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This Japanese Commercial for Eel Is Being Compared to a Perverted Sexist Horror Movie

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P

Piecake

Member
ZombiePlatypus said:
I thought that was a really cool commercial. On one hand, it was endearing and really put forth the sense of care/labor of love sentiment they're trying to sell or paint here regarding their product. On the other, the analogy leaves the door just open enough to have it potentially be interpreted as creepy or WTF. I love it.

It also reminds me of the Mermaid episode from the Pet Shop of Horros anime.

Wait, they pulled the ad? That's a shame. Heaven forbid something ends up being kinda subversive with some weird/fucked up undertones.
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You think a commercial that can be interpreted as upholding sexist gender norms to an absurd degree, gender norms that exist in the culture, but that the culture is trying to change is subversive?
 
Z

ZombiePlatypus

Member
Piecake said:
You think a commercial that can be interpreted as upholding sexist gender norms to an absurd degree, gender norms that exist in the culture, but that the culture is trying to change is subversive?
Click to expand...

What reasonable (or sane) person would look at that ad, and think "this entire business and industry is advocating and validating kidnapping, owning, and cannibalizing women and humans"? In what scenario would a legitimate business plausibly put its money and profits on the line to endorse such crimes ?

It sounds like the bizarre tone here was unintentional (which is a bit of a bummer), but even if it wasn't, why can't a weird and wacky ad just be a weird and wacky ad? One of the coolest aspects of Japan and its media is the oddball stuff that it produces. Ads included.
 
F

foxuzamaki

Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
Honestly, it wasent too bad at all, I mean the mind could easily wonder but it was pretty inoffensive, the ending gets a lil dog head tilt though
 
P

Piecake

Member
ZombiePlatypus said:
What reasonable (or sane) person would look at that ad, and think "this entire business and industry is advocating and validating kidnapping, owning, and cannibalizing women and humans"? In what scenario would a legitimate business plausibly put its money and profits on the line to endorse such crimes ?

It sounds like the bizarre tone here was unintentional (which is a bit of a bummer), but even if it wasn't, why can't a weird and wacky ad just be a weird and wacky ad? One of the coolest aspects of Japan and its media is the oddball stuff that it produces. Ads included.
Click to expand...

The sexist implication of the commercial is that women are dependent on men, are the playthings of men, and women like it that way too.

You might be able to get away with a commercial like that without too many people batting an eye in a culture with strong notions of gender equality. They might just see it as a failed art attempt that is actually weird and kooky because the people there would not have a history and existing reality of sexism in their society. They would not see the commercial as confirming and strengthening sexist gender roles because their society doesnt have that issue.

That isn't Japan though. Japan has problems with gender equality and sexism. People want to change this and see a commercial like this as a threat to their efforts because it confirms pre-existing traditional sexist gender norms. It is by no means subversive. What would be subversive if they switched the gender roles. What the commercial is is reactionary.
 
Z

ZombiePlatypus

Member
Piecake said:
The sexist implication of the commercial is that women are dependent on men, are the playthings of men, and women like it that way too.

You might be able to get away with a commercial like that without too many people batting an eye in a culture with strong notions of gender equality. They might just see it as a failed art attempt that is actually weird and kooky because the people there would not have a history and existing reality of sexism in their society. They would not see the commercial as confirming and strengthening sexist gender roles because their society doesnt have that issue.

That isn't Japan though. Japan has problems with gender equality and sexism. People want to change this and see a commercial like this as a threat to their efforts because it confirms pre-existing traditional sexist gender norms. It is by no means subversive. What would be subversive if they switched the gender roles. What the commercial is is reactionary.
Click to expand...

I get that, but I just hate the notion that by merely existing (or having genders in the story/scenario it's presenting) it's automatically feeding into a sexist narrative. Don't get me wrong, I can see how unhinged or bigoted people can twist its intentions, but honestly, if someone has a shitty agenda to push, they can taint anything as a vehicle for that purpose. I would argue that scenario presented here is way to bizarre to reasonably be considered sexism-fuel. (I'd say a misguided result of unaware sexist views at worst.) But it also comes across as a parody of such views given how weird it is.

