Last September, we brought you news that Japanese cup noodle maker Nissin was about to launch a new product, Kare Meshi curry rice in a cup. Hoping to do for rice what it did for noodles and ensure that a new generation of Japanese never give in to the urge to cook a real meal for themselves, the idea is that lazy diners simply add water to the pre-cooked curry and rice, heat it in the microwave and get stuck in. All the taste with minimal washing up and none of the fuss of cooking rice the regular way.
This week, in an effort to lodge Kare Meshi more firmly in the minds of consumers, the noodle king has launched a new ad for its cup rice. And it is positively insane.
The ad begins with a young boy lying around on the floor holding his stomach and wishing that he had something quick and easy to snack on.
No sooner have the words left his mouth than Nissin’s Kare Meshi mascot bursts through the paper wall and, having trampled the pot-bellied layabout, introduces the microwaveable dish.
Kare Meshi Man explains that the rice is already inside the cup, as illustrated by this crowd of unfortunate souls dressed not at all like extras in a human biology/sex education video, dancing around.
▼ “Professional experience: Five years of Modern Dance, four Broadway musicals, jiggling grain of rice in Nissin ad”
You just add water, the emphatic voiceover tells us…
…and throw it in the microwave.
Which, as this surly, keitai-toting high schooler and an old man tell us, is kind of amazing.
You can check out the full video for yourselves here. We’re sure you won’t be disappointed.
Keep up the fine work, Nissin!