Starring Mackenyu Arata and a stellar cast! docomo's new TV commercial series

NTT Docomo will begin airing the first two episodes of its new TV commercial series "Star Project" nationwide starting September 7th. The series, themed "Everyone, right at the center. WITH YOUR STORY," includes "The Beginning Story" and "Character Introduction." Ahead of this, a new CM launch event was held at EBiS303 in Shibuya, Tokyo, on the 3rd.

The CM is set in a world where various characters gather. Famous characters are present, of course, but there are also many unknown characters who haven't made a name for themselves yet. The story begins when producer "Hoshi Ayumu," played by Gen Hoshino, arrives and meets the not-quite-popular characters "Donimal" (played by Mackenyu Nitta), "Cosmof" (played by Hiroki Hasegawa), and "Monjuro" (played by Minami Hamabe).

Hoshi, as their producer, supports their dream of becoming popular someday. He puts them at the very center of his thoughts and supports them in every situation.

Through this story of pursuing dreams together, the company conveys its commitment to "putting everyone at the center. WITH YOUR STORY" – to connect more deeply with each customer's life and support them through all its services.

The worldview is striking, featuring numerous famous characters like Hello Kitty, Osomatsu-kun, and Tetsujin 21-go, with characters appearing sometimes as "real (live-action)", sometimes as "Muppets", and sometimes as "animated".

At the start of the presentation, Takahiro Ishikawa, General Manager of the Promotion Department, stated: "We are renewing our communication framework starting in September. We have aimed to make Docomo services accessible even to those without a line contract. Indeed, the number of d Point Club members is steadily increasing. More than ever, we want to be a partner that stays by our customers' side and supports them throughout their lives."

The four cast members then rushed onto the stage.

Hoshino introduced each character's role: Nitta plays the innocent and gluttonous "Donimal," Hasegawa plays the big-headed but knowledgeable "Cosmof," and Hamabe plays the earnest "Monjuro," who has a weakness for cute things. He also revealed the hidden story that the first letters of the three characters spell out "Docomo."

Hamabe smiled, saying, "The Hamabe family has been with Docomo for a long time, so I'm happy to be appearing." When Hasegawa mentioned, "It's fun playing a non-human role," Hoshino responded, "I'm looking forward to being the only human role. It's interesting interacting with the animation and Muppets."

Regarding filming anecdotes, Hoshino shared, "Since this is a recurring commercial, I want to act naturally without over-engineering the character," revealing how he has firmly established his own image of a "producer."

Hamabe commented, "With Nitta-san, I can't tell if he's playing dumb, being serious, half-asleep, or fully awake. He's full of mysteries."

Hasegawa drew laughter from the audience, saying, "Both Nitta-san and Hamabe-san are young and sparkling, and I was overwhelmed. During filming, when I looked at the monitor, I was the only old guy, and it made me worry."

Adorable scenes were shown where the cast and puppets interacted on stage, including signature poses, flag-raising games, and true-or-false games. Regarding the characters they portray, Hasegawa said, "They're often described as big-headed and overly logical. Even though they're characters, I can't help but feel personally invested," while Hamabe stated, "I want to work hard to make the characters' dreams come true."

Hoshino expressed his enthusiasm: "This is a commercial series with many developments ahead. As producer, I'll lead these three to stardom and put them squarely in the spotlight." Nitta concluded, "We'll work hard to make these characters beloved by more people, so please look forward to it."

Official Website:
https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/special_contents/pdcm/index.html?icid=CRP_TOP_mainPR_CRP_special_contents_pdcm