The Amazing World of Japanese Commercials

Since the dawn of broadcast television, commercials have been a staple of the medium. Sometimes helpful, sometimes funny, occasionally annoying, but always. However, Japanese commercials can be hilarious and memorable, with many iconic advertising campaigns.

Commercials in General

As we’ve established, commercials are necessary for TV. Broadcast companies receive ad revenue and sponsorships from commercials. This money helps fund the companies and stations that, in turn, can keep the lights on and give viewers their favorite shows and specials. It’s the syndicated broadcast circle of life.

Commercials can be for any type of product imaginable. Food, healthcare, cars, you name it, there’s one for it. This is all very obvious, but the key to a good commercial is making it stick with the viewer. No one wants their product to be ignored or forgotten. To this end, commercials have become catchy, quirky, and funny. Brand recognition and allegiance increase when products are associated with positivity and good memories.

Why are Japanese commercials so unique?

While funny commercials are certainly not unique to any one country, Japan definitely has fantastic ones. For as reserved and proper a country as Japan is at its core, it really knows how to cut loose and be silly when it comes to comedy and a sense of humor. It’s challenging to narrow decades’ worth of great commercials down to a single list, but here are some especially awesome ones that are worth a watch right now.

Sakeru Gummy vs. Long Sakeru Gummy

We have to start with a heavy-hitter right out of the gate. Not relegated to a single commercial, but an entire series of them, the Sakeru Gummy ads became internet famous almost overnight when they were released. At their core, the ads are for gummy candies, with a new variety being extra long.

To really drive this point home, the ads feature a young couple who are in love. But when a handsome and mysterious stranger appears with eyes on the attractive young woman, shenanigans ensue. Through plenty of innuendos, sight gags, and a full narrative arc across the multiple ads, the Sakeru Gummy saga is legitimately fun and funny.

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Giga Pudding

Japan is excellent for DIY candy kits. Eating candy is plenty of fun by itself, no question there, but being able to mix your own sweets, color them as you wish, and even make their shapes is particularly cool, too. Manufacturer Takara Tomy, deciding that a single serving of sweet yumminess wasn’t enough, rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Enter the Giga Pudding. Another ad that made its rounds across the internet back in the day, Giga Pudding is a DIY pudding mix big enough to serve about 20 people (or just you, if you’re brave enough.)

The commercial in question is straightforward yet effective. It showcases the giant pudding with its wobbly, bobbling happy face, as people express surprise and delight at its immense size. It’s cute, but what really sells the commercial is the song. Hearing “Giga Pudding!” exclaimed over and over again won’t win any points in creativity, but gosh darn it, you’ll never forget the product by the time it’s over.

Suntory Goma Mugicha

This is a classic case of a commercial taking a radically different direction than the product itself. The ad begins with two businessmen pulling over on a mountain road to use the restroom. When one person tosses their cigarette into the brush, they inadvertently cause a fire. After several attempts to put it out fail, one man tries to smash it out with a giant tree limb, only to have a rogue branch hit him in the forehead.

This results in some imagery erupting with the intensity of a Tarantino film, with the sound of a teapot boiling over. The man uses his high-intensity blood spray to extinguish the fire. The product for this Monty Python-style skit? A line of tea by Suntory that’s good for people with high blood pressure. The focus of the ad was to highlight that high blood pressure is undesirable, which is true, but they chose an excellent way to promote their health-conscious sesame barley tea.

Why should you check out some Japanese commercials?

It might sound odd to recommend to someone to find a compilation of TV commercials to watch in their downtime, but if something’s funny, hey, it’s funny. Japan has a great sense of humor, and it can really shine in its short-form ads. And considering that commercials are typically a minute or two long, it’s not asking much to sit down and watch them. The best part is learning about a cool product that might actually be good, too! Have you watched any other good Japanese commercials? Let us know in the comments below! What’s your favorite?