J.T.
Takayuki Yamada plays a “demon” who searches for spiritual richness! JT’s new commercial “Oni no Yuku Michi Appearance” will start airing on Wednesday, April 3rd.
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JT will air a new corporate advertisement, “The Path of Demons Appears,” nationwide from Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
Under the JT Group Purpose of “More spiritual enrichment,” JT will foster “spiritual enrichment” in society through a variety of businesses and initiatives with more customers and partners. As a first step, JT would like to start by asking ourselves and those around us, “What is spiritual richness?” together with everyone in the world.
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/31450/285/resize/d31450-285-d2c2c5c595264f7444f4-0.jpg&s3=31450-285-8add5984926bedf9b6faceeb13f6652d-3900×1404.jpg] In this new commercial, Takayuki Yamada plays a demon who is unaware of the existence of “spiritual richness”, meets various people, comes into contact with their values, and questions himself about “spiritual richness”. I will continue. The story is about how, little by little, he comes to realize various kinds of “richness of the heart.” The JT Group believes that “spiritual wealth” varies depending on the era, social background, and individual, and is constantly changing, and will become even more diverse in the future. In this commercial, in order to connect the “spiritual richness” that we have provided to everyone in the world to the next stage, we will continue to think and ask what kind of “spiritual richness” will be required in society in the future. This reflects our desire to continue to evolve.
The first installment depicts an episode in which a demon comes to a human village for the first time in a long time, meets an old woman, and starts thinking about “the richness of the heart.” The second part is scheduled to air from around summer 2024, so please look forward to it.
New CM overview
Cast: Takayuki Yamada as the demon, Hisako Ogata as the grandmother Title: “The Demon’s Path Appears” edition
Number of seconds: 30 seconds
Broadcast start date: Broadcast starts on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 Music: “Old tale” Composer: Motoki Murakami
[Image 2: https://prtimes.jp/i/31450/285/resize/d31450-285-7498485ba63c32210d5a-1.jpg&s3=31450-285-571c91a4373325759319085498e82ce5-1300×490.jpg] ■“Oni no Yuku Michi Appearance” 30 seconds (YouTube URL:
https://youtu.be/7Ha_ZejKBSs)
Story: One day, the demon met an old woman who was washing a Jizo statue. By doing so, your heart will become richer. The demon wanted to know the “richness of the soul” of humans, so he decided to go on a journey.
[Video 4: https://prtimes.jp/api/movieim.php?url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ha_ZejKBSs] Special interview with Takayuki Yamada
We asked Takayuki Yamada, who played the role of this demon, to talk about the appeal of the new commercial and his own “richness of spirit.”
■Interview video (YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/-xSZi40chxI)
[Video 5: https://prtimes.jp/api/movieim.php?url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xSZi40chxI] Q1: Please tell us how you felt about being appointed as a messenger for the JT Group’s purpose, “More spiritual enrichment.”
I don’t know if I have a good heart (as a messenger myself), but I think I’m a relatively calm person, so I don’t think it’s a bad thing (for me to play the role).
Q2: Mr. Yamada plays the role of “Oni” in the commercial this time. Please tell us the key points of your acting.
I tried not to show too much of my mental movements through my facial expressions, and the director basically told me that the demons had lived for about 100 years. I guess he was alone in the mountains due to his pace. However, I believe that they lived in harmony with nature, animals, plants, and all sorts of other things.
Q3: Please tell us the highlights of this commercial.
I’m looking forward to it because I think it’s going to be a good story, or rather a video work with a good atmosphere.
I think the contrast between the human grandmother and the demon is also very interesting.
Q4: For Mr. Yamada, when do you feel the “richness of your heart”? My favorite time in my daily life and the time I feel most relaxed is when I am taking a shower. Even if you just live a normal life, you sweat and get dirty from various things, right? This means that the water cleans what has become dirty on its own. It feels so good, and I always say “thank you” while being thankful for the gas that warms me up and all the other things. No one will ever see me, but I think I feel calmest when I’m taking a shower.
