■ “It was certainly difficult to react, but I also had fun filming it.” (Masahiro Nakai)
Softbank’s new TV commercial “Paytoku Manager Softbank Shop” (30 seconds/15 seconds) starring Nakai Masahiro and Hirose Suzu will be aired nationwide from September 20th.
This commercial is the latest in the “Peitoku Manager” TV commercial series, in which Nakai plays “Peitoku” (played by Nakai) dresses up as the manager of various stores. In this episode, “Peitoku” (Nakai) is appointed manager of a SoftBank shop and is given unreasonable requests from the crew member (Hirose) to provide customer service training. Through the light-hearted, well-paced and comical exchanges between Nakai and Hirose, the commercial promotes the fact that with “Shin-Toku Support (Premium),” you can get a great deal on upgrading to a new iPhone every year (※).
Pay attention to Hirose’s passionate guidance, in which she gives out harsh criticism one after another without feeling intimidated by the store manager, and Nakai’s reactions, as he responds to her unreasonable requests and mysterious advice (?) with all his might.
*When Early Bird option is applied.
■New TV commercial “Peitoku Store Manager Softbank Shop” (30 seconds) Story
Following the narration, “Paytoku manager at various stores!”, images of Nakai dressed as managers of various stores scroll by, stopping on the “Paytoku manager” at the SoftBank shop.
Standing in front of a large monitor showing the iPhone 16 Pro, the “Peitoku store manager” practiced customer service at a SoftBank shop currently preparing to open, saying, “Sorry to keep you waiting. The iPhone 16 Pro, designed for Apple Intelligence, is finally here.” “With SoftBank, you can get a great deal on a new phone every year.”
She desperately performs the simulation while receiving advice and criticism from the crew member (Hirose), such as “Smile more,” “Cry while doing it,” “So that even a child can understand,” and “Show your true self!”, and sometimes making unreasonable requests.
Then the father of the Shirato family, who had been secretly watching their interaction from the corner, shouted, “What are you doing!”
■ Filming episodes
◇Vivid acting as if the other person was right in front of you
For this shoot, several scenes of Hirose giving advice were shot in advance, and then shots of Nakai reacting to the advice were recorded at a later date. As a result, both of them had to act with stand-ins on the day, but despite this special situation, both Nakai and Hirose showed outstanding concentration from the first take, delivering snappy performances as if they were actually interacting with the real person. Incidentally, Nakai and Hirose wore the new uniforms that will be introduced at SoftBank and Y! Mobile shops nationwide from this winter for the shoot, a little early. This helped to create a sense of realism for the manager and crew of the SoftBank shop where the story takes place.
◇Hairstyle, glasses and new uniform that complement Hirose’s role
In this shoot, Hirose played a SoftBank shop staff member with extensive customer service experience. Her hairstyle, which shows off her facial expressions, combined with her large black-rimmed glasses and the elegant grey two-piece suit of the new uniform, gave her a sharp and crisp impression, and combined with her rich expressiveness, she was perfectly suited to the role of a staff member who strictly instructs the “Paytoku store manager” played by Nakai.
◇Hirose plays a crew member who makes unreasonable demands on the store manager.
Hirose quietly closed her eyes and listened to the manager’s words, then suddenly turned around and urged him to “Do more!” and “While doing it!” Her gestures, tone of voice, and outrageous requests all heated up, and she played a character with a wide range of moves from start to finish. At times, she got too excited and overlapped her lines with the manager’s, declaring a NG, saying “I overlapped (Nakai’s lines)… I’m sorry.” There was also a heartwarming scene where she lost her “role (character)” due to the manager’s amusing reaction and burst out laughing and clapping her hands in her natural state.
◇ Nakai’s acting is excellent and his reactions are sure to make you laugh
Following Hirose’s choreography (lines) that had been recorded in advance, Nakai was asked to react accurately and at a good tempo, from a pattern of over-expressing one emotion, such as “Do more ◯◯!”, to a pattern of expressing joy, anger, sadness and happiness rapidly with each choreography, such as “While doing ◯◯!”. In this situation, Nakai not only reacted on the spot, but also flexibly added humorous elements in scenes that emphasized comicality. There were also scenes where he was smiling happily together with the staff while watching the playback of his own performance.
