One of my favorite past times when I was still living in Japan was watching TV; not so much for the variety programs and all, but for the commercial breaks, because Japan makes some of the most visual innovative and inventive commercials, especially the top brands that hire the best talents to create them. Case in point – check out this stunning spot by popular Japanese sports drink Pocari Sweat and let your jaw drop –

The filmmakers claim that no CGI was used in the production of the CM, and watching the making of feature below does seem to validate that claim, although post production work like wire-removal, roto and paint still fall under the umbrella of VFX. All that said, it takes absolutely nothing away from the sheer visual brilliance of the piece, and I applaud the amazing inventiveness of the filmmakers, cast and crew in bringing this to life.

Now are you thirsty for some Pocari Sweat ? This commercial certainly brings back fond memories of my work at Sunrise animation when I was creating commercials for yet another top Japanese brand, Nissin.