Apple Mac ads in Japanese

If you pop along to the Apple Japan website you can check out the Japanese version of the infamous Get a Mac TV ads. Instead of John Hodgman and Justin Long the roles of "PC" and "Mac" are played respectively by Jin Katagiri 片桐仁 and Kentaro Kobayashi 小林賢太郎, better known as the comedy duo Rahmens. Rahmens are well known stage performers but they also appeared in a classic series of videos called The Japanese Tradition (日本の形). These videos, like the episode on how to eat sushi are spoofs on Japanese culture, extremely dry and should crack up anyone with a passing familiarity of life in Japan. (This fanblog has more info about the pair)

The first Japanese Mac ad is a little different to the English language version. For one, the "PC" character is called "pasokon" (パソコン), and secondly because Mac brand recognition is not as high here in Japan as in the States, Australia etc the PC character makes a point of asking why the Mac, which is also a computer, isn't just called pasokon too. This established, the rest of the ads are almost identical to the original English versions, down to the fact that the Mac is dressed so casually he looks like he just got up and put on whatever was lying at the foot of the bed. The pasokon character has a much nattier suit than John Hodgman and is similarly likeable. Enough critiquing the merits of the marketing - watch the ads for the Japanese!

Comments

[Alex]

The Japan ads are a lot easier to digest than their American counterparts.

My first rig was a 700 MHz PC, and I swore by windows throughout university and into my first job, but have been a mac user for almost 2 years now.

The only thing that I don't like about Macs over PCs is the pretentious, snobby, "I listen to indie music to be cool" image that comes along with them.

In regards to Rahmens, I had seen them once or twice appearing on variety shows, and I never really paid any attention to their stand up, but that "Lesson on Japanese Culture: Sushi" clip had some promise. I enjoyed that.

[claytonian]

Rahmens is everywhere these days. But I think more foreigners recognize them that nihonjin. J-culture is funny that way.

[Coal]

All three ads can be seen with English subtitles here:

http://libationkowloon.blogspot.com/2006/11/new-apple-commercials.html