Yuzu co-stars with Matsu Takako for the first time in Nissan Sakura's new commercial! They also collaborate on singing the commercial song "Chururi"

■ “The first take was the most natural. After the fourth take it started to seem too forced (laughs)” (Kitagawa Yuujin), “I think the fans will be thrilled by that (laughs)” (Matsu Takako)

Takako Matsu and Yuzu will appear together in a commercial for the first time in Nissan’s new “Nissan Sakura” commercial “Let’s Get It Done Quickly” (15 seconds/30 seconds), which will be aired nationwide from June 4th.

Yuzu and Nissan Sakura collaborated on outdoor advertising and car wrapping under the theme of “#YuzuSakura” at the opening performance of “HIBIKI” at K Arena Yokohama in Kanagawa last fall. This tie-up was realized after many fans requested that “Yuzu should be the next CM song.”

The new commercial is set in Kobe, a city known for its many hills, and shows Matsu Takako driving a Nissan Sakura as it smoothly and nimbly navigates hills and traffic lights, in tune with the lines, “Climbing, turning, and moving forward, all in one go.” Yuujin Kitagawa and Koji Iwasawa of Yuzu make guest appearances in a scene where the Nissan Sakura passes through the city.

The new CM song is “Chururi,” a new song written by Yuzu specifically for the CM and released on May 15th.

Yuzu wrote “Chururi” with the image of being close to people’s lives, like the Nissan Sakura, but in the commercial, Matsu and Yuzu will sing the dream collaboration “Chururi NISSAN SAKURA ver.” The special version with the three voices singing together will be aired exclusively for the commercial.

■ Commercial Story
The film starts with a scene of Matsu Takako driving the Nissan Sakura up a hill in Kobe, a city known for its many hills. As she shouts, “Let’s go quickly,” the Nissan Sakura climbs the hill with the power of electricity. Matsu drives briskly through the city to the sound of her lines, “Climbing quickly. Turning quickly. Moving forward quickly.”

Then, they see the two members of Yuzu waiting for the traffic light on the sidewalk. They follow the Nissan Sakura that passes by in front of them with their eyes and smile. Matsu spots them in the rearview mirror and smiles, saying “That was quick,” as they run through the city.

■ Filming episodes
This commercial was shot in a state-of-the-art virtual studio that is used for a wide range of productions, including TV dramas and movies. The Kobe cityscape, which had been shot in advance, was projected onto a large LED screen, creating a sense of realism as the filming took place.

Matsu appeared in a spring-like jacket and entered the studio with a smile. He got into a Nissan Sakura and showed off his light handling during the driving scene, and in the scene where he notices the two members of Yuzu walking through the city, he showed a natural and lovely smile while being careful about the details of his expression.

Next, the two members of Yuzu entered the studio in casual clothes, reminiscent of a day off. They acted out a scene in which they happily follow a Nissan Sakura as it drives away.

Although they seemed nervous at first, they showed great coordination during the rehearsal, even incorporating ad-libs halfway through, and the filming took place in a friendly atmosphere throughout.

The commercial song was recorded at Kitagawa’s private studio in Yokohama. It was the first time the three had had a proper conversation, but they quickly found out they were in the same year and quickly became closer.

After the recording was finished, there was an exciting behind-the-scenes interview where they talked about their impressions of each other when they debuted and about the shoot.

■Making of interview
Q: This is the first time the three of you, all of the same generation, have acted together. What are your impressions of each other?
Kitagawa:We debuted at the same time, but we started out as indies and Matsu-san was already a top star. But the impression I got from him on screen and from meeting him in person was that he was really friendly, really refreshing, and a wonderful person.
Iwasawa:I watched the drama, and shortly after she released a song, I was impressed by how talented she was. I was impressed that she was an incredible person.
Pine:To avoid any misunderstanding, I got the impression that they were people with good voices (laughs). They weren’t the kind of songs that tried to build up excitement by feeling around, but rather, they were the kind of pleasant people who would say “scone!” from the bottom up. Even when I met them again today, they looked energetic. They were just talking to me earlier, asking, “What are you eating?”
Kitagawa:I said, “No, I’m eating a banana” (laughs).

Q: How was the recording this time?
Kitagawa:I knew from her recordings and live performances that her voice was very attractive, but when I actually had her sing it during the recording, I was surprised by the chemical reaction that suddenly transformed the world of the song into something sparkling, or rather, a light feeling, but refreshing and heart-warming. At the beginning there’s a “chururutchuchu~ru” sound, and at the turn there’s a “chururi” sound, which is the best.
Pine:I’m really happy. I don’t often get to sing “chururi chururi,” so when I actually tried singing it, I was like, “Oh, wait a minute. This is difficult!” (laughs) But it was a lot of fun.

Q: Please tell us about your new song “Chururi.”
Kitagawa:When I wrote this song, I didn’t want it to be a song that we would sing, but rather a song that people could sing while walking, on the way home, or at home, or wherever. I wanted it to be a song that people would hum along to. Since I collaborated with the Nissan Sakura at a live concert at K Arena Yokohama last fall, I’ve had a lot of feelings for the Sakura itself. There was a story we’d walked together, and that story was decided into a song. I knew the Sakura pretty well, and I thought it was a car that was close to people’s lives, so I wanted to make a song that would be close to everyone’s daily lives.

Q: You also appeared together in a commercial. What did you think of Yuzu’s acting?
Pine:It was really cute. My role was just to drive, so I think the two of them were asking me to act.
Kitagawa:The first take was the most natural. After the fourth take it started to sound too forced (laughs).
Pine:I think the fans will be thrilled by that (laughs).
Iwasawa:It was only a little bit, but I was really nervous. I imagined Matsu’s car passing by, and then I turned to the side three seconds later. I’m not good at acting, so the more I try, the more I mess up, so I just tried to act naturally.
Kitagawa:(The act of watching the cherry blossoms crossing the street) was like an F1 race, and there were times when I was like, “Sakura, you’re not that fast!” (laughs). It started to get fun halfway through. Gradually I was able to add some ad-lib, but the more I did it, the further away I felt it was.

Q: In this commercial, Matsu’s line “Climbing is easy. Turning is easy. Moving forward is easy.” was impressive. Please tell us your impressions of riding in the Nissan Sakura.
Pine:When I first got in, I thought, “Is this image of a minicar betrayed in a good way?” or, “I can move around in this,” and it was very comfortable. The inside is spacious and cute, but it’s also cute and neat. I felt like I could ride it in the city, and I thought it had evolved.
Iwasawa:It’s a really comfortable ride. It’s quiet. It feels like I’m being taken to the car, or rather, I’m driving, but it feels like I’m being allowed to drive. It was really comfortable.
Kitagawa:(During last year’s collaboration with Nissan Sakura) I actually drove it for the first time in a while during the shoot. So I was a little nervous, but it was very safe. It’s been a while since I last drove it, and I realized that even beginners can drive it safely. It even returns you to your lane, and if you decide on a speed with automatic driving, the distance is also constant. It’s amazing how it’s equipped, which you wouldn’t expect from a minicar. It’s well equipped, but it’s also maneuverable, so I think it’s really easy to get around.