0 Comments
22.04.2010 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Haruhi gum!
Lotte's new ACUO gum ad campaign features the girls of "Suzumiya Haruhi." Naturally, I snapped a picture of the sign on the train. I noticed that Nagato, who has been on my mind since I watched the Haruhi movie, is dressed as a cat. This bothered me, because I just figured that they were abusing her image and forcing cute in the advert to sell product. Then I came home and saw the CM on TV. Brilliant. Cat mystery all cleared up, and Nagato is seriously cute. I bought five packs of ACUO today.... I feel somehow dirty and used, but at the same time damn satisfied. Viva capitalist exploitation!
17.04.2010 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Ragnarok signs are the best ever!
Though I love RPGs, I am not a really big online gamer. Still, these new adverts for Ragnarok are just awesome enough to make me want to give it a try. The first one with the salaryman reads:
"Whatever I do is wrong. On Ragnarok Online, I can instantly clear any task!"
Then in smaller letters:
"I want to show my seniors at the office this bravery."
The second one with the old man reads:
"This stubborn old me is popular with the gals on Ragnarok Online."
Then in smaller letters:
"My bad, old lady!"
These signs are there in the Tokyo subway, big as you please. I can't believe they are so bold in implicating everyone in this online gaming culture! Salarymen and old men in traditional dress are usually considered outside the stereotype of gamers.
ちょっと、営業マンと頑固オヤジもオンラインゲームやっているよ！なんか、嬉しいなあ。
Tags: Games CM 0 Comments
04.04.2010 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
The reach of moe is long...
OK, so anime of late tends to put in cute girls to attract viewers and sell merchandise. Some people criticize and dismiss it for this reason. But on a recent trip to Nagoya, I realized just how natural the trend towards moe marketing is. A furniture store on Akamon-Dori (the otaku street in Nagoya) put out the advertisement: "We can do moe furniture!" Yeah, a custom couch with a cute anime girl on it. This man, an older gentleman, had survived in a neighborhood fast becoming a young otaku haven by turning to where he knew the market was. It doesn't matter how good his couches are if no one notices them, buys them and sits on them. And it takes the power of moe to get people in the seats. That's as true for furniture stores as it is for anime.
Tags: Moe Travel CM 0 Comments
02.03.2010 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
One Piece ad is a disgrace
I love the manga "One Piece," and I love the cheap and stylish clothes at Uniqlo. But this ad is just plain unfortunate. Maybe it's the straw hat, or the intensity in the model's eyes, but I have never wanted to look away from Luffy so much...
Tags: Anime CM 0 Comments
15.02.2010 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Yokoso! Japan ad features maid
I just saw this in Shinjuku Station. Didn't give it much thought, but something compelled me to take a closer look. Morbid curiosity. And upon closer inspection, I noticed a maid, right behind the kimono girl to the left, and closely associated with a geisha. It is funny how brazen all of this has become, especially since maids are neither Japanese nor otaku culture. It was a small boom in Akihabara promoted almost accidently by media (details here). Now otaku avoid them, and tourism has been winding down since 2006 or 2007. And yet here a maid stands, right at the center of the Cool Japan image. This of course isn't the first time the government has used popular culture (Puffy has been on signs for years).
Maids, too, have appeared in the past. But not alongside fish mongers, sumo and sushi chefs and other great symbols of Japanese culture. I get the feeling something is amiss here. Oh, and here is one for Hakone with Ayanami Rei on it. I like the way she is associated with Mt. Fuji (=Japan).
Tags: Cool Japan CM Maids 2 Comments
13.01.2010 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Miku and Kenketsu-chan
The Electric Town Entrance of JR Akihabara Station has been undergoing some vast renovations these past few months. The downside is really bad pedestrian traffic flow, but the good news is nifty electronic sign boards on the pillars where all the maid CMs used to hang. I was waiting for Jamie Lano when I happened to notice this advert for Miku x Kenketsu-chan, another in a long campaign to hook otaku on donating blood and building connections to the donation centers. Hey, it works! I count down the days until my next donation: 25 days. ... Wow. I think I an actually feel the burn of shame right now...
Tags: Akihabara CM 0 Comments
23.11.2009 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Gigantor - Japan's pride
I was walking through Akihabara today, my birthday, and happened to notice this ad from Docomo. Gigantor is flying across the skies with Mt. Fuji in the background. It has been up for a while, but I guess I just didn't really notice it. Docomo has been pushing the nostalgia button a lot in ads of late, but in my mind the inclusion of Fuji here adds a distinct layer of national pride to this one. But honestly, who wouldn't be proud to have a son like Gigantor? I want to go see the statue in Kobe, but I'm broke... Happy birthday to me, and congrats on still being a bum.
Tags: CM Anime Akihabara 3 Comments
15.11.2009 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Yoyogi Animation Gakuin and 'Cool Japan'
Just saw this sign and thought it was funny. After the failed Aso Taro administration, I thought there might be a general ban on using this ridiculous "Cool Japan" idea. Honestly, even if soft power does exist and nations can disseminate a positive image, does that mean anything if the nation has no hard power to back it up? Japan just looks like its overcompensating for the rise of China, which will eclipse it's military and economic influence very soon. Besides, doesn't cool become uncool as soon as old politicians and capitalists get their hands on it? And, I might add, Cool Japan takes its name from Cool Britannia, a failed image campaign of another island nation a decade ago...
Tags: Anime Cool Japan CM 6 Comments
03.11.2009 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Know Akiba, get chicks
Newsflash from "R-25," a free information magazine in Tokyo:
"If you understand Akiba, then you might be popular overseas?"
「アキバがわかれば海外でモテる？」
OK, that is a new one on me. Granted, this is only a slogan written on a stand for the magazine, and I haven't seen any full article, but I just can't imagine that knowing about Akiba is going to help anybody anywhere meet women....
Tags: Akihabara CM Weird 2 Comments
05.08.2009 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Eva Phone ad
Just saw this walking through Harajuku. I think it's funny how iconic the text-on-image style has become since Eva. The Sound Only in the middle is priceless in this cell phone ad! If there was a phone styled after SEELE I would so buy it...
Tags: Gainax CM 0 Comments
27.05.2009 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Moe, maids and coffee
A sign in Akihabara station. It reads: "You, all moe in Akihabara. We haven't any maids or butlers, but this is a delicious new meeting. Tasty Famima Cafe." I don't know if it means to be, but this strikes me as rather condesending. As if stupid convenience store coffee could ever be as delicious as moe. Humbug!
Tags: Akihabara Moe CM 0 Comments
14.03.2009 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Yes we can coffee!
President Barack Obama likes to say, "Yes we can," a simple message that inspired people the world over. This little phrase has captured hearts in Japan, as well, as in comedian , a wealth of merchandise or McDonald's giving away Obama Tours.
Now, it is a slogan for the Kiosk stands in Tokyo's railway stations. The text reads, "Yes we kan," kan meaning "canned" in Japanese. Yes we can drink canned coffee!
I like the addition of the cheer girl there, too. Very all-American goodness. ... Maybe this "Obama fever" has gone a bit too far after all...
Tags: CM 0 Comments
