Room of Mr. Cockroach

It's a rainy season here in Japan. Also season of insects, cockroaches, mosquitos ... One of the things which I'm looking forward in the season every year is a radio commercial of insecticide by Kincho, Japan's famous mosquito coil brand. The commercial is made a series of short stories and advertise the company's various products.

2016 and 2017 season commercial was a series of the bitter sweet sketch of junior high school students, Mr. Osawa and Miss Takayama. Titled 'Kincho boy and girl series'. I expected the season 3 last year.
But Kincho didn't being conservative. They changed it to "Kid's mind-reader series" next season. Unfortunately, that's not my taste. So for me, there was a year blank on the commercial series. However I'm relieved. Coz.this year's version is funny.

It's titled "Room of a writer Mr. Cockroach" series. Set as an interview with a cerebrated cockroach writer. The big name who works with unique writing style, putting ink on his six legs and clawing on the paper, talks freely.
He is asked comments on communication in modern society, for instance. He says "Nowadays, young people easily reject having communication to the others like 'Cockroach? No, no, no way. I just can not live with it' However they should a step closer to cockroach side and try to make a communication. 'Well, I cannot take a bath with you at least' or 'Sorry it's not possible sleep with you' It becomes a starting point of the relationship. Then it can be stepped up to 'Let's have a dinner together' relationship.
The listener nods on the comment, then pulled back to the real world. No, never. The product's name is imposed on it. "For a noisy cockroach, Kincho Cockroach freezer spray" Hey Mr. Big name, whatever you say we cannot live with you. Shuuuuuu ... Spray. It's a comedy. But the radio CM connects communication breakdown in the young generation and cockroach spray quite logically.

In 1980s, copywriter was a popular profession among Japanese young. Thousands of commercials and posters were directed by famous copy writers. People always watch every line of brand-new catch copy. Must be a golden age of Japan's commercial.
Compare to then, today's CM is degraded to an information board.
The mobile phone company's one is terrible, for instance. Most of them are masturbation of CM director. For family discount plan, they make up story about a family. But the casts are too many, even dogs and cats are in it. Looks like serial drama, although the story runs too quick. Cannot catch it up.
The worst CM is the one which tells "To be continued" in the end. However the director itself give up making following stories. The audience is left in front of TV. On the other hand, it's credited "Access to our web site for following story" Unfortunately I don't have time or interest for accessing your company's site.
The story in commercial should be completed in 20, 30 minutes. I still believe it's a basic of CM direction.

In the CM deserted era, the Kincho's commercial is a rare example recalling us what CM direction by professional is. Here is another copy of Kincho's hanging type mosquito repellent sheet. "It's much better than not hangin' up" viewers may think "I'm not sure it really works or not. But why not just hung it up" It's a power of commercial. However what I really sorry to company nowadays is a web review has much stronger power than commercial in sales.
"The swimming pool is chilled" was a classic catch copy of water park in Tokyo. But if the copy is shown now, how peoples react? Maybe the real review's up on the blog whether the pool actually chilled or not. No sense of humor, I really feel we become poor.

You can listen the Kincho's radio CM also on the official website, although in Japanese.