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Japanese Comedian Hosts Sex Toy Commercial Contest (NSFW)

On March 5, Japanese comedian Atsushi Tamura of the duo London Boots and Mark1 Mark2 hosted a contest of the best amateur commercials for Tenga and iroha, two popular Japanese sex toys. The event was held at the LOFT/PLUS ONE in Shinjuku, Tokyo and also included Hideki Morimoto (of the comic trio Nibun no Go!) and Kōichi Matsumoto (representative director of Tenga) as judges.

The Grand Prix award, which earns the winner 1 million yen's (US$8,809) worth of Tenga, went to Juntarō Atochi and Ryō Saitōh for this commercial, "The Dawn of My Wienie." Tamura said it reminded him of a shampoo commercial, while Morimoto suggested a high-class car driving through the rain. The recipient, overcome with glee, said he had based it on a spacecraft launch. "While watching sci-fi movies like Armageddon and Interstellar with the thoughts of a virgin, I wanted to convey the romance of masturbation transcending sex," he explained.

The Semi-Grand Prix award earns its winners 500,000 yen (US$4,404) worth of Tenga. There were three winners, although two of the videos were both made by Kenji Ichihara.

"MC Battle" shows a young man rapping to his Tenga, bragging about getting a girlfriend so he won't need the masturbation aid anymore. The Tenga raps back, letting him know it'll be waiting for him just in case.

"Tenga Fairy Tales" presents four famous Japanese fairy tales — Momotarō, Urashimatarō, The Crab and Monkey Battle, and Princess Kaguya — with happier endings than usual, thanks to Tenga. It is presented in the rough style of paper plays, which were the traditional means of telling fairy tales.

The other Semi-Grand Prix winner, Takumi Kondō's "Bishobisho Bijo" ("Soaking Wet Beautiful Woman"), apparently suggests that someone is so busy using a Tenga that he won't let the poor woman in. Kondō, who's a commercial director, said that he wanted to follow broadcast guidelines while also pulling in the YouTube crowd.

Tamura also gave out a special prize to copywriter Tetsuji Hasegawa's entry, "Before Love and Ecchi." It shows a man texting with his girlfriend and inviting her over, only to get blown off. The tagline, "Before love and ecchi, there's masturbation," is a pun based on texting — love is ai (I) in Japanese, ecchi is H, and masturbation is jii (G).

All the spectators at the event got a commemorative sticker and a free Tenga Egg just for coming.

In a related interview, Tamura explained that he thought Tenga was leading a revolution in sex similar to previous revolutions in agriculture, industry, and IT. "It's changing sexual desire into creative work and an entertainment product. I think everyone should be more aware of this sexual revolution. The IT revolution wasn't well-understood at first either, right? Of course, we're all scared of what we don't know. So we have to learn more about Tenga first." He also explained that we are entering an era where "everyone is a creator," and therefore anyone can create commercials. "On the Internet especially, commercials can spread pretty well and at low cost. I feel that commercials made from the viewpoint of actual consumers work better."

Whether or not you agree that Tenga represents new frontiers in sex, it's gained a fan following in Japan. A Super Mario Maker fan recreated the inside of a Tenga and Tenga Eggs were passed out at a Monster Musume event last year.

[Via Kai-You]