◇ Nakai is surprised by Hirose’s constant requests!
While shooting various variations, Nakai sometimes had to respond to Hirose’s “mysterious orders” that he never expected. For each move, Nakai used his natural sense to come up with an action that matched the instructions and got the OK, but when he wasn’t sure if he had performed it correctly, he asked the director, “Is that right? (laughs).” There was also a scene where he finally showed a look of relief after receiving the seal of approval, “It got through!” In another scene, he was persistently prodded, “Do more!” and “More!”, and just after his co-star said his lines with a satisfied look of “Okay!”, Nakai couldn’t help but burst out in emotion, shouting, “You’re lying!” at the unreasonable request. When he showed off his exquisite ad-lib, the set was filled with laughter.
■ Interview with Masahiro Nakai
Q: Please tell us your thoughts on the commercial shoot, where you were asked to do a lot of unreasonable things by Hirose, and what are the highlights?
Although it was an unreasonable request, I think Suzu probably followed the director’s instructions and the script, so although her reactions were certainly difficult, I also enjoyed filming it.Q: Every year new and updated iPhone models come out, but what updates do you think you’ve made in the year since you appeared on the Paytoku series?
Up until now, I would stay up late and wake up at different times, but perhaps it’s because of my age or what, I think I’ve started going to bed at the same time as much as possible and waking up at the same time as well.Q: SoftBank offers a great deal on a new iPhone, but what phone do you want to replace your current one with?
I hate this kind of thing, because it sounds like I’m just trying to brag. (laughs) But really, for me… well, I hate it, it seems so insincere. I don’t want to be thought of as that kind of celebrity. But what should I do? I don’t want to sound like a liar, so I don’t really want to say it, and I’m really sorry for being so self-promoting, but my iPhone… well, I hate that kind of thing. I don’t like it. Okay, I get it. Let me show you my phone, how old is it?Q: It looks like an iPhone with fingerprint authentication. If so, is it the iPhone 8?
Eight? What’s coming out next?Q: I have an iPhone 16.
What, my phone is half the size?! I guess the 16 will be coming out soon. And the size of the phone case doesn’t match the phone itself. I think everyone can see how much I really want to replace my iPhone (laughs).Q: Hirose-san had to do a lot of unreasonable things in the commercial, but was there anything that caused you trouble?
It seems like it’s common on TV to make unreasonable requests, but it’s mostly within expectations, and there aren’t many cases where I make unreasonable requests that go beyond the realm of reality. This is true at work and in my private life, but it’s especially been decreasing recently, and I feel like it’s becoming harder to make unreasonable requests.Q: Were there any outrageous requests in this commercial that bothered you?
I don’t know how to express it, but Suzu-chan wasn’t actually there (laughs). So, it was like a dialogue with the director, but I think there were some parts that I found difficult when the conversation wasn’t connected to what came before and after. When it came to the pattern where Suzu-chan was affirmative, I think I was able to succeed even though I was asked to do something unreasonable, but when that wasn’t the case, there may have been some parts where it was difficult to make the two lines match so that they didn’t contradict each other. But I think it was good because we were able to communicate well.Q: In a PR interview, Hirose criticized herself for sleeping until the very last minute of the morning and for wanting to do things more properly with more time to spare. Is there anything else Nakai would like to criticize himself for?
I’m also a very lazy person, so when I’m at home I really do nothing. If I have a day off, I should do at least one thing, like tidying up this place, throwing away something, or organizing this place, but I end up not doing anything and just letting the day go by. Maybe it’s because I like to spend my time that way, but there are times when I wish I had done something.Q: It was a very hot summer compared to previous years. How did you spend this summer?
There’s high school baseball, there’s major league baseball, and there’s my favorite professional baseball, so when I wake up in the morning, I’m usually watching major league baseball. After that, I watch high school baseball in the afternoon. I watch that until the evening, and then the professional baseball starts at 6 o’clock, so I think that was my month. That’s probably what my summer was like. It’s the best!■Interview with Suzu Hirose
Q: What were your impressions of filming the commercial?