I'd also say the content is subversive given the sentimental/heart-felt tone it's going for with its presentation.
 
M

Massive Duck. C.M.

Banned
Weird commercial, but I expected a lot worse from the thread title.

This Japanese company called AC has some pretty weird, almost uncomfortable commercials
 
H

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
I don't like eel that much.

I was expecting her to morph into an eel though, before jumping onto a charcoal grill. Significantly less horrific than I imagined.
 
S

Spiral Insanity

Banned
Humanizing it (and more!) and then showing her cooking up close definitely has horror vibes. Is this a prequel to Mermaid in the Manhole? (Don't google that)

Haly said:
I don't like eel that much.

I was expecting her to morph into an eel though, before jumping onto a charcoal grill. Significantly less horrific than I imagined.
Click to expand...

But that is exactly what happened. Maybe someone should create an animorphs like transition of that scene.
 
H

hurricanes

Member
gatling said:
I honestly didn't get a lot of bad vibes from it. It felt like selkie tales from Irish folklore and similar stories. Is it the narration script itself thats off-putting? Or the implication because the narrator is male?

I only snorted when the eel was unceremoniously dumped into the water.
Click to expand...

You have a problem if you don't see the disturbing nature of many Selkie tales... Those stories are basically how men kidnap and force selkie women to marry them.
 
X

X05

Upside, inside out he's livin la vida loca, He'll push and pull you down, livin la vida loca
rtcn63 said:
giphy.gif
Click to expand...
Exactly
giphyfesz4.gif
 
webkatt

webkatt

Member
Were the people offended Japanese or was it a bunch of random Twitter users reacting to it going "viral"?
 
B

Brakke

Banned
Disappointed this wasn't wierder.

Piecake said:
You think a commercial that can be interpreted as upholding sexist gender norms to an absurd degree, gender norms that exist in the culture, but that the culture is trying to change is subversive?
Click to expand...

You went too woke here. It's gotta sound natural. Trust your instincts more next time, don't try to perform it. You gotta feel it.
 
P

Piecake

Member
Brakke said:
Disappointed this wasn't wierder.



You went too woke here. It's gotta sound natural. Trust your instincts more next time, don't try to perform it. You gotta feel it.
Click to expand...

Oh, I felt it. I felt it. I felt it just like you feel a slippery eel sliding down your throat.
 
eot

eot

Banned
RareFantasy64 said:
I'm vegetarian for moral reasons so I appreciate the message; they treat their eels humanely. At least I think that was the message of the ad


When people ask why I'm vegetarian this is what it comes down to. I just want animals raised for consumption to be treated humanely. I don't think they are so I'm going to abstain from eating them



ANIMORPHS! Never finished the series.
Click to expand...

lol, it's Japan. The commercial wants you to think they treat them well that's all. Doesn't even matter that it's Japan I suppose, fish farms are the same shit all over.
 
A

Aki-at

Member
This is more off putting than offensive.

Like who thought it'd be a good idea, especially with the cooked eel at the end.
 
M

Moonkid

Member
Not really hard to see the implicit sexism here. But on another note, maybe I've read too much Ito because I expected way worse haha.
 
R

Ratrat

Member
A 2 minute commercial is not airing on any station. So I guess this is some online thing that nobody watches?
 
W

web01

Member
Was a clever advertisement. Nothing wrong with it at all.
People looking for something to be angry about like usual.
 
F

Forkball

Member
I think the point they were trying to get across is that the town values their eels so much they treat them as if they were humans. As in the eels are that amazing.

UNTIL THEY ARE SKINNED, GRILLED, AND DROWNED IN SAUCES FOR YOUR CONSUMPTION COME TO SHIBUSHI
 
Monocle

Monocle

Member
Hey you guys, let's make a super artistic commercial where we raise a woman in isolation, controlling every moment of her life, until it's time to cook and eat her. That'll go over well!

Looooooool.
 
S

schick85

Member
I'm not normally phased by the weird stuff that goes on in Japan but that was creepy as sin. Picture this ad not at a pool but in a secluded bunker in the middle of a forest somewhere and you'll get what I mean.
 
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