低燃費って何？ (What's fuel efficiency?)
June 4, 2010 9:17 AM Subscribe
Nissan has been running an ad campaign in Japan based on the 1974 anime Heidi, girl of the alps. The ads are sort of bizarre awesome and were put together by the same crew that did The world of golden eggs. The full episodes feature Heidi trying unsuccessfully to find the answer to her question '低燃費って何？' (What's teinenpi?).
(the last set of links are all Japanese, but are hopefully interesting enough without subtitles)
Those are kind of bizawesome.
posted by Mister_A at 9:20 AM on June 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Mister_A at 9:20 AM on June 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
I watched the one you labled "awesome"....then I had to poke pencils in my ears so I could never hear again..
thanks a lot...
posted by HuronBob at 9:27 AM on June 4, 2010
thanks a lot...
posted by HuronBob at 9:27 AM on June 4, 2010
Warning: Some people will find the link I labelled 'awesome' a horrific earworm.
posted by CardinalRichelieuHandPuppet at 9:32 AM on June 4, 2010
posted by CardinalRichelieuHandPuppet at 9:32 AM on June 4, 2010
Now that I've actually seen the animation style, I'm going to change my mind on that tracking project. Yikes. Kill those lips with fire.
posted by DU at 9:33 AM on June 4, 2010
posted by DU at 9:33 AM on June 4, 2010
"Warning: Some people will find the link I labelled 'awesome' a horrific earworm."
What??
posted by HuronBob at 9:53 AM on June 4, 2010
What??
posted by HuronBob at 9:53 AM on June 4, 2010
You know, I'm convinced that there's an uncanny valley in understanding pop culture from other countries. These ads are wallowing in the bottom of the river in that valley. They're not foreign enough to make me go "Oh, that's a Japanese thing I don't understand" nor are they anywhere NEAR enough to USian "we're ironically co-opting something from our past and making it funny/weird/awful in order to sell something" sensibilities.
I am going to have nightmares for weeks now.
posted by KingEdRa at 10:04 AM on June 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
I am going to have nightmares for weeks now.
posted by KingEdRa at 10:04 AM on June 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
Two "episodes" with subtitles, via The Ghibli Blog.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:15 AM on June 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by filthy light thief at 10:15 AM on June 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
I am really impressed that after establishing the waving girl wearing the same outfit as the animated character in the ads, the ad where there's tons of the girl (the "earworm" one) has what looks like tons of waving girls as the car goes by. A nice little joke/reference.
posted by jscott at 10:18 AM on June 4, 2010
posted by jscott at 10:18 AM on June 4, 2010
In case anyone is wondering, teinenpi means "low fuel consumption".
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:18 AM on June 4, 2010
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:18 AM on June 4, 2010
Unfortunately, no one can be told what teinenpi is. You have to see it for yourself.
posted by Bromius at 10:36 AM on June 4, 2010
posted by Bromius at 10:36 AM on June 4, 2010
kind like a beef stir fry in oyster sauce with mushrooms or some such innit?
posted by infini at 10:39 AM on June 4, 2010
posted by infini at 10:39 AM on June 4, 2010
What the hell? I'm seriously creeped out by the army of Heidi clones with Joker grimaces.
posted by Iosephus at 10:39 AM on June 4, 2010
posted by Iosephus at 10:39 AM on June 4, 2010
Unfortunately, no one can be told what teinenpi is. You have to see it for yourself.
For a limited time only, your order of teinenpi comes with a free dessert of the real.
I'm sorry.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 10:41 AM on June 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
For a limited time only, your order of teinenpi comes with a free dessert of the real.
I'm sorry.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 10:41 AM on June 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
that's so racist
posted by joost de vries at 10:59 AM on June 4, 2010
posted by joost de vries at 10:59 AM on June 4, 2010
a beef stir fry in oyster sauce with mushrooms or some such innit
You say it like it's weird or something.
Now that I've actually seen the animation style, I'm going to change my mind on that tracking project. Yikes. Kill those lips with fire.
DU, if you don't mind more "normal" anime styles, World Masterpiece Theater is actually quite enjoyable, mostly. These parodies/ ads don't reflect the original style, so if you're horrified by those "lips" (I agree, though - yes, they're compellingly irritating) you won't find them in the original anime.
20km/l is actually pretty decent fuel consumption.
posted by WalterMitty at 11:07 AM on June 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
You say it like it's weird or something.
Now that I've actually seen the animation style, I'm going to change my mind on that tracking project. Yikes. Kill those lips with fire.
DU, if you don't mind more "normal" anime styles, World Masterpiece Theater is actually quite enjoyable, mostly. These parodies/ ads don't reflect the original style, so if you're horrified by those "lips" (I agree, though - yes, they're compellingly irritating) you won't find them in the original anime.
