BABYMETAL-INSPIRED PSA ABOUT LOUD MUSIC ON L.A. METRO

Over the past year or so, the Los Angeles Metro has rolled out some entertaining promos to encourage decent manners while using the public transport system. A recent addition to that roster chides riders who neglect to use headphones while listening to music or watching videos on their portable devices, and stars a metallic pop group heavily-inspired by kawaii-metal originators Babymetal. 

The fanciful mini-film features a neon monster riding a bus through Los Angeles with its boombox blaring when an irritated young patron approaches and slaps a set of headphones on the creature. The scene cuts to a black-and-red–clad trio of young women dancing to an poppy metallic track asking metro customers to respect the peace and quiet of those around them by not playing their music out loud. It would seem the niche phenomenon that is Babymetal has snuck far enough into the mainstream to have much farther-reaching cultural impact than anyone could have imagined. 

Japanese AV star directs commercial in which Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are best friends

Bonx, also marketed as Bonx Grip, is a Japanese-made communications device that blends the functionality of a mobile phone and a walkie-talkie. Clipped to your ear, the combination speaker/microphone filters out unwanted background noise and activates automatically at the sound of your voice, broadcasting it to the other Bonx users you’ve designated for your group chat session.

The device was originally developed with extreme and outdoor sports enthusiast in mind, but really it can be useful for anyone who wants to stay in close communication with someone who’s geographically far away. To demonstrate, Japanese adult film actress Mana Sakura, in her directorial debut, has created a video showing U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un becoming best friends through the power of Bonx.

七人の力士-SEVEN SUMO-How Are 7 Sumo Like A Toyota? Watch and Find Out

Japan has produced plenty of amusing, bizarre, and emotional commercials, some of which still make us chuckle to this day. Only time will tell, but we’re pretty sure this new video from Toyota will be another unusual entry that will have us giggling for weeks come. Why? It features seven sumo wrestlers jogging through Los Angeles as a metaphor for the safety of their cars. There’s even a near head-on collision with a group of running cheerleaders as well as a scene of the wrestlers “filling up” on a meal served at a fueling station.

Part of the weirdness definitely comes from the voice-over, which sounds as if it’s being done by a native English speaker who’s been given a poorly romanized script of the Japanese text to read directly. We have no idea why, but we suppose it must appeal to…an audience. We don’t know who they are, but we’re happy if they’re happy!