H&I | 屋上の少女 | 2016
But the Story Isn't Over Yet / H&I Opinion Ad "The Girl on the Roof"
Cinderella, the Frog Prince, the Ugly Duckling. The heroes of fairy tales speak up: "But the story isn't over yet."
The problem
This piece was released in 2005 as an opinion ad by H&I, taking on the theme of suicide among children and young people. Ellie Omiya handled the planning and copy, while Daihachi Yoshida directed.
The insight
It captures something true about how stories work, and turns that into a powerful cheer for anyone going through a painful adolescence. In pretty much every story, something wonderful happens near the end.
The idea
In a long 180-second film, storybook characters whose books were closed partway through call out to a girl standing on a rooftop. The message: "The wonderful things in life mostly happen near the end."
What happened
For this work, Ellie Omiya won the Tokyo Copywriters Club (TCC) New Writer Award in 2005.
Afterthought
It's in Japanese, but it's the kind of masterpiece that speaks to people everywhere. I still wonder what the original brief must have looked like. I'd love to make an ad that stays with people's hearts like this one does.
