Mode Gakuen Goes Goth

I love the creepy goth look of the animated commercial above which features a nice contrasting upbeat pop tune underneath it. The commercials is for Mode Gakuen which is a vocational school in Japan for fashion, makeup, hair, graphic, and interior design. I wonder if they have courses in designing goth lolita couture?

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Lucky Star Sells Pocky

Shown above is a commercial for Pocky which features characters from the anime show Raki Suta (Lucky Star). Pretty catchy tune, no?

A Bit of Cheesecake from Japan

A slice of cheesecake heaven from Japan:

The commercial stars Yuko Takeuchi who got her big break in 1999 with NHK’s television series Asuka. She also starred in Heaven’s Bookstore a 2004 film about a struggling classical pianist who is sent to heaven to work in a bookstore. Here’s her official website:

stardust.co.jp/rooms/yuko/

A Japanese Kill Bill Parody

I got a kick out of seeing the guy dressed up as Tarantino!

Found via JapanProbe.com.

Designing a Mobile Suit Gundam Model

The above video from Japanese TV is a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into designing a plastic Mobile Suit Gundam model.

Found via JapanProbe.com.

Jun Natsukawa Pachinko Machine Commercial

Meow! Jun Natsukawa (Kanji: 夏川純, Hiragana: なつかわ じゅん Natsukawa Jun – born September 19, 1980) is a Japanese gravure idol from Hiroshima, Japan. Above is a commercial for Kyoraku, which is a company that seems to have something to do with all sorts of interesting pachinko machines (including a series of Ultraman themed pachinko machines!).

Found via japansugoi.com.

Akihabara48: An Army of J-Pop

Akihabara48 (often shortened to AKB48) is an idol girl group produced by Akimoto Yasushi. Though their name implies they have 48 members, they started in December 2005 with only 20 girls. Currently, AKB48 has 53 members divided into 3 teams: Team A, Team K and Team B.

Right now DoCoMo mobile phone in Japan has an American Idol style commercial which features A48:

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Tags: AKB48

The Idols of Pocky

This latest Pocky commercial features the talents of Aya Matsuura, Yukie Nakama, Ishihara Satomi, and Kou Shibasaki:

Japanese Milk Commercials

Here are some silly milk commercials from Japan, I love the lion wrestling in the first one:

Here are translations of the commercials:

Commercial 1:
Boy 1: Wow, you really like milk, don’t you?
Boy 2: Milk makes you strong dude.
Boy 1: Makes you strong…[Begins to fantasize]

Commercial 2:
Girl 1: Wow, you sure are drinking a lot of milk.
Girl 2: Milk makes you beautiful
Girl 1: Makes you beautiful…(start]

Commercial 3:
Same, but “milk improves your concentration”
Last line: Why don’t we get on with the class?

Found via Adrift In the Happy Hills.

Shiina Ringo

This new funky goth lolita commercial stars Japanese singer/songwriter Ringo Shiina and is for a health drink called “Kibun Tounyuu”:

Here’s some background info on Shiina:

“Shiina Ringo (alternately Sheena Ringo and similar spellings) somehow steps around the industry archetypes. In fact, it’s hard to say who Shiina Ringo is. We’ve seen her as a lost teenager going against the grain, a racy nurse with an interest in her female patients, a bride with a smile as bright as the pistol she holds to her head, even a jazz-hungry flapper. With a wink and a flash of skin, Shiina Ringo has proven to be many things, but it always comes down to her incredible music.

There is no way to classify Shiina Ringo’s work other than that it is her own. She flits between and merges together genres in ways never thought possible, so much that she really has a genre all of her own. It doesn’t matter if it’s jazz, rock, or some bizarre combination of the two, she will make it work and you will like it. She experiments with her music and her voice; she whispers, rasps, coos, and screeches her way through playful lyrics and arrangements in a way only Shiina Ringo can.”

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Yui Aragaki Commercials

This is a cute series of commercials from Japan for a recruiting service which stars Yui Aragaki:

Here’s some background info on Yui Aragaki from Wikipedia:

“Yui Aragaki (新垣結衣 Aragaki Yui, born June 11, 1988) is a Ryukyuan Japanese model, actress and seiyu. Born in Naha, Okinawa, she was nicknamed Gakky in 2001 by Ayako Enomoto. After seeing an audition notice for the junior fashion magazine nicola, Yui applied and won the Grand Prix award for the audition. After that, she became a nicomo (nicola model) and because of her fashion sense and logical personality, gained many fans. In 2004 she put her modeling in nicola on hold to expand her current career into gravure, appearing on variety shows, and acting. In 2005 she officially graduated from the magazine. The same year, she was in the TBS drama Dragon Zakura. This began her entrance into the acting world and she has gone on to appear in other shows since. Even though she has graduated from nicola, she still appears in the magazine occasionally.”

