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[Monocle]

What the fuck, Japan. That was creepy as shit. Sayonara! *eels roasting over flames*

And then at the end...

"(Another girl): Please grow me."

 

[Mik2121]

With the keywords "Japan", "eel" and "girl", this is about as tame as things could get, imo.

 

[Skyball Paint]

Would have been better if it was just the shot of the eel grilling. Never tried eel before but hot damn that looked delicious.

 

[Branduil]

Would have been better if it was just the shot of the eel grilling. Never tried eel before but hot damn that looked delicious.

Eel is very good, can confirm.

This ad is wtf though.

 

[Twilight Princess]

But the girl asked for it, so it's OK right.

 

[Ensirius]

That was weird AF

 

[Gastone]

I dont see any problem with this commercial, other than it´s weird in that Japanese commercial style way.

 

[Jonnax]

Well that's really weird.
I think some of y'all watch way too many of your Japanese animes if you don't think that's a bit off.

 

[Gromph]

I don't understand people anymore.

I don't see nothing wrong with the comercial...

In fact is a nice one.

 

[yepyepyep]

It's a bizarre ad. The penultimate shot of the eels cooking is strangely hilarious. But really, what's wrong with a bit of bizareness?

 

[Thorgal]

Please feed me senpai.

 

[NCR Redslayer]

I don't understand people anymore.

I don't see nothing wrong with the comercial...

In fact is a nice one.

Well like anything people get freaked out over, I can definitely see where, if they didn't watch the whole thing, the misuderstandings arrive. Maybe show your product, the actual little eel, swimming first so you dont freak people out and then show the girl (in an eel costume) to hook them in. Don't know if this would actually work because im not an ad maker but that seems like the direction to go.

 

[Valkerionseven]

I get it, simply because there are a lot of commercials similar to this in Japan. Showing the care and detail you take in making an exceptional product... That said not sure why they chose to compare it to a girl.

It's similar to how they brag about Kobe beef and how well the cows are raised, could easily replace the eel with a cow... either way it ends with them getting cooked for someone lol.

 

[ClosingADoor]

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.

"Picture this in a way that it isn't, and you get what I mean."

The ad is fine.

 

[PillarEN]

Nice ad. The narration reminded me of some slice of life anime.

I'll have to check out this movie though.

Edit: Wait there is no actual creepy movie? Oh bother.

 

[Senoculum]

Sexist? C'mon.

It's just a quirky ad from the creative minds of Japan. No different than all the other ads that come out weekly.

 

[ClosingADoor]

Sexist? C'mon.

It's just a quirky ad from the creative minds of Japan. No different than all the other ads that come out weekly.

I lost it when the guy started screaming randomly. What is going on in this one: https://youtu.be/S97EhKjeDV0?t=33s

 

[GTP_Daverytimes]

Nothing offensive in that commercial, seems particularly for course for Japanese Ads.

 

[travisbickle]

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.

I'm pretty sure if you change the location of any advert to a secluded bunker in the middle of a forest it becomes creepy.

 

[frontovik]

My feelings were more of disgust than creeped out. The final few seconds were what made the ad even more ridiculous.

 

[cyress8]

Japan always has the best commercials! Japan, stay awesome.

 

[HideyoshiJP]

Lol my wife's hometown makes international news

She is not an eel btw

Did you check for skin mucous? Does she have an unnatural aversion to grills? Does she get uncomfortable when you tell her she's delicious?

 

[Poyunch]

The narrator talking down to the girl is what makes it creepy and then making it seem like he's proud to feed her and letting her sleep comfortably makes it hostage-y.

If they wanted to do something similar in concept, I would have just replaced the girls with actual eels and have them voice over the "please grow me" and "sayonara" parts.

 

[Thelonelykoopa]

Where is the eel all I see is a Tank.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

Sexist? C'mon.

It's just a quirky ad from the creative minds of Japan. No different than all the other ads that come out weekly.

I lost it when the guy started screaming randomly. What is going on in this one: https://youtu.be/S97EhKjeDV0?t=33s

God some amazing gems in there. The egg one and the old man drawing in the end killed me.

 

[Aske]

This commercial is dripping in irony. Kind of amazed that people think the producers were going for some kind of straight, wholesome metaphor; and were utterly blind to the tone of the ad. It's clearly supposed to be dark, surreal humour.

I don't know how much you guys know about Japanese culture (I'm an expert), but Japanese people have always been happier to utilise what we might consider "alternative" humour in more mainstream contexts.

 

[.JayZii]

The only part that was really weird to me was when she was slimy all of a sudden. With a disclaimer underneath that said something like:

*Eels are slimy*

 

[Ragnorok64]

I am struggling to see what people could be legitimately offended about in this commercial. It's weird,sure, but that's kind of the point.

 

[gustave154]

That flying eel got me laughing. But i have seen weirder japanese ads though

 

[hipbabboom]

I have to be honest, when I read Japanese, Eel and Perverted in the title, the other words faded out of existence and the contents of the thread and (especially) the video betrayed me.

The whole thing was a horror movie to my expectations

 

[Dali]

We've stumbled upon the directors cut of miike's the audition.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Seems like a good ad for Japan. I don't see anything wrong with it.

Yeah. It got the message across.

 

[Spirit of Jazz]

I am struggling to see what people could be legitimately offended about in this commercial. It's weird,sure, but that's kind of the point.

I struggle to see how people can't see the sexist overtones of the ad given it painted a man as in control and the women as unable to support themselves/happy to be thrown out for a new model. When the only thing that they needed to do was make the second eel male to avoid the sexist connotations and the opted not to, it suggests they gendered the roles the way that they did for a specific reason. Unless people only eat female eels that is, the fuck do I know about eating eels?

It's a pretty clear cut example of the male gaze in advertisements. You're free to think what you want over how important that is, but I don't think it's difficult to see why some people would call it sexist.

 

[Aske]

I struggle to see how people can't see the sexist overtones of the ad given it painted a man as in control and the women as unable to support themselves/happy to be thrown out for a new model. When the only thing that they needed to do was make the second eel male to avoid the sexist connotations and the opted not to, it suggests they gendered the roles the way that they did for a specific reason. Unless people only eat female eels that is, the fuck do I know about eating eels?

It's a pretty clear cut example of the male gaze in advertisements. You're free to think what you want over how important that is, but I don't think it's difficult to see why some people would call it sexist.

To say Japan has some ground to make up when it comes to gender equality is an understatement. However, this commercial is totally playing off that trope. It's using care shown for a mucosal human to exemplify the care they sure to their eels. It's absolutely going for an ironic tone. "We raise our eels as if they were precious, fragile, lost, confused, shivering, helpless, enigmatic slime-women. And then we eat them."

It's dark, surreal, smart humour that we certainly enjoy and appreciate in the West, just very rarely in mainstream commercials; and certainly not for products/services like this.