AKB48 Mouth-to-Mouth Candy CM Draws Viewer Concern

Shikou · Apr 20, 2012

Posted by Crunchyroll

Turns out the Japanese Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization got some mail over that commercial for Puccho candy featuring AKB48. If you missed it, the girls share the soft little sweets mouth-to-mouth with no lack of lips brushing. The major complaints included:

- Seems like kids would imitate it.
- It comes off like they are playing with their food.
- Please stop these commercials which are lacking in quality. Relaying food mouth-to-mouth is unsanitary and gross.

Specifically, of 116 young people who had an opinion on the commercial, the scene of sharing candy mouth-to-mouth made people feel unpleasant.

Did YOU feel unpleasant? Let us know in the comments if your sense of ethics is feeling bruised.

Source: Cinema Today via @neojaponisme
Click to expand...

For those of you who want to see the CM here it is. People at Crunchyroll has told many people to get their head out of the gutter.

[video=youtube;vNIzemwvyTE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNIzemwvyTE[/video]

Willis · Apr 20, 2012

I can definitely see why that could draw complaints. It didn't make me feel uncomfortable or anything, but the Japanese schoolgirl as a sexual stereotype is so well known that for girls to be sharing candy like that would make most people upset if it were a commercial regularly seen on tv.

Its like the hardee's (I think it was) commercial here in America of a girl/model in skimpy clothing eating a giant cheeseburger and licking her fingers and even touching her lips with her fingers in a sexual way afterwards.

It's just more weird with this commercial because the girls look really young (cuz of the outfits), and are doing a commercial for candy (popular with children).

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AKB48 Mouth-to-Mouth Candy CM Draws Viewer Concern

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