| Its male lead is star of the mega-boys band, SMAP
The females who appear are "everyday folk"
The ad has no dialogue
Its central trope is the endless procession of shared food (and close brushes between lips)
Obviously, numerous issues flow through the ad. Among them:
- a hetero- construction of sexuality
- race
- ageism
- narcissism
- identity
- beauty
- stigma
- traditional versus modern
Beyond this are matters of intimacy:
- social distance
- physical closeness
- relations with strangers
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And even beyond this: matters relating to social history and cultural change
For a Japanese, or one who is familiar with the social context, this is a jarring ad.
For a social analyst of Japan, it is a signal communication; a profound sign.
Its striking quality lies in its relationship to invisible elements:
- deep-seated historical patterns of social behavior
- well-defined "rules" regarding social display
- clearly delineated zones of personal space (calibrated at a wider range)
- heavy socialization regarding expression of sexuality and affection
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Until quite recently kissing has not been the norm in Japan
- True, as well for any "out-of-frame" display of closeness and human contact
And because ads are both reflective of and sensitive to social attitudes and behaviors, this tendency to delimit physical and emotional expression has been the norm |
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Even if it is true, as certain Japanologists and social theorists allege, that a post-capitalist, post-modern Japan is rapidly changing, this level of personal expression is rarely seen in advertising media
- It may be coming -- as I am claiming in my research -- but its ascent is sporatic, uneven, not yet fully coherent, univocal or unified
Thus, when we encounter an ad such as this -- predicated on such "abnormal" behavior -- the emotional impact is extreme
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This ad is qualitatively jarring to Japanese sensibilities because of its quantitative capacity
- the rapid succession of intimate acts packed into one brief communication moves well beyond a single kiss that may appear in a single frame of the normal ad
- Here, the entire ad -- nearly all of its frames -- are given over to the kiss and near kiss, to intimate human exchange
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At the same time, as I've just indicated, this is not the only instance of intimacy in contemporary Japanese ads
- in fact, such expressions are beginning to appear with greater frequency in the advertising context
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suggestive of a "great opening" in Japanese comportment and character
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