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All else equal, most people would prefer to have a set of firm, sculpted abdominal muscles. Of course, most people miss out on their chance for six-pack abs when they give in to the temptation of a six-pack of beer, unlimited fried chicken, or one of the numerous other ways our modern, delicious society can derail one’s quest for personal fitness.

Making things even harder is the perception that you can get through your daily life just fine without a particularly strong or muscular core. After all, what kind of catastrophe is going to befall you where only your abdominals can save you?

We’re glad you asked, because this crazy, breakneck-paced Japanese commercial has several answers.

Produced by mail-order retailer Shop Japan, the commercials for the Wonder Core abdominal exercise bench star actor Takashi Ukaji. Ukaji had his breakout role as a ruthless steel magnate in the 2013 TV drama Hanazawa Naoki, where he played Mitsuru Higashida, president of the fictional corporation Nishi Osaka Steel.

But while audiences loved to hate Ukaji’s Higashida, the actor himself has a much more playful side, as revealed in the hyperactively silly Wonder Core ad.

Don’t worry if you don’t catch the cheerfully sung catch phrase, right away, since it shows up no fewer than a half-dozen times in the 30-second ad.

▼ “Taoreru dake de fukkin Wonder Core!” / “Just lean back to work your abs with Wonder Core!”

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Along the way, the commercial gives us some great examples of when well-developed abs can come in handy, such as being able to regain your balance if you slip in the bath.

▼ Or if you get hit by a wrecking ball, as happens to us all every now and again.

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Shop Japan seems to have realized, though, that the real appeal isn’t watching Ukaji pick himself up, but rather seeing him fall down in such spectacular fashion. And so, the retailer has also given us this slow-motion compilation.

▼ Really, don’t you just hate it when this happens?

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We haven’t tried the Wonder Core ourselves, so we don’t know whether it actually delivers the results it promises. After watching these ads and laughing our butts off, though, our abs feel like they’ve gotten the start of a decent work-out.

Sources, images: YouTube (1, 2)
[ Read in Japanese ]