Japanese TV commercials

Japan has interesting TV commercials. Tetsu gets great joy from watching the commercials and commenting on which ones are good and bad. Most feature favorite Japanese movie stars or singers over undiscovered part time actors and quite a lot of the Japanese commercials use American celebrities. Let's see.. Right now Catherine-Zeta Jones is seen daily on a LUX shampoo commercial and Bruce Willis guzzles down an energy drink.

Quite often Japanese commercials will run in a series and a story will evolve over the months or even years. One of Tetsu's favorites is a long run canned coffee commercial starring Tommy Lee Jones. I have a feeling Mr. Jones made it big time in Japan after his movie Men In Black which featured aliens that hid out in human bodies... (I accidentally went to this movie years ago not realizing the alien theme... "Oh, GROSS!")

In the Japanese commercials "Alien Jones" who likes canned coffee, experiences earthling (Japanese) life. There must be 14 or 15 commercials out now and Tommy Lee Jones rarely says anything and never smiles. Occasionally he lets his "alienness" hang out when he becomes perturbed about something (he didn't think Japanese parents discipline their kids enough) and he's picked up a few Japanese mannerisms during his stay (he can bow at the proper 90 degree angle.)

In the most recent commercial Alien Jones makes the observation while spanning centuries of earthling life, joining the throngs of workers building China's Great Wall, Egypt's pyramids and Japan's city streets, that earthlings would have had it a lot easier if they'd remained monkeys.

I sort of like Tommy Lee Jones and despite his somber expression he must have a sense of humor to allow himself to be portrayed in such comical commercial segments. He probably makes a lot of money in them too!
(Pictures from the Internet)