In Japan, anime is an institution, not so much in the sense that everyone consumes anime regularly, but in the fact that it is considered another form of art. It is part of their arts, whether particular individuals like it or not. That’s why it’s not surprising that anime is regularly used even outside the context of series and movies, and is also utilized to create emotional television commercials. That’s exactly what SUNTORY has done.
On November 1st, the food and beverage manufacturing company, better known in the West as a whisky distillery, SUNTORY, released a television ad aiming to support restaurants. Titled “Jinsei ni wa, Inshoku-ten ga Iru. Ningen ga Iru Basho” (In life, there are restaurants. A place where people are), the video seeks to illustrate how bars and restaurants are an important part of our lives and our relationships with others. They have chosen to do this by compiling clips from classic anime TV shows and movies.
Narrated by Yuriko Yoshitaka, the ad showcases scenes of characters celebrating, lamenting, eating, and drinking together in bars and restaurants. Many of these scenes will be familiar to viewers, while others may not be, featuring fifteen anime titles, some of which many people may have never heard of.
That’s why we’re providing you with a list of all the anime featured, in case you’re interested in exploring more about them later. Or if you want to try guessing them all and find out how many you can recognize without us telling you beforehand.
Meanwhile, we’ll cherish the absolute charm of SUNTORY’s celebration of restaurants, bars, and the anime in our lives. These are two things that have always accompanied us and are a part of our history as much as they are a part of Japan’s.
1. Lupin III: Part IV
2. Salaryman Kintaro
3. Gyokou no Nikuko-chan
4. Bunny Drop
5. Shin ATASHIn’CHI
6. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
7. ERASED
8. Nasu: Summer in Andalusia
9. Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju
10. The Great Passage
11. GATE
12. Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku
13. Wave, Listen to Me!
14. Restaurant to Another World
15. Wakako-zake