Since I was the only one shooting, I can’t imagine what the finished product will be like. It’s a very fast-paced, simple commercial with dialogue, and I feel like I’ve just been making unreasonable requests, so I’m more worried about whether Nakai-san will be okay when he’s shooting. We shot a lot of different patterns, like cool, a little dignified, and energetic, but I no longer had any idea what the right answer was, so in a good way, I didn’t feel like I had done my best, and it ended without me ever getting it right. But it was a very surreal and fun shoot, and I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product.Q: Every year new and updated iPhone models come out, but what updates do you think you’ve made to your iPhone in the year since you appeared on the Paytoku series?
Recently, I decided to organize my kitchen items, and replaced all the things that people had said were good and delicious, such as frying pans, dashi salt, and soy sauce. Cooking became so much more fun, and I have more opportunities to stand in the kitchen. I didn’t have any particular preferences for such things before, so I’m glad I updated them.Q: SoftBank offers a great deal on a new iPhone, but what phone do you want to replace your current one with?
Running shoes. When I was 19, I was given matching shoes by a cast member who I worked with in a film. The brand I was in when I was in elementary school was also available in adult sizes, and I found out about it while on set, so they were given to me as a gift. However, I’ve been wearing them for about seven years now, and I do a lot of running, so they’ve gradually become worn out, and the soles have started to get cracked. However, I have a lot of attachment to them, so I’m very happy to wear them, and I don’t want to replace them yet, so about a year has passed while I’m feeling confused. I don’t want to replace them, so much so that I’m thinking of quitting running and starting to walk, but I thought it was about time to replace them, and the thing I want to replace are my running shoes.Q: It was a commercial in which Hirose was asked to do a lot of unreasonable things, but was there ever a time when being asked to do something unreasonable caused you trouble?
Whenever I have the opportunity to appear on a variety show, I always prepare myself, wondering when and from which direction it will come. It’s not like I’m asked to do something really unreasonable, but sometimes when I am rejected, I’m like, “Ahhhh,” and my mind goes blank, so I’m not good at it. It’s scary (laughs).Q: When I watched the broadcast, it seemed like you were actually good at it.
Oh, really? Not at all. I want to make people laugh, but I don’t have the courage to do so, but I feel like I have to do something. And then after it’s over, I’m so tired that my face is about to fall apart, so I feel like I’m asking a lot of questions on variety shows. Of course, everyone is very kind and asks me questions within reason, but sometimes they ask me to do something that’s too much, and I get nervous when I have to initiate it. So basically, I’m kind of troubled, scared, worried, and anxious.Q: In the commercial, Hirose criticizes Nakai, but is there anything you would like to criticize yourself for?
Compared to the people around me, there are many things I feel I am a bit sloppy about these days. The thing I want to fix the most is getting out of bed 10 minutes before I leave the house. I really want to have a graceful morning, but I only have 10 minutes from when I wake up until I leave, so I run around the house by myself and then wake up. Even if I set my alarm early, I fall asleep. I often go home with a bloated face, forget things, or forget to do things before I leave, so I end up not being able to do it, so I want to have more time in the morning.Q: I think Hirose is doing a good job.
Thank you (laughs). I seem to be well-behaved outside, but when I’m at home, I lose all sense of self. I’m the kind of person who can’t do anything for myself, so it’s no good.Q: It was a very hot summer compared to previous years. How did you spend this summer?
This summer, I happened to have some time to relax between projects, so I got into the mindset of, “I can get a tan now, there’s no need for any connections.” I went outside and got a decent tan, went on a trip with friends, went to Korea, made a little festival with friends, rented bamboo, assembled it, and had nagashi somen noodles, and it felt like summer was so much fun. For the first time in my life, I felt like, “Summer is the best!” and had a really fun summer.
Special website
https://www.softbank.jp/mobile/price_plan/data/paytoku/
