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As any young Japanese college graduate can attest, Japan’s hellish job hunting process can be one of the most stressful and demotivating periods of a person’s life. Numerous rejections, along with that feeling of isolation after seeing those around you get job offers, is enough to make anyone severely depressed.

So what does that have to do with a gas company, you ask? A commercial by Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. which features a girl in the midst of the job hunting process has been stirring up controversy and was even taken off the air. Why? Apparently, its portrayal of the painful job hunting process was so accurate that it left people feeling a little too miserable after seeing it. 

The commercial subtitled “A mother’s support” began airing in February and is part of Tokyo Gas’ series of “Family bonds” commercials that are supposed to appeal to human emotions. However, this particular installment which depicts the severity of the job-hunting process in Japan seems to have dredged up some painful memories, leaving tens of thousands of viewers feeling more scarred than warm and fuzzy inside.

Public opinion remains divided about the clip–some say it’s too close to real life, it’s too raw, and there’s no happy ending, while others can’t understand what’s so bad about it. With all the controversy, it’s even easy to forget that it’s a commercial about gas, and not job hunting, in the first place.

First, give it a watch to decide for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h3as7hFQxo

The voice of a girl currently in the middle of job hunting tells how she’s received dozens of messages from companies wishing her good luck in her continuing search for a job (i.e., rejection messages). She even has a vision on the train of some interviewers saying things to her such as, “What were you doing while you were a student?” and, “You can’t take the real world lightly.” “I feel like the whole world has rejected me,” she laments.

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The girl’s mother welcomes her back home saying that dinner is ready, but the girl walks on, replying that she doesn’t need any (this is where the gas connection comes in–the stove used to cook the food).

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She lies in bed feeling like she wants to give up. Later in the ad, while sitting on a bench outside, she receives a text from a friend which says that he got an unofficial job offer. She congratulates him with a heavy heart.

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The clip then proceeds to show scenes of the girl working hard, running back and forth to different locations and in the midst of interviews.

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Finally, she leaves her last interview and excitedly texts a friend, “I think it went well!” She calls her mother to say that she will eat at home that night, and her mom happily turns on the stove (of course!) to begin cooking. The girl buys a cake on her way home, only to stop short at the doorstep when she sees what is (presumably) another message of rejection. The scene switches to her sitting dejectedly on a swing.

All of a sudden, her mother comes up from behind and gives her a little push, saying, “I knew you would be here.” The girl turns around in surprise, and soon her tears won’t stop flowing.

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Next we see the pair sitting at the table, enjoying the mother’s warm and delicious meal. The caption says, “Near the cooking that connects families.” The last scene shows the reinvigorated girl walking forward with renewed spirit.

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Well, what did you think? Is the commercial as terribly accurate as some viewers made it out to be, or just heartwarming? Granted, it’s probably harder for foreigners to fully sympathize with the girl unless they’ve experienced the brutality of Japan’s job hunting process for themselves.

Here are the voices of two scarred viewers:

“What an unexpected development. This is too cruel. There are heartwarming parts of the video, but overall it’s more bitter than sweet. I understand that Tokyo Gas wanted it to be a tearjerker, but they went too far here.”

“It’s no good. I feel too sorry for the girl. I’m also in the middle of the job hunting nightmare, so this hits hard. It seems like the company is exploiting the raw emotions that emerge from the job hunting process…”

In case you feel like shedding a few more tears, here are some other videos from Tokyo Gas’ “Family Bonds” series:

▼”Grandmother’s cooking”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVwRBzBIFr4

▼”Bento mail”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNJni0rAqfI

▼”Father’s fried rice”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak3ugBbq1kY

▼”Uncool father”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYfF3iOMTb0

▼”Second son’s homecoming”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd_TtcHWqjw

▼”Eldest son’s marriage”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5vkeF5URIA

▼”The last tournament”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgwXOB8E8fc

▼”Christmas version”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tazmQnj8oJc

Who knew that Tokyo Gas had the ability to scar so many people? Hopefully their next “Family bonds” commercial won’t delve into such painful territory.

Source: Kinisoku