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TV Ads Show Schoolgirl Getting Motivated by Shōnen Manga

posted on by Eric Stimson
Yowamushi Pedal, Baki, Harigane Service cited as inspirations

If there's a leitmotif to shōnen manga, it's that success only comes through putting in a lot of effort. Its protagonists may face setbacks and undergo grueling training with lots of sacrifice and agony, but in the end, their hard work and determination pays off. It's what has inspired decades of Japanese schoolkids, something Weekly Shōnen Champion acknowledges in a new TV ad campaign, "Idomitsuzukero" ("Keep Fighting [Struggling]").

Our schoolgirl protagonist first faces a steep road just to make it to school. She falls off her bike, but is motivated to keep going by Sakamichi's determination in Yowamushi Pedal.

Next, she gets harassed by her classmates while she writes "What is strength?" in her notebook. Thinking of Baki's struggles in the manga Baki fires her up enough to confront her tormentor.

Even volleyball practice leaves her exhausted and frustrated. But she thinks of Kanna's perseverance in the volleyball manga Harigane Service and finds the spirit to get up and keep practicing. Each video includes a different rap about life's struggles and the effort it takes to cope with them; they all end with "The scenery I wished for / My lonely struggle never ends."

Our columnist Nick Creamer shared his own thoughts on the struggle to survive using a very different anime. Has manga or anime ever given you the inspiration to cope with a difficult period or moment in your life? Let us know in the forums! And remember, billions of other people are going through the same problems.


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