When we talk about anime becoming more mainstream, we usually bring up how we no longer have to spend $30 – $60 on a single VHS tape that had two (three if you were lucky) episodes of a series. We talk about how the only way you knew an anime was good was to read the back of the box and hope for the best. Being able to watch anime the same day it airs in Japan still feels like a dream, I say as someone who grew up in the before times of “Saturday Anime” on SyFy back when they were Sci-Fi.
But something else that’s happened with anime becoming more mainstream is seeing it outside of geek spaces. This includes some triumphs like seeing T-shirts at your local retailer, way more manga at bookstores, and movie releases being at more than one theater in a single state. This also, hilariously, includes some laughable moments like Ford using anime to advertise their cars.
It may look like an abridged series parody, but this really is an ad for the Ford Fusion that has Goten and Trunks doing the Fusion Dance to become a car (not to be mistaken for that time when Utena turned into a car). It’s not just Dragon Ball Z that was used, Sailor Moon also took a moment to talk about love, justice, and enhanced active park assist.
Previously, on Dragon Ball Z
The most obvious pun is the one I already mentioned with the Fusion Dance, but we also got an ad of Krillin and Gohan asking Porunga (the Namekian Eternal Dragon) for THREE cars – since that dragon grants up to three wishes. Sure, they could ask for something to help in the upcoming battle against Frieza, but getting a car that has an audio system from Sony is equally important, right? Krillin attempts to use his multiple wishes to get several cars, but Porunga is kind (and grumpy) enough to point out how the Ford Focus has all of the separate features he wants. Both Krillin and Gohan are amazed… though they never do get to use those last two wishes.
We fight for love and vehicle technology
To me, the Sailor Moon ads are a bit more “lol wtf” as Usagi sighs dreamily over a constellation of the Ford Fusion. Much to Luna’s frustration, Usagi’s all about the appearance of the car and not what the car can do. She’s getting all flustered about how stylish it is instead of its numerous driver-assist features, which Luna attempts to tell her about. It goes in one ear and out the other, though, as Usagi decides that she wants a car in “lightning blue” to match her uniform. The second ad is a bit reminiscent of the Sailor Moon Says segment as each girl takes a turn educating the audience (and the Black Moon Clan???) about the 2017 Ford Fusion.
It truly was a magical time to be an anime fan.
(Featured image: Ford Fusion/Toei Animation)
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