The latest Japanese commercial for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet takes advantage of the franchise’s cross-generational appeal. It’s been around long enough that many of the people who first encountered it as children are now grown.
The brief 30-second spot, aired on television and via YouTube. Check out the live-action ad below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECMARJGaOoQ
The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet commercial leans heavily on the games’ free structure. It implies it is a refreshing escape from real life’s pressures. The short scene features actor Kotone Furukawa playing Yamada, a tired office worker. Furukawa starred in movies like BL Metamorphosis and 12 Suicidal Teens.
By chance Yamada meets “a mysterious man from the World of Pokemon (age unknown).” This person is played by actor Eita Nagayama. Nagayama played characters like Shinya Kabuto in The Mole Song and Ryutaro in the live-action adaptations of Nodame Cantabile. Dressed in an outfit matching the male player’s getup in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Nagayama invites Yamada to come to Paldea with him.
There, he says it’s the kind of place where you can travel and have experiences with your Pokemon buddies. The World of Pokemon, he says, is a place “where you can do anything, or nothing, if you want.” Yamada accepts, and text on screen invites the viewer to come “to a place where the winds of freedom blow.”
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launch on November 18, 2022 on the Nintendo Switch. A day-one patch will be required to enable online play.
