A new TV commercial for giant candy conglomerate Lotte’s new Acuo chewing gum is attracting attention amongst fans of 2D for its striking premise – the gum makes one’s breath so fresh that it transforms pedestrian, everyday Japanese women into 2D beauties such as Haruhi and Mikuru, or even a trio of stray cats into a harem of nekomimi Nagato.
The date and time of the first details of the CM appeared on March 31st at Oricon, making some question whether or not it might be a early April Fool’s gag, but the full 15-second commercial appeared during a news report along with an announced broadcast date of April 5.
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Following the CM, the news report takes over and helpfully identifies the girls for the program’s non-otaku audience as “popular characters of the iconic Haruhi Suzumiya series.”
In case you might not be familiar with Japanese male idols, the handsome fellow happens to be celebrity talent 生田斗真 / Toma Ikuta, employed to Johhny’s, the mega-talent agency responsible for several of Japan’s male idol acts such as SMAP or V6.
To preserve the images for posterity, below is nearly every key frame of the CM with the 2D Haruhi cast present:
What the 3D girls are saying isn’t of much importance, but Mikuru’s cute phrase goes:
“You have such wonderful breath!”
The Haruhi segment comes next.
The newly transformed Haruhi here exclaims:
“You’re really great, aren’t ya?!”
Their voices are perfect, and since a TV CM essentially has to be fully licensed by all concerned rights-holders, it should be easy to assume that the seiyuu trio of Gotou, Hirano and Chihara were involved.
Making the above portion of the CM with Mikuru and Haruhi inside a store might have been a mistake, given how much better the outdoors shot with Nagato further below looks in comparison, as shown below.
“Nyaaa~n!”
Ah!
A question that most otaku would be hard-pressed to answer is exactly why Ikuta is so intent on running away from all these wonders…
An update describing the CM is available at the official Haruhi site, Lotte’s Acuo product page is viewable here.
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Well you would run away if you saw people transform into cartoon, because you'd think your going insane.
Like a live action. Their 3D's are super too.
...Space Jam?
Nyaaaaaa~~~n!!!
*faints*
OMG!! Ikuta Toma + Haruhi cameo = AWESOME!!!
Nyan~
Nyan!
Ikuta Toma is a bro. :3
You can chew this gum for so long that you will feel like you have entered an endless recursion of time.
Hi All,
LOLOL This seems like a "must have" I will pass it out in my eighbourhood,
Keep america beautiful. ROFLMAO.
Does amazon.jp ship this????
Cheers,
Patrick
I'd gladly have a homosexual relationship with Ikuta Toma
when the guy saw Haruhi: Oh sh*t not her!!! run!!!!
Well, that should help Japan's birthrate. If it can turn 3D pigs to 2D goodness, Love Plus should have it tough.
Pity there's no such thing...
/me goes back to Nene
Who framed Roger Rabbit?
I WANT 2D FLAVOR
poor nagato :S but i love mikuru :3
now THATS what id like to call marketing
Anime Axe effect.
Those are some sexy cats.
Haruhi - the freshmaker.
What has science done?!
HHHHHNNNNNNNNNGGGGHHHHH *slumps over*
BTW, the commercial is now online at Acuo's website, together with the 30 second wherein a grandma is about to suffer (or feel) the same fate.
I want to buy that brand of gum now....
the "nyan" at the end is just the icing on the cake. Plus tripple Nagato nekomimi = made of so much win.
Hah, how amateurish~
I have no need for such a thing.
*takes of glasses*
Mystic Eyes of 2D Perception!
Lol
I WANT TO BUY THIS GUM.
Omg the ending was sooo cute <3
Yuki you may not have emotion, but that nyaa sure makes it look like it.
forget the gum, i want the yuki harem
3 Nagatos... lucky chap.
I hereby request an extended cut, where he runs down a dark alley and gets accosted by a crusty old Drag Queen.
DQ: "I'll suck yer diiiick!"
Aghast, he releases his minty breath. Soon-
Koizumi: *Grins*
Got gum. Headed to the Humane Society.
BEST FKIN GUM EVAR
HARUHI <3
Nakatsuuuuuuuu!!!!!
HOMO JANAI!!!
Hanazakari no kimitachi e awesomeness
A cat is fine too. (In 2D of course)
I only got 1 feeling after watching this news/commercial:
2D > 3D
Prove it false if you can
Paper-cuts when you do the deed.
Chewing gum have never been sexier...
In other sweet news:
A must buy indeed... and wonder what kind of flavors it comes in.
WHERE'S CAN I GET HITAGI FLAVOR!?
looks at unellmay02's avatar
What's you flavor?
Tell me what's your flavor. ah!
*hihihihihihi*
sticky
I DEMAND ONE TOO!!
My cousin's favorite gum.... Before this commercial came out...
Tastes minty...
This chewing gum is my dream come true...
It turns 3D into 2D...
I'll chew one and become Hideyoshi.
*buys a truckload of gum*
Our dreams have come true!
So if I keep chewing gum and eventually smell like one, do we turn into 2D too?
*eats Lotte chewing gum for the rest of his life*
That was just too corny Ko[r]taku..
I'd like her to chew my gum...
let's get one of those gums lol
Down the rabbit hole, take the gum and you'll be in 2D Wonderland!
Who cares about flavors! As long it changes 3D into 2D in an instant, it doesn't have to come in any flavors!
No!
It has to come in flavors, you don't want some super deformed ugly character to pop out in front you, do you?
So does that mean bitter almond flavour would give you a yandere?
True, true...
You do have a point there O'wise one!
So if I chew on a flavor that's hot but sweet, do I get a tsundere?
It's the flavor of 2d
zomg neko nagato! <3
I know right? Nagato at her hottest ever!
LOL!! Thats a awesome commercial!!
I NEED THAT FUCKIN' GUM!!!
Changes 3D pig into 2D beauty Mikuru!
Revolution in chewing gums!
If only such gum existed... :(
It'll happen some day Reizo, some day...
If it did I would be at the animal shelter adopting kittens every day of the week.
Ikuta you bastard! Great breath and Haruhi, Mikuru, and Yuki! All the otaku are gonna kill him D:
*Gets Pitch-fork and Torch*
At least he didn't really see them since it was on a green screen.
I'm suing if this doesn't work! I reserve the right to transform 3D into 2D!
so that would it look like if 2d come to are world i say hurry the sooner the better
Nagato Cat-Threesome...
Gimme the damned website!! Me Want Gum!! Me Want Gum!!
Even that they are k-on!ified it proofs 2D is superior to 3D.
Why to hell is he running away ? Shouldn't he be lucky.
There should be a sequel where after the guy runs away an otaku will come and take the girls home...that would at least show that with 2D otakus are superior :)
K-Onified Haruhi?
never seen the second season of Haruhi? Half the episodes (especially Endless Eight) have K-ON style animation and drawings now >_>
Those were some pretty cool-looking cats. Wonder how much they got paid for that shot?
i love japanese commercials <3
2nded
http://img2.sankakustatic.com/wp-content/gallery/safe-misc-iv/haruhi_lotte_acuo_gum_commercial_04.jpg
Unfortunately, it's the K-On-ified Haruhi.
Pass.
That "Nyaaa~n" was so hot.
That solves it.
Ikuta is unquestionably gay, and heterophobic towards sexy female anime characters.
"Haruhize yourself, @ haruhizeme.com"