Making video and behind-the-scenes stories
■CM making video (YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/7HLbA9AlOQM)
[Video 6: https://prtimes.jp/api/movieim.php?url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HLbA9AlOQM] The setting for this TV commercial is deep in the mountains, in the middle of nowhere. Some of the filming locations, which make you think, “Maybe demons really do live there in the old days,” are deep in the mountains, where it’s difficult for people to pass each other, and it was difficult to transport the filming equipment.
The demon played by Takayuki Yamada is a demon who has lived alone deep in the mountains for over half a century. When such a demon meets an old woman, she is exposed to the “richness of the heart,” and a slight change occurs in her heart. Mr. Yamada uses his rich acting to express the subtle changes in the demon’s brutal demeanor before he meets the grandmother, and the demon’s humanity as he gains attention from the grandmother.
The scene where the demon appears in front of the grandmother is a must-see. Mr. Yamada took on the challenge of creating a bold wire action in order to express the appearance of an inhuman demon suddenly jumping down from the sky in front of the old woman. Also, pay attention to Mr. Yamada’s expression that instantly changes back to that of a brutal demon when he eats the manju that inspired the demon’s heart.
[Image 3: https://prtimes.jp/i/31450/285/resize/d31450-285-84591c527250dbe7825d-1.jpg&s3=31450-285-a4e5970c2a27cced7f3da5e8fe7f2861-1300×246.jpg] What does “spiritual richness” mean to you? In an increasingly diverse society, we at JT have yet to find a definitive answer to what that means. The old lady played by Mr. Ogata also pretends that she doesn’t understand anything, but when I see her seeming happy, I feel like, “Maybe she actually knows everything?” . I believe that by having “richness of mind,” you can lead a rich life.
We at JT would like to support the demons that appear in the commercial and walk with you on the journey to find “spiritual richness.”
Performer profile
Takayuki Yamada
Born October 20, 1983. Born in Kagoshima Prefecture.
He made his acting debut in 1999 and starred in his first TV drama in 2003 in “Waterboys.” Since then, he has worked on the series “Cry for Love at the Center of the World”, “Densha Otoko”, and “Yamikin Ushijima-kun”.
He has starred in numerous dramas and movies, including the “Brave Yoshihiko” series and “Naked Director.” The Netflix drama “House of Ninjas” is now available.
Hisako Okata
Born March 9, 1939 in Fukushima Prefecture.
After graduating from the training school attached to Haiyuza, he has been active in numerous stage productions as well as dramas, movies, and other video productions. She gained attention for her role as a bizarre mother in the movie “Sin of Love.” In recent years, her role as Sachiko Akaike in the TV drama “Your Turn” has also become a hot topic. Recent works include the movies “Ora Ora de Hitori Igumo”, “PLAN75”, and “Golden Kamuy”.
New CM special site
From April 3rd, JT will release a special website linked to the commercial for the “Oni no Yuku Michi Appearance” edition. You can watch commercial videos and behind-the-scenes footage of the filming. [Special site information release date and time]
Site information scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at 1:00 AM [Special site URL]
(URL: https://www.jti.co.jp/cw/purpose/index.html)
“More spiritual richness” campaign
To commemorate the start of the airing of JT’s new commercial “Oni no Yuku Michi Appearance”, we will be holding a “More Richness of the Heart” campaign where you can win the following prizes by answering a quiz.
【prize】
1. Poster autographed by Takayuki Yamada (10 people)
2. Tablemark product set (100 people)
【Application period】
Wednesday, April 3, 2024 10:00 to Friday, May 31, 2024 17:00 [Application URL]
Please refer to the URL below for application requirements.
(URL: https://www.jti.co.jp/cw/purpose/campaign/index.html)
More details about this release:
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000285.000031450.html