Theme by nostrich.
Logo by vivdesigns.
Keep updated with Manga Therapy by subscribing to my RSS feed! "Like", "Follow", or "+1" me for more lovely conversations about manga & Japanese pop culture!
Text with 3 notes
Doraemon, The Professional
Man, does Jean Reno look great as Doraemon or what? I can imagine a mature Doraemon series where Jean Reno pulls out guns & swords out of his dimensional pocket. I love how Doraemon is the “anime ambassador” for Japan. If you ask me, I feel that Doraemon should’ve been brought to the United States. He’s still relevant even today, especially with how much technology has taken over the lives of children & how much parents can spoil them with it.
Also, Toyota. Nice job. What notable Japanese culture icon will they tackle next, I wonder? Sazae-san?
Video with 10 notes
MIKU HATSUNE LOVES BACON-WRAPPED HOT DOGS
Isn’t the point of the character right now is to sell cars? Aren’t sales of the Toyota Corolla supposed to be pretty bad? No wonder Toyota can’t show any of this on U.S. national television….
I can say that they’re clearly targeting Asians with a flash mob they did at a Asian street fair and there was also a billboard advertisement in Flushing, NY (an area with a huge number of Chinese & Koreans living there). However, not ALL Asians are into the visual pop culture of Japan.
Is the idea to promote her first as a friendly virtual girl who wants to know more about American culture? Then, when the time comes, show her driving the Corolla? Why can’t they do commercials like how Old Spice did? Showcase the product and show off Miku’s personality at the same time.
The worst part of this campaign is that Toyota doesn’t exactly explain who and/or what Miku Hatsune really is. If you visit Toyota’s Miku page, there’s literally no “About Miku” section or anything like that. Yeah, she’s a virtual idol. But where’s the history behind her? If I were a non-Miku fan, why should I care about an idol that’s not real and looks too weird for me? Give me a good reason to care.
It will be nice to see Miku become mainstream in America, but I’m not sure if this is the right way to do it. What do you guys think?
