BR / Charisma

[Don Brown]

Greg,
  I take your point regarding actors being able to make a living in Japan, 
but does Yakusho Koji really need the money so bad that he has to appear in 
so many commercials, and so many bad ones at that (especially if he is the 
hardest working man in Japanese showbusiness)?  Perhaps it's all to support 
a nasty Pachinko habit - we must be told.  I'm sure us Kinejapaners could 
pass the hat round to keep him from promoting anti-baldness solutions and 
bloody motorboat racing.  Considering the cringe-worthy nature of most of 
the ads he appears in, he certainly doesn't seem to be too discerning.  I 
guess the main reason I find it so unsettling is because he is such a great 
actor - it's a bit like watching Gorbachev plugging Pizza Hut ("would you 
like fries with your Glasnost?").
  Asano Tadanobu's anti-TV stance does indeed seem a bit inconsistent in 
the wake of his recent commercial blitz.  Still, in contrast to Yakusho 
Koji, at least most of his are funny (as amusing as corporate propaganda 
can be, I guess).  Mind you, does anyone have any idea as to why he's 
standing on the bow of a sailboat with his hair and beard peroxided blonde 
and listening to songs on his mobile phone in that AU commercial?  Answers 
on the back of a postcard please.
Don Brown
    
  
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