sumocar

Seven sumo wrestlers, one car. The similarities are almost too numerous to list them all!

Japan has produced plenty of amusing, bizarre, and emotional commercials, some of which still make us chuckle to this day. Only time will tell, but we’re pretty sure this new video from Toyota will be another unusual entry that will have us giggling for weeks come. Why? It features seven sumo wrestlers jogging through Los Angeles as a metaphor for the safety of their cars. There’s even a near head-on collision with a group of running cheerleaders as well as a scene of the wrestlers “filling up” on a meal served at a fueling station.

Just trust us — it almost makes sense when you actually watch it!

▼ This guy’s reaction sums it up pretty well.

stache

Part of the weirdness definitely comes from the voice-over, which sounds as if it’s being done by a native English speaker who’s been given a poorly romanized script of the Japanese text to read directly. We have no idea why, but we suppose it must appeal to…an audience. We don’t know who they are, but we’re happy if they’re happy!

▼ Also, why is that one cheerleader flying backwards?

cheer

Obviously, the big message for this spot is safety, though we can’t help wondering if this isn’t an attempt to blot out any memory of that spaghetti code problem. Still, if nothing else, the video certainly put a smile on our faces!

And if more sumo fun is what your heart desires, be sure to check out the sumo wrestler throw that turned out to be the golden ratio!

Source/images: YouTube/toyotajpchannel