20km/l is actually pretty decent fuel consumption.
posted by WalterMitty at 11:07 AM on June 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Unfortunately, no one can be told what teinenpi is. You have to see it for yourself.
Oh God, it's Farvergnugen all over again.
posted by DecemberBoy at 11:15 AM on June 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
Oh God, it's Farvergnugen all over again.
posted by DecemberBoy at 11:15 AM on June 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
DEE DEEE DEEE DEE DEE DEE DAA DAA DEEE
DEE DEEE DEEE DEE DEE DEE DAA DAA DEEE
DEE DEEE DEEE DEE DEE DEE DAA DAA DEEE
DEE DEEE DEEE DEE DEE DEE DAA DAA DEEE
Uh, yeah, it kind of is an earworm.
posted by DecemberBoy at 11:26 AM on June 4, 2010
DEE DEEE DEEE DEE DEE DEE DAA DAA DEEE
DEE DEEE DEEE DEE DEE DEE DAA DAA DEEE
DEE DEEE DEEE DEE DEE DEE DAA DAA DEEE
Uh, yeah, it kind of is an earworm.
posted by DecemberBoy at 11:26 AM on June 4, 2010
That was definitely weird but where were the tentacles?
posted by Tashtego at 11:27 AM on June 4, 2010
posted by Tashtego at 11:27 AM on June 4, 2010
As WalterMitty pointed out, the original Heidi, Girl of the Alps looks very little like the new ads. The Ghibli Blog speculated that the ads were parodies born from adults who were raised on the originals as kids.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:29 AM on June 4, 2010
posted by filthy light thief at 11:29 AM on June 4, 2010
Talk about an earworm - Heidi was on South African TV, dubbed into Afrikaans, in the early 70s when there was only a few hours of TV broadcast per day - English one night, Afrikaans the next.
We used to go to the neighbour's to watch it on their set, and and all these years later I can still sing along (in crude Afrikaans, but is there any other kind?) to that damn theme song.
posted by Flashman at 1:01 PM on June 4, 2010
We used to go to the neighbour's to watch it on their set, and and all these years later I can still sing along (in crude Afrikaans, but is there any other kind?) to that damn theme song.
posted by Flashman at 1:01 PM on June 4, 2010
Ugh, the theme song in Spanish is deadly. I even had the damn 45 rpm record as a kid, thanks to my parents. I fear that my final dying thoughts some day will be of that cursed "Abuelito dime tu" first stanza, instead on anything remotely uplifting. Is Heidi one of the secret bardos?
posted by Iosephus at 1:33 PM on June 4, 2010
posted by Iosephus at 1:33 PM on June 4, 2010
Ha aha these commercials are really popular among the Japanese Kids. Parents, not so much. So I still don't see how it sells many cars for Nissan, at least until today's junior high schoolers start buying cars. But they do sell merchandise. There's lots of random stuff available featuring these characters. I myself own a T-shirt, a thermal coffee mug, and a mobile phone strap that you can use to clean your screen with.
posted by donkeymon at 2:46 PM on June 4, 2010
posted by donkeymon at 2:46 PM on June 4, 2010
Enjoy your freedom to click, or not click on the links. For most of you, it will be just a one time experience. These commercials are on TV constantly, and are pretty much unavoidable here, shrill voices, visually unpleasant animation and all. They just won't stop.
As for how it sells cars, well, there aren't all that many commercials that actually say "Buy X Brand, it will do Y and Z, and is good. Buy X Brand."
posted by Ghidorah at 4:48 PM on June 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
As for how it sells cars, well, there aren't all that many commercials that actually say "Buy X Brand, it will do Y and Z, and is good. Buy X Brand."
posted by Ghidorah at 4:48 PM on June 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
The Ghibli Blog speculated that the ads were parodies born from adults who were raised on the originals as kids.
No speculation required. It's an intentional pisstake that is supposed to make people who would otherwise feel nostalgic about remembering the original think 'Oh gods, that's so wrong, but it's funny, but so wrong...and by then it's too late. Memories of a eutopia for children are forever replaced with this. Most people* don't seem to mind.
By most people, I mean the people at the coffee shop near me think my Heidi thermal mug is piss funny
posted by CardinalRichelieuHandPuppet at 7:14 PM on June 4, 2010
No speculation required. It's an intentional pisstake that is supposed to make people who would otherwise feel nostalgic about remembering the original think 'Oh gods, that's so wrong, but it's funny, but so wrong...and by then it's too late. Memories of a eutopia for children are forever replaced with this. Most people* don't seem to mind.
By most people, I mean the people at the coffee shop near me think my Heidi thermal mug is piss funny
posted by CardinalRichelieuHandPuppet at 7:14 PM on June 4, 2010
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posted by DU at 9:20 AM on June 4, 2010 [1 favorite]