King-Sized Kawamori

When I was a kid, there used to be an amazing, all-Chogokin toy shop on Ginza's main drag by the name of Kintaro. It's long gone, but now, at Nissan's showroom, you can sorta-not-really relive the glory days when robots were sold alongside Cartier and Hermes. Because they've installed a life-sized rendition of "Dualis," Shoji Kawamori's image character for the new car of the same name. Yeah, it's a marketing ploy. But life-sized robots displayed on Japan's equivalent of Fifth Avenue? Count me in. (Plus, it's located right next to the Ginza Lion Beer Hall.)

You can catch it in action in a series of faux-documentary clips on Nissan's official site and (where else?) YouTube. Transformers, eat your heart out. Ironically, Kawamori designed quite a few of the old "Generation One" Transformers himself. Too bad nobody thought to hire him for the upcoming live-action flick. Anyway, it's an intriguingly Japanese spot of guerilla marketing, but even a nerd like me cringes at the thought of trying to pick up chicks in a car called "The Powered Suit."

Dualis remains on display until June 13th in Nissan's Ginza showroom, along with a repro of the original illustrations. Here's a close-up of its right foot. Here's one of its ass. Hot damn.

Bonus:

Speaking of guerilla marketing, this hardworking yet squeezably plush fellow was right down the street hawking a "new type of Pachinko parlor: less smoke, less noise, more payoff!" Hey, kids! Gambling is FUN! Remember, it's only illegal if you exchange those balls for cash at the booth located conveniently right behind our shop! And never mind that sarariman passed out in the chair behind me!

Comments

[Ike]

I saw that pachinko one like the other weekend and I was joking with my friends about throwing a jump kick on that poor fella. Pachinko...they're so evil >:-D

[Mr.Dandy]

Ol' Shoji sure gets around, doesn't he??

LOL @ making fun of a car called the Powered Suit! Reminds me of the scene in Madox-01 where the teenagers driving in the tunnel are hassling the guy in the suit. The most plausible scene in the whole show.