TOKYO, Mar 01 (News On Japan) –
Seniors in Japan are buzzing with pleasure over a fictional industrial on YouTube that advertises iPhones in a “Showa” retro type.
The video, titled “What if there was an iPhone commercial in the Showa 30s era? [もしも昭和30年代にiPhoneのCMが放送されていたら【架空CM】]”, introduces the trendy iPhone in a method that screams “Showa,” full with nostalgic animation and catchphrases. The web has erupted with feedback like “Pure Showa brilliance. Fantastic!” and “This takes me back. I remember watching this commercial as a kid. Glad the footage survived (joking)!”
When we confirmed the video to folks on the road, we puzzled what sort of reactions we would get.
In Sugamo, Tokyo, a well-liked spot for seniors, some have been so impressed by the standard of the video that they mistook it for an precise industrial from the previous.
Street Interviewer: “Have you seen this video before, ma’am?”
Reporter: “It’s a fictional commercial imagining if the iPhone existed in the Showa 30s era.”
Street Interviewer: “Oh, ah… Aha!”
A 70-year-old girl who watched the video mentioned, “If it existed back then, I think it would have been very interesting. I’d like it. It’s like a phone and a notebook combined, right?”
A 70-year-old man commented, “It kind of reminds me of the Tris (whiskey) commercials,” whereas one other 70-year-old girl added, “It’s so nostalgic, really amazing.”
What’s shocking is the age of the creator of this Showa-era industrial. The video was made by 22-year-old Kazuya Kanehisa, who was born within the Heisei period.
Why did he determine to make this industrial?
Kazuya Kanehisa, the video creator, defined, “I used to play with the film projector and record player that my grandfather had when I was in elementary school. I’ve always liked content from around the Showa 30s and 40s. (What did you focus on in the video?) I tried my best to replicate the way product names are repeatedly chanted in a melody and how explanations are given in a simplified, cartoonish style.”