Whether you’re Team Youkai Watch or Team Pokémon, there’s no denying that the Youkai Watch phenomenon is currently taking Japan by storm, and looks like it’s here to stay. That said, Pokémon managed to find its niche among a wide range of age groups, however Youkai Watch’s popularity appears to mainly be with Japanese youth.
Naturally this is something that producers of the series’ second movie would like to remedy, so in order to appeal to older audiences, this Youkai Watch infomercial was uploaded last weekend to the movie’s official YouTube channel, and has been making waves across the internet since. A promotional ad for Youkai Watch Enma Daiou to Itsutsu no Monogatari da Nyan!, it features a handful of respondents championing the benefits they’ve received since getting their hands on pre-sale tickets, which are slated to go on sale July 25.
Are these claims all they’re cracked up to be? You’ll have to watch and see!
The first Youkai Watch movie became the highest opening weekend box office hit since 2000, so it comes as no surprise that second film is hoping to surpass its previous 1.6 billion yen (almost US$13.6 million) opening sales record. Despite how both anime, manga and game franchises have proved to be a giant success with the country’s younger generation, getting the older population on board has been a much harder sell.
That’s why this time producers decided to try something different in the form of this infomercial spoof, featuring a group of respondents that are praising the pre-sale tickets for…
▼ …adding some bounce to their step
▼ …getting rid of leg and back pain
▼ …making them feel like they can live longer lives
▼ …helping them sleep more soundly at night
▼ …helping them power their way through long overtime hours
▼ and just generally giving them so much energy that it can’t be contained.
Here’s the video in full. Enjoy!
Of course, when something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Although the Youkai Watch sequel does look epic enough to add a little excitement to your day, sponsors are quick to dismiss any rumors that the tickets do little more than admit you to a showing when the movie hits theaters December 19.
So what do Japanese netizens have to say about the infomercial’s somewhat anti-climactic ending?
“No way! I’m going to go buy some.”
“WTF is this?”
“No matter how you look at it, there’s no way that chick is a high school student lol”
“Is this a dark joke aimed at the health supplement market?”
“His granddaughter is really cute ha ha”
“This is awesome lolololol”
“Are the tickets some sort of talisman, then?”
“Huh… I knew it had to be Pokémon after all”
While it’s unlikely that the new Youkai Watch movie will make its way outside of Japan or Asia, for those of you who have been waiting to see what all the fuss is about, Nintendo has hinted at a release date later this year, with the anime series scheduled to start showing in the U.S. sometime in 2016.
Source: Hamusoku
Top image: Official Website, YouTube (edited by RocketNews24)
Featured image: YouTube
Leave a Reply