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About half a year ago, we took a look at a unique retelling of the Japanese folk tale of Momotaro, also known as the Peach Boy. Not only was it presented as a series of live-action commercials for Pepsi’s zero-calorie cola, it reimagined Momotaro and his animal companions (a dog, pheasant, and monkey) as gritty action heroes in a desperate fight against the ogre-like oni.

The commercials were so cool that they left many people begging for a full-length theatrical feature, and while a Momotaro movie is yet to be greenlit, the fourth video in the amazing series has been released, with an extra-long runtime and more awesome pyrotechnics than you’re likely to see in any other soda commercial.

Following the initial prologue video, each episode has focused on the backstory of a different one of our heroes. We’ve seen how Momotaro nearly died trying to take on an oni by himself, and how Dog’s entire village, his parents included, were slaughtered by the rampaging monsters.

This time, the spotlight is on Pheasant, and while previous installments have been about a minute and a half in length, Episode 3 has expanded to four minutes in order to give the filmmakers the time they need to tell their story.

As with the other episodes, there’s no spoken dialogue to break up the rock anthem. Instead, the onscreen action is accompanied by captions, which read:

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Long ago, in the kingdom of the birds, there lived two twin brothers who were both warriors.

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The older brother, born with black feathers, was called Crow, and his younger brother was Pheasant.

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Pheasant protected the people with love. Crow controlled them with strength.

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But then came the day when Crow could no longer resist the lure of even more power. He joined hands with the oni, transforming into one of the creatures himself.

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To reclaim Crow’s corrupted heart, to remind his brother of his love for him, Pheasant began to dance. Day after day, he danced, believing that somewhere, his brother was watching. Believing that his brother could see him, no matter how far apart they were, Pheasant spread his wings wide.

The king of the birds and his subjects begged Pheasant to save them, and he then knew that he must fight his brother.

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It’s not just the scenes of things blowing up on a ridiculously large scale in which the production team shows off its craftsmanship. The cast is decked out in dozens of imaginative costumes, and the set and background design is top-notch as well.

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▼ There’s also a condensed, 30-second version of the video.

As was the case with the other episodes, Pheasant’s story doesn’t have much, or really anything, to do with cola, although seeing all of that fire does have us feeling kind of thirsty. And in any case, it’s hard to hate an ad that’s bursting with this much passion and artistry.

▼ Especially when it still ends with the undeniably inspiring message “Defeat those stronger than you.”

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Source: IT Media
Images: YouTube/Suntory Official Channel