Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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THE LAB — We all know the stereotype (based in solid video evidence) of over-the-top to nonsensical commercials and TV shows from Japan.
There's this horrifying segment of a Japanese TV show that puts a human in a "predator box" and then letting a bear play with the box; there's this gum commercial with a giant cat; and there's this I-don't-know-what-is-going-on commercial involving a man who seems to have banana-based super powers.
This commercial may not immediately strike you as over the top, but with a little consideration, it really is pushing beyond reason.
The commercial is from an energy drink and tea company, Suntory, that claims the company's particular drink will help you concentrate and focus better. The video description says — in a rough translation courtesy of our resident Japanese speaker at KSL.com — it took 43 people pushing their focus limits to play the world's fastest minuet.
The performance is two seconds with 43 men each tossing a coin into a different beaker, but it takes the second round in slo-mo to really hear the tune.
My question is how many times did it take this group of 43 people to "play" this song perfectly? It must have taken hour upon hours, if not days upon days, to make it precise enough to use in the commercial.
Since I am a solid realist in most cases, I can't quite condone using this many man hours for a one-minute commercial. That being said, my love for all Internet silliness to weirdness dictates I will watch this any and every day of the week, as well as any future videos the Japanese as a whole bestow upon us.