Saku Saku Explores the Intimate Side of Mobile Suit Gundam

I could be wrong but it looks like in this episode of Saku Saku Morning Call that they’re looking at a line of Mobile Suit Gundam merchandise which includes a vibrator.

Tags: Anime, Japan, Mobile Suit Gundam, Saku Saku

Aspirational Americana Alcohol Ads of the 80s

From the land of the free and the home of the bud comes these two Japanese adverts from the 80s. My guess is that the commercial above for Budweiser may have been slightly inspired by shows like Dallas from that era — while the below Coors ad features music by David Foster and Lee Ritenour:

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Tags: Beer, Commercials, Japan

MikuMiku vs. Jamiroquai

I’m quite impressed with the staying power that MikuMiku (初音ミク) has had as an internet meme — in fact I’m sort of surprised that there haven’t been plans announced for a anime series, manga or even a video game?

AKBINGO!

AKBINGO! is an NTV variety show that just went on the air this October. In the show participants go through various game show stunts — however the twist is that in the second half of the show turns into a musical showcase of sorts. So far the show has featured musical acts like AKB48 and the Bad Boys. Here’s a recent episode from October 15th:

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Tags: AKB48

Japanese iPhone Commercials

How can’t you love a talking doggie? It’s funny seeing these ads from Soft Bank in Japan for the iPhone because they’re so “un-Apple” — the one above is a general ad (with subtitles) and the one below shows off the games available on the iPhone:

Ken Shimura Skit: The Empty Stomach Dance

Ken Shimura is a wonderful comedian — it’s so easy to laugh at this skit without knowing a word of Japanese. Shown above is a segment from his latest comedy special — below is another fun skit:

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Move Over Diet Coke: I Want a Coca-Cola Light!

Because Coca Cola Light is THE beverage choice of Japanese Flashdance wannabes from the 80s! By the way Coca Cola Light is Japanese for Diet Coke — it was introduced over there in 1984, but in 1999 was renamed to Diet Coca-Cola and in 2007 was once again renamed to No Calorie Coca-Cola. Currently in Japan the spokesperson for this diet delight is none other than Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex and the City fame (although us old school fanboys had a crush on her back when she starred in Square Pegs).

Tokyo Disneyland Circa 1983

This advert is amazing because 1983 had to be one of the low points for Disney — Walt had been dead for well over a decade and The Little Mermaid was still a few years in the future. Yet what impresses me is that the power of the Disney characters thanks to Walt’s storytelling skills were still keeping the company afloat all of those years later, and cooler yet those characters were so strong they could support a theme park in Japan. By the way if you look closely in the commercial you’ll see a very lackluster looking Snow White…

Back to the Future: Marty McFly Honda Commercial

My guess is that this commercial pushing the new DOHC VTEC engine (which was in the new Honda Integra) dates to 1989. Michael J. Fox is just a little bit older than me, so watching him in his youth sort of brings me back to the future when the year 2008 was the stuff of science fiction.

Help! A Giant Penguin is Following Me…

Shown above is a commercial for Chupetto a fruit flavored ice treat from Japan.

Milk Mêlée

I love how over-the-top quality of this Japan Dairy Council advert!

Found via omarac.

Surrealistic Soccer Showdown: TV Champion

The above video is from a Japanese game show called TV Champion. It’s very strange yet surrealistic watching all of these oversized mascots playing a game of soccer. My favorite part is when one character can’t lift his oversized head off the ground in front of the goal post! Apparently in other episodes the oversized mascots engage in other sporting activities (although there are other episodes that feature boring normal people who aren’t in mascot costumes).

Do the Tokyo Disney Dance!

I have to admit that Mini Mouse looks quite sharp in her kimono! If you want to book a trip click here…

Kamen Rider Promotional Film

I just love the low budget look of Kamen Rider you can just tell from looking at the show that they were having fun filming it back in the day (and what’s shown above is from the original series which ran from 1971 until 1973).

If you look at the 2nd part of the video below what’s interesting is that they show a short clip stage play that was based on the series — and not only is the audience packed but they’re eating up every moment of the characters showing off their moves in from a sparsely decorated tin foil decorated set:

Do the Ramen Noodles Dance!

I can’t get that annoying Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea song out of my head! So to cure myself I found the above silly music video (don’t you just love that fuzzy dog character?) is from the NHK show Kids World. And if that wasn’t cute enough for you here’s a little dance number with a kitty theme:

Obviously this show is aimed at very young kids, but what impressed me is the quality of design in the series (so much cooler than say something like Barney). Check out this nice animation which is a segment from the show:

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Kimura Kaela: Lucido-L Advert

Shown above is J-pop diva and actress Kaela Kimura (木村カエラ) in an advert for Lucido-L which is a line of hair care products. Kaela was born in Tokyo and her mom is Japanese and her dad is British and she started modeling back in 2002 for the the Japanese idol magazine Seventeen. I really like her swinging 60s look in this ad and the nice use of color. Below is a “making of” spot on the commercial:

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Me & My Cute Penguin Pal Suica

Yeah it’s just me and my penguin pal hanging out, going to the mall and doing lunch. That’s perfectly normal — hey why are you looking at me like that? The above cute commercials are for Suica which is a smart card used in Japan. Here are a few more cute penguin spots that they’ve done:

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Beware the Forest’s Hamburgers

The Japanese obsession with Ronald McDonald in fan videos is so strange! The above video is a reference to to the song Beware the Forest’s Mushrooms from the Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars game.

Apogee & Perigee

Some years after Star Wars, but 24 years before a very similar looking robot from Pixar came along, a pair of Japanese robots named Apogee & Perigee released an album of songs that tell their story. Entitled “Chojiku Korodasutan Ryokoki” it was released in fairly small quantities as an LP and soon became a sought after though obscure rarity.

Unfortunately, in 1984 YMO had retired and the small label was running on a shoestring. Aside from this promotional video I don’t think the release got much publicity. A CD reissue from the 90s exists but it was only sold part of a high priced 18 album set.

Though I don’t think it’s a big surprise, in reality really it wasn’t a pair of robots making the album, it was semi-anonymously made by the short lived band Testpattern (Masao Himura and Fumio Ichimura), who were signed to Yellow Magic Orchestra’s ¥EN Records label. For this, their second project, they made a concept album billed to a pair of robots. On it they recruited many labelmates to contribute songs and perform more or less uncredited.

It’s kind of sad that maybe with a bit more publicity and spinoff media they could have had more success with a fun concept like this. This track is sung by Jun Togawa. She began her career as an actress in the early 1980s and soon found many singing opportunities. She was able bridge the gap between performance art and rock. She often appears but not exclusively with her band the Yapoos.

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Ultraman Press Conference

I got quite a kick out of this press conference feating Ultraman and his Ultra brothers.

Found via zaeega.com.

Quo Dog Food

Hard to go wrong with a cute puppy in a commercial! The above spot was done for Hokuren Pet Foods in the 80s.

Happy Turn vs. Disco Girl

Is it me or does the model from this 1979 snack commercial for Happy Turn remind me of Roller Girl from the film Boogie Nights?

Telepathy-Love

Shown above is a commercial featuring 70s J-Pop sensation Telepathy-Love, one of the many acts that rose up after the success of Pink Lady. Below is a fun album cover featuring the duo:

Album cover found via Kimberly Lindbergs, check out her cool sites: cinebeats.com, peppermintkisskiss.com and jsound.blogsome.com. I also got a kick out of her art and photography site.

Godzilla vs. Green Tea

Being both a Godzilla fanboy and green tea addict I got quite a kick out of the above commercial spot from Singapore.

Found via dekku.blogspot.com and coloribus.com.