Actress Sakura Ando has been recruited to promote the retail company Sogo & Seibu. They are known as the company that operates four very popular retail franchises in Japan. Loft, Robinson Department Store, Sogo, and Seibu Department Store.

The CM starring Ando made it’s debut in Japan on December 31st, 2018. Starting with a close-up of her mouth, she tells the camera “We don’t need an age of women, do we?“

Plates of whipped cream begin to fly around her Matrix style as she continues with her confusing monologue.

“Being forced to do something because you’re a woman.
Being ignored because you’re a woman.
Being marked down because you’re a woman.
Having the news talk about how difficult it is to live as a woman.
Every time those things happen, the ‘Age of Women’ gets pushed farther away.”

One of the Matrix plates of whipped cream finally hits Ando square in the face. The monologue then continues to talk about how things in 2019 are going to change, but this goes beyond both men and women. The upcoming era should be for ourselves, the “age of me”.

Word of mouth about the bizarre CM started to gain traction, and was filled with criticism. Viewers found that it made them quite uncomfortable, found the message of the CM to be vague, didn’t understand the use of the cream, and just found it to be confusing overall.

Reactions seemed to be split in the middle as others really liked it. Praising the use of cream as metaphors for issues that happen to us in every-day life, and having to pay attention until the very end to get the full message.

Check out the full CM below, what do you think?

(via sora24 news)