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202 articles
Nike | 動かしつづける。自分を。未来を。 / The Future Isn't Waiting. | 2020
In November (11) 2020, all of Japan held its breath for two minutes. The film believed that the urge to play sports could lightly blow away garbage like discrimination. I've watched it ten times. "A standard masterpiece" feels like the right phrase for it, but that makes me wonder: what's the difference between a standard masterpiece and one that isn't standard at all?
Apple | Macの向こうから — まだこの世界にない物語を | 2020
They made an entire 30-second commercial out of nothing but scenes of anime characters sitting down at their Macs. And get this — some of those Macs have logos that are clearly not the real Apple logo, turned into a heart or a pear instead, yet Apple included them anyway. That kind of generosity really shows the brand's sheer confidence.
カロリーメイト | My Way | 2020
The song and the sound effects here are just amazing. Listening to them yanks you straight back to that time in your life. Which tells you something: those sounds don't really exist (much) in the adult world.
日清食品 | 匂わせたい | 2020
A man's shoulder caught in the edge of a glass. Matching shoes. A poem you read vertically that spells out "I'm with the winning team." Ugh, another hint-dropping girl on social media, you think, getting a little annoyed. But that annoyance turns into pure delight by the end.
NETFLIX | 人間まるだし。 | 2020
The narration opens with a sarcastic line: "What a beautiful age we live in." In 2019, when everyone was burning with "correctness," Netflix brought out The Naked Director and declared, flat out, "Human, Exposed." The moment Shibuya turned entirely red, you could feel just how powerful this ad was.
加賀市 | 加賀市新幹線対策室 | 2020
Has there ever been local government PR that put jealousy front and center like this? Taking the frustration of losing out to Kanazawa and turning it straight into fuel for a "Go, Kaga!" cheering mood. You rarely see local PR this honest, and this lovable.
トヨタモビリティパーツ | 連続10秒ドラマ「愛の停止線」SEASON2 | 2020
A 10-second commercial that somehow packs in a full story arc, complete with a product punchline at the end. And not just once, but as a whole series. You laugh, you want to see what happens next, and before you know it, you've remembered the product name.
花王 | 洗濯愛してる会 | 2019
In January 2020, right at the start of the new year, I got hit with a shock strong enough to make me want to restart this blog. Five of the hottest actors around — Matsuzaka Tori, Suda Masaki, Kaku Kento, Mamiya Shotaro, and Sugino Yosuke — talking about laundry with total seriousness for 60 seconds. It felt like I'd just watched two whole dramas.
キリン 午後の紅茶 | わたしらしいって、最強だ。夏 | 2019
This feels so now. Really now. Four high school girls from different schools and different backgrounds meet on social media and form a band. That kind of realness feels like it's bottled up the air of 2019.
日経電子版 | 見えてきた？ | 2019
Nikkei Digital Edition's "Did You See It?" series started in 2019, and it became a talking point for actor Sho Kiyohara's mysterious, repeated line "Ah, I see." This flea market app installment is a 15-second spot where a guy glances over at his girlfriend using a flea market app and, somehow, only he ends up nodding and saying "Ah, I see." Some have praised it for capturing something very relatable about young women today, but honestly, it wasn't easy to tell exactly what he was supposed to be "getting."
TOYOTA | START YOUR IMPOSSIBLE | 2019
The car disappeared from Toyota's global campaign. What's shown instead: wheelchairs, robotic prosthetic legs, support robots. A car maker made an ad that doesn't show a car.
森永製菓 ダース | 祝25周年篇 | 2018
This is what 15 seconds can do. The only thing they really want to say is "DARS turns 25." If it also happens to get across that "December 12 is DARS Day," that's a lucky bonus. But they don't explain how tasty it is, or how many pieces are in a box, or anything like that. And I think that's exactly right.
カロリーメイト | 心の声 | 2018
I think it's fair to call this one a winter tradition by now. This is the fifth installment of CalorieMate's commercial series cheering on exam students. Another great one this year.
キリン 午後の紅茶 | あいたいって、あたためたいだ。18冬 | 2018
This series began in winter 2016, and apparently this is its conclusion. It's the kind of project where the casting alone practically guarantees success, but using the same actors across multiple years takes it even further. You can clearly see, right there on screen, what's been lost and what's been gained, and in that sense a different kind of charm emerges.
Microsoft Surface | 夢中って無敵だ | 2017
In spring 2017, a web movie was released for incoming university students. Under the main line "Being Absorbed Is Invincible," it shows students chasing their dreams while working part-time jobs, students drawing on rooftops, and students running around with friends late at night.
JAXA | KIBO SCIENCE 360 - A Space Experiment with Google | 2017
Just assemble a single piece of cardboard, and you can become an astronaut. "KIBO SCIENCE 360," created by JAXA, Google, and Dentsu, is a project that recreates the Kibo experiment module on the ISS in VR.
ACジャパン | ライバルは、1964年 | 2017
2016 was the year of Gen Hoshino. His song "Koi" became a massive hit through the drama "Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu," making him the pop icon of the era. It was exactly at that moment that this AC Japan commercial aired.
JR東日本 | Apple PayのSuica | 2017
Spring, new beginnings. That whole business of standing in line at the ticket counter to buy a commuter pass disappears, with just an iPhone. That's really all there is to it, but something about Ryuhei Matsuda's presence, the visuals, and the sound makes it strangely pleasant.
スタッフサービス | オー人事 秀吉編 | 2017
The whole thing plays out in totally predictable, cliché territory, but there's a split second where you think, "Wait, is it really okay to lump him in with monkeys?" before it settles into a reliable, familiar punchline. This is the period-drama version of the "Oh, Jinji" series that defined an era.
富士通テン ECLIPSE（イクリプス） | Father's Drive | 2017
I stumbled on this while looking into something else, and ended up watching the whole thing without meaning to. It's an experiment where blindfolded kids try to pick out their father's driving from among three different drivers. The way the question is set up is great — it sits right on that line of "hmm, could they actually do it?"
湖池屋 | スゴーンなダンス | 2017
Do you remember that ballroom dance commercial Masahiko Sato made back in 1988? With its catchy jingle, it was a legendary ad that swept through the era on rhythm and nonsense. Now, 29 years later in 2017, Koikeya launched an upgraded snack called "Sugo-n," and that very commercial came back to life in the 21st century, done up with EDM music and lightning-fast footwork dancing.
日清食品 | HUNGRY DAYS | 2017
This teaser is too cute. Eisaku Kubonouchi's illustrations are too cute. The narration is too cute too.
UQ mobile | 紀香の誕生日 | 2017
The moment Norika showed up on screen, I went "huh?"—and then about two seconds later it hit me with a full "whoa!" I'd been watching the UQ Three Sisters series because I love Mikako Tabe, so having Fujiwara Norika suddenly turn up was a real shock. This feels like one of those ideas that must have felt amazing the second someone thought of it.
Levi's | COLORS & Tight Fit Jeans | 2017
It's only 30 seconds, but somehow you can't look away. Jennifer Love Hewitt dances in Levi's commercial, made exclusively for Japan.
GINZA SIX | メインストリート | 2017
The "full happiness mode" that Shiina Ringo sometimes shows is exploding along Ginza's Chuo Dori. A dream duet with Tortoise Matsumoto, an orchestra, dancers, balloons, magic. The 90-second film is so full of joy it feels like a musical movie, and by the end you'll want to walk Ginza's main street yourself.
サントリーBOSS | 働くって、いいもんだ。THE LAST TRAIN | 2017
This is the story of a surprise staged for a station manager's retirement, at Akihabara Station after the last train had gone. On a platform where no one should have been at that hour, his coworkers were waiting for him. Just imagining someone close to you reaching their "last shift" is enough to bring tears to your eyes.
LINEモバイル | 愛と革新。 | 2017
45 seconds of Non staring silently at the camera. Kirinji's "Aliens" plays, and at the end only the words "Love and Innovation." appear. It never says the service is cheap. There's nothing else it needs to say, and that's exactly the point.
WOWOW | WOWOWに入りましょう。 | 2017
"♪Should I join the hmm-hmm-hmm~" Yuya Yagira hums to himself on a train platform, and the lyrics are so mysterious that Kasumi Arimura can't help but call out to him. I've been watching this series for a while, but thinking about it again, this really is a celebrity commercial, isn't it.
AIG Japan | #TackleTheRisk | 2017
At Shibuya's scramble crossing, All Blacks players suddenly appear and start tackling passersby left and right. At first you think "what is this violence," but once the reveal comes, it all clicks into place.
NTTドコモ | ForONEs 2017 | 2017
This commercial, released by Docomo in 2017 under the name "ForONEs," shows people taking off colorful T-shirts to portray the diversity within each individual. Take off the actor, and there's a dancer. Take off the professional boxer, and there's a single mother. Take off the doctor, and there's a patient. Everyone has multiple faces, but behind them all is just one "self." At a time when everyone and their mother was talking about diversity, this 60-second spot boldly stripped away any sense of "Docomo-ness," and that choice itself feels like a kind of resolve.
SK-II | Your Statement. Your Bottle. / Change Destiny Limited Edition | 2017
I couldn't tear my eyes away from this commercial of Haruka Ayase sprinting at full speed through a park in a hoodie and leggings. In one shot, it blew away SK-II's image as a brand for wealthy, beauty-obsessed older women.
RECRUIT LIFESTYLE | THE FAMILY WAY | 2017
A Japan-born campaign that won the Grand Prix in the Mobile category at Cannes Lions in 2017. "THE FAMILY WAY" was created by Dentsu Y&R Tokyo. On top of the Grand Prix, it also picked up a Gold and a Silver at the same time — quite an achievement.
SONY | GRAVITY CAT | 2017
A cat walks on walls, runs across the ceiling, and two sisters fall into the sky along with their entire apartment. For four straight minutes, I just kept asking myself, "Is this really not CGI?"
Canon | A picture of you | 2016
In an age when a "photo" isn't really about capturing "truth" anymore, this film grew out of the question: how should Canon redefine its value?
トヨタ | Loving Eyes | 2016
A story about a father and daughter, released for Father's Day. Ads about fathers and daughters aren't exactly rare, but the turn it takes in the second half will definitely make you cry. The first half alone is pretty intense, but once the song starts playing in the girl's voice partway through, it's completely over for you.
家庭教師のトライ | Try IT はじまる | 2016
Dancing to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off," all kinds of people shake their phones and dance along. This is the launch commercial for Try IT, a free video lesson service. Heidi, Peter, and Grandfather all dance too, in a bright, fun world.
JR東日本 | JR SKISKI | 2016
An ostrich! An ostrich is skiing! Set to upbeat music, it tears down the slopes with turns, jumps, and Cossack moves—impossible tricks that had me completely glued to the screen.
BEAMS | TOKYO CULTURE STORY｜今夜はブギー・バック(smooth rap) in 40 YEARS OF TOKYO FASHION & MUSIC | 2016
From 1976 to 2016, a single unbroken shot races through 40 years of Tokyo in just five minutes. It's simply overwhelming.
ソフトバンク | プロポーズ | 2016
How do you capture a marriage proposal, one of life's big climactic moments? The chemistry between two distinctive actors, Mikako Ichikawa and Ryo Kase, creates an atmosphere that sticks with you in an odd way.
リクルート | 卒おめ | 2016
This is one of those classic ads I find myself watching again every year around this time. It captures that particular spring when high school seniors are finishing up, set to a wonderful Chatmonchy song, and every time I watch it, something about it hits me right in the chest.
PlayStation | できないことが、できるって、最高だ。 | 2016
"It's the best feeling, doing what you couldn't do before." This tagline gets turned into a long-form celebration of life itself. I don't think it got much buzz, but I honestly think it's pretty amazing.
江崎グリコ | Smile.Glico みんなとハグハグ篇 | 2016
A character called Hug Hug goes around hugging people all over the world. Watching the smiles spread from person to person, you can feel something inside you loosen up.
日清食品カップヌードル | OBAKA's大学に春が来た！ | 2016
"If you try something, people mock you. If you fail, people pile on." In an era like that, Beat Takeshi stood frozen as a bronze statue of the university president, while Sachiko Kobayashi, Mutsugoro, Mari Yaguchi, and Takashi Niigaki served as the professors at the newly opened "OBAKA's UNIVERSITY." People said there probably aren't many companies in Japan that could greenlight a commercial idea like this — and no wonder. The moment I saw it, I had to take my hat off.
Honda | UNI-CUB | 2016
Right around the time everyone started making drone-shot music videos, this one came in and knocked everyone flat with how polished it was. Five and a half minutes, and I watched the whole thing without skipping once.
カロリーメイト | Mate | 2016
There are friends, all born in 1991, who shave their heads, run, show each other their backs as they go, and laugh — and just that is already a complete piece of film. There's a series like that.
SUUMO | ココロの声ストーリー | 2016
At the big turning points in life, a crowd of different selves inside you pop up and start arguing with each other. This SUUMO piece makes those inner voices visible.
H&I | 屋上の少女 | 2016
Cinderella, the Frog Prince, the Ugly Duckling. The heroes of fairy tales speak up: "But the story isn't over yet."
ACジャパン（公共広告機構） | IMAGINATION／WHALE（黒い絵） | 2016
Almost the entire film is made up of footage that leaves you feeling uneasy, and then, right at the very end, your whole perspective flips. It feels like watching a team on the verge of a crushing defeat suddenly turn the game around with one stunningly brilliant move. This is a masterpiece that hasn't aged a bit—if anything, it feels like it's only grown heavier with time.