au's Santaro Series Popular figures interact with fans at "Bean-Throwing NIGHT"

KDDI held the event "Momo-chan, Ura-chan, Oni-chan and Bean-Throwing NIGHT" at Ebisu Garden Hall in Meguro Ward, Tokyo, on February 3rd, Setsubun Day. Actors Shota Matsuda (Momo-chan), Kenta Kiritani (Ura-chan), and Masaki Suda (Oni-chan), who star in KDDI's popular au TV commercial series "Santaro Series," interacted with about 200 student fans.

When the three appeared on stage in their commercial costumes, the venue erupted in loud cheers.

During a Q&A session with attendees, when asked, "Do people call out your character names on the street?", Kiritani, who plays Urashima Taro, shared an experience where an elementary school student in a park hummed the song lyrics from the commercial and asked him, "Are you the guy from 'I want to know the voice of the sea'?" When asked "What were your thoughts when you got the role in the commercial?", Suda, who plays Oni, replied, "I thought I'd have to wear just yellow and black pants and get my body painted red and blue," drawing laughter. The three engaged in a well-synchronized conversation, with Suda demonstrating the Japanese drumming he performed in the commercial and challenging fans to a game of guessing numbers using a switch, enjoying a fun time together.

Additionally, a special screening was held for the new "au Student Discount" TV commercial, "The Queue to Get," which premieres on February 6th. The commercial promotes a campaign where subscribers receive 5 gigabytes of data monthly until age 25. It humorously depicts the Santaro characters getting excited as they confuse "giga" with "negi" (leek), "mugi" (wheat), and "yagi" (goat).

The CM can be viewed on the special website and the official au YouTube channel.

CM Site:
http://www.au.kddi.com/pr/3taro/

The main bean-throwing event took a unique twist. Following the chant "Demons in!" "Luck in!" "5 Giga BOOM!"—conceived by the trio—everyone threw beans at a large balloon suspended from the ceiling. When it burst, colorful balloons rained down on the venue, sparking fresh cheers.

Amid the lingering excitement, surprise guest artist AI was introduced, filling the venue with gasps of surprise and delight. When AI passionately performed "Minna ga Minna Eiyuu" (Everyone is a Hero) and "Happiness" – songs from au's TV commercial "Spring Door: Everyone is a Hero" – the venue's energy reached its peak.

Matsuda-san presented AI with a giant rice ball, a prop from the commercial, saying, "AI is already one of us." Learning that the next day was Kiritani-san's birthday, AI sang "Happy Birthday" to him. Fans left the venue with satisfied smiles, thoroughly enjoying the packed event.