Goro Inagaki:The angle of the little finger was a key factor in creating the professor's role in the new pharmaceutical commercial.

The new TV commercial for Sato Pharmaceutical's "Omeprah S," starring actor Goro Inagaki, titled "Professor Omeprah 'The World's First PPI'," began airing on August 1st.

Omeprazole S is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) that suppresses the secretion of stomach acid. It was the first drug in the world to be approved for medical use, and is now available as an over-the-counter drug that can be purchased without a prescription at pharmacies.

In the commercial, Inagaki plays Professor Omeprah, a leading researcher in acid reflux, and shows how Professor Omeprah takes a firm stance in helping his assistant solve her acid reflux problems.

In the making-of video, Inagaki looks back on the commercial shoot, saying, "I paid attention to things like the way I phrased things, my facial expressions, and my hand movements" in order to make the role of the professor more convincing. The director requested that he hold the flask delicately, and when he held it with his fingers pointed up, he was told, with a wry smile, that it was "too pointed." "I was particular about the angle of my little finger. I really concentrated on that," he says enthusiastically, "If I held it too tightly, the mysterious and delicate side of Professor Omeplaal would be lost."

It's a fun commercial in which Professor Omeplaal's character, who "is a strict person but also has a charming side at times," overlaps with Inagaki's character.