Dentsu Philippines executive creative director Rey Tiempo goes back in time as TBWA\Hakuhodo senior strategic planner Yoshi Matsuura talks about Japanese culture and creativity at Spikes Asia.
Zen meets Anime meets Me at Spikes Asia
I’ve always been fascinated with time.
How it manifests itself and seemingly plays tricks on you. It’s a wonderful, beautiful thing. And I call it a ‘thing’ because unlike the more popular ‘Back-to-the-Future’-ist notion of time being a succession of events, unfolding in one linear fashion, where the present is a direct result of the past, I tend to agree more with the view of time as an object. With all events existing in one massive entity, and everything in there, happening, has happened, and happening still, sitting alongside each other, co-existing, side by side occupying one space. Much like how an audio track looks like in audio editing softwares, if you’re a copywriter like me who has sat down in one too many radio recording sessions.
Case in point. I’m 35, attending Spikes Asia in Singapore. In one of the huge halls at Suntec Convention Center, amidst all the shortlists of Print, Outdoor, Activation – the best works in the Asia Pacific Region. And I see familiar pieces, familiar faces, as I sit in the audience, in one of the sessions by Mr Yoshi Matsuura, Senior Strategic Planning Director at TBWA\Hakuhodo + Hakuhodo. And he talks about the Japanese and the creativity that powers its greatest advertising works. About the Japanese culture having a dual personality; one aspect being zen: the simple; the quiet; the beautiful.
And then, suddenly I’m 8. I’m at home, watching television, periodical exams still some weeks off. And I relax, and I channel surf to one of the local channels. I’m watching an episode of those short, mini documentaries about Japan. Yes, you know what I’m talking about, you children of 80’s TV. Those mini documentaries, which seemingly pop in and out between programs. Those curious title cards. The shots, long, languid, lingering. Beautiful sceneries. Serene faces. There’s a mini-episode on cherry blossoms. And firemen, though they’re the most calm firemen you’ll ever see. And there are festivals, but everything’s in perfect order. And always, the voice over is soothing. That instantly familiar, relaxing narration. I’m glued. Zen.
And then, I’m 35 again, back at Spikes. Mr Matsuura talks about the opposing force of zen, the one other aspect of Japanese culture that sits opposite all the quiet and the calm: The anime. Loud. Explosive. Chaotic. Full of energy.
And then, I’m 10, watching Voltes V (which surprisingly, I’ve learned recently, not many Japanese know of). Daimos. Mazinger Z. Mekanda. Loud, exaggerated actions. Giant killer robots, giant killer beast fighters. Screaming special moves.
Then, I’m 14 and watching Dragonball Z, now with highschool friends. Rented video cassettes. No subtitles, never understanding what they are saying, just enjoying immensely the nonstop action, the nonstop screaming. Those lightning-fast editing. Insane jumps. Fireballs. Heroes with wild, wild hair. Villains with even wilder hair.
Then, I’m 35 again, in one of the very first presentations I’m doing since moving to Dentsu Philippines. The Japanese client smiles, breaks the ice, points at my hair, says “Anime hair!” And instantly, I know it’s going to be a great presentation.
Still 35, back in Spikes. Mr. Matsuura talks more about the two opposing personalities of Japanese culture, how the fusion of zen and anime, and embracing both, produces some of the best creative works out of Japan. Powerful creatives formed out of harmony and dissonance, offering infinite possibilities. He talks about ‘Pixelization’, or the fusing of the analogue with cutting edge technology. Birthing new brand experiences. He talks about ‘Kidzilization’, taking and amplifying the kiddie aspect and colliding it with the more serious and mature. Much like the Kirin Photogenic Beer campaign. And finally, ‘Geekilization’, citing the awards magnet Rice Code campaign, using QR codes, big Ultraman images on a very traditional platform of cultivating and growing rice. I remember Uniqlo’s efforts, of taking over instagram with powerfully simple colors and patterns.
And then, I’m 26 and talking over a side project with my then soon-to-be wife, Joey. Her obsession with ball jointed dolls from Japan, those fully articulated dolls made of resin, with lifelike expressions and limitless potentials for customization; and my burning passion to form a band without human members, playing experimental music. The result — the ‘marriage’ which birthed Mistula, the first and only virtual doll band in the