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Cute Cat Commercial for Contacts

Oh sure all the other website keep showing that same video from YouTube with that cat who can play the piano! But for some reason I found this commercial from Japan (directed by Ochiai Makito) to be much cuter:

The commercial is for a company (eyecity.jp) that seems to be selling contact eye lens services.

Shimura Zoo: Sloth Dinner Date

This episode of “Tensai! Shimura Dobutsu-en” (aka Genius! Shimura Zoo) features a Sloth, which is cuter looking than I expected:

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Shimura Zoo: More Panda Fun!

This new episode of “Tensai! Shimura Dobutsu-en” (aka Genius! Shimura Zoo) features baby Pandas yet again! Sadly Becky isn’t a host on this show, but it’s still ever-so-cute to watch:

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The Toto Washlet Apricot Commercial

The Toto Washlet Apricot is the latest in high tech toilet fixtures from Japan, but for some odd reason they’re using a giant chicken and frog mascot in their commercials (but the jingle they use is quite catchy):

Shimura Zoo: Miracle Dog

Warning: The following video from “Tensai! Shimura Dobutsu-en” (aka Genius! Shimura Zoo) will make you want to cry! This episode features the sad tale of the Takahashi family which lives in Aichi prefecture Ichinomiya city and their one and a half year old paralyzed pet puppy dog. But don’t fear, before the episode runs too long we see the return of the mystery psychic pet healer from California who may be able to help:

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Godzilla Wearing Kiss Makeup

This is a very silly Kiss themed commercial from Japan that’s now airing for Canon cameras:

Found via japanprobe.com.

Kurosawa Sells Suntory

When I think of great directors selling out the first image that comes to mind is poor Orson Welles doing all of those commercials before his death. It’s sad to think that you’d have the likes of the director of Citizen Kane selling “no wine before its time!”

But much to my shock I came across this little wonder, which is a commercial for Suntory not only starring Akira Kurosawa but also none other than Francis Ford Coppola! There’s nothing I like to do after directing an award winning epic like Ran or the Godfather than to enjoy a glass of the good stuff:

Takanofoods Commercial

This is yet another cute and silly Japanese commercial, this one is selling a fermented soybeans product for Takanofoods:

And if you like the commercial you can decorate your computer desktop with wallpaper from here.

Choujin Sentai Jetman

If you’re a fan of Gerry Anderson shows like Thunderbirds and the anime show Gatchaman (seen in the States as ‘Battle of the Planets’) you might get a kick out of Choujin Sentai Jetman (鳥人戦隊ジェットマン, Chōjin Sentai Jettoman) which is an early 90s live action TV show from Japan. The title of the show ‘Choujin Sentai Jetman’ translates into English as ‘Birdman Squadron Jetman’. Jetman was produced by Toei Company and Bandai from 1991 to 1992, yet it has a very 70s vibe to it.

Here’s the opening title of the show:

Below: Team Jetman in and out of costume, a Bandai Jetman toy, and the soundtrack CD to the show.

Becky and the Red Pandas

In our previous entry we enjoyed clips from “Tensai! Shimura Dobutsu-en” (aka Genius! Shimura Zoo) a Japanese kids show which features a new animal each episode. In this clip our intrepid host Becky moves in with a new set of Pandas, but instead of good old fashioned Giant Panda cubs in this episode she’s hanging out with Red Pandas which look like cute oversized raccoons:

The funny thing is when I last saw some Red Pandas at the Central Park Zoo they were rather shy! I guess Becky knows how to charm ’em.

Becky and the Pandas

“Tensai! Shimura Dobutsu-en” (aka Genius! Shimura Zoo) is a kids show from Japan in which each episode is focused on the plight of a specific animal. In this episode several baby Panda Bears have moved into Becky’s apartment:

So you may ask just who is Becky? Becky is is Rebecca Eri RayVaughan, Born on March 6, 1984, in Kanagawa, she is the daughter of a Japanese mother and an English father. And she most often refers to herself as Bekiko (ベキ子 or 絲子). She got her start the popular children’s show Oha-Suta (おはスタ) in 1999 reading out the English names of various Pokémon characters in a section of the show called “Pokémon: The World.”

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Aragaki Loves Her Pocky

Pocky commercials featuring actress Aragaki Yui:

…and here’s her official website (in Japanese).

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Aho Aho Man

Ryuichi Sakamoto appears in Aho Aho Man (Stupid Stupid Man) a skit from the comedy show “Gottsu Eh Kanzi” from Japan (1999):