Satoshi Tsumabuki:Author Mieko Kawakami's choice of words "almost brought me to tears" in new "Sapporo Black Label" commercial "Adult Elevator"

The 48th TV commercial in the "Adult Elevator" series for Sapporo Beer's "Sapporo Draft Beer Black Label," starring actor Satoshi Tsumabuki, was released on September 5th. This time, novelist Kawakami Mieko appears as the representative of a 49-year-old adult. The commercial will be broadcast nationwide from September 8th.

The "49" button in the adult elevator lights up, and Tsukamoto steps out the door, revealing a small, circular building with a pizza oven standing alone in the middle of the forest. Facing Kawakami in a room lined with books, he begins asking questions such as, "What is kindness?" and "Are lies necessary?"

Tsukamoto posed many questions to "adults" in this series, and Kawakami's frank answers, with the precise wording you'd expect from a writer, brought him to tears twice. In an interview after filming, he reflected, "I've been doing this for about 16 years, and of course there have been words that really hit me, but there weren't many moments that made me cry. But today, I had those moments about two times. It was a first-time experience for me. It was a strange shoot."

In the "Ideas" section, when asked if he was "fearful of running out of ideas," Kawakami immediately replied with a smile, "No!", and then continued with his arms outstretched, "As long as there is a world outside," which left a lasting impression on Tsumabuki. Kawakami's powerful words made Tsumabuki exclaim, "That's cool!" He said, "Without those people who create stories, we can't act. When Kawakami, the creator of those stories, told me that I would never run out of ideas, it meant I could be an actor for the rest of my life, so I was really moved."

On the other hand, Kawakami said about Tsukamoto, "Rather than drawing out what people have to say, I thought it was wonderful that he listened carefully to what they were saying. People from all walks of life were here to talk, and although the commercial only lasts for a few seconds, I really felt that it was thanks to Tsukamoto that the words that came out stayed with them."