Originally published at: Watch Arnold Schwarzenegger aka "Arnie-Chan" in these hyperkinetic Japanese commercials | Boing Boing
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obligatory fruity oaty bars
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I think they might be older? I certainly saw the one with the mahjongg game on http://japander.com (now defunct?) a very long time ago.
Wayback machine:
https://web.archive.org/web/20010607010312/http://japander.com/japander/index.htm
In general, Arnold is not “Arnie-chan” in Japan—he’s “Shuwa-chan.”
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This kind of thing was particularly common before the internet made it easy to spread video worldwide. An American actor could make some extra money on the side by doing ridiculous ads in Japan without hurting their image with American audiences, much like Bill Murray’s character in Lost in Translation.
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Was just in here to say the same thing. I’ve never heard anyone here call him anything but “Shuwa-chan”
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She even calls him Shuwa chan in the commercial. Arnie chan? Baka yaro!
I don’t even know what’s going on in these commercials but I enjoyed every second. I must try an Arinamin drink asap.
it appears that drink contains a mild hallucinogen. and trippy arnie was laughing all the way to the bank.
The product is an energy drink for tired salary-men called Arinanim V-Drink (V for vitamin). That’s why the mascot is called Ariman. “Arnold” becomes “A-ru-no-ru-do” in Japanese, that’s why they call him “Shu-wa-chyan” instead.
Shuwa-chan keeps saying “V”, “V”, but Japanese has no similar sound, so they render it a “bu-i “ (ブイ), and that’s what you hear coming out of his mouth.
Natsukashii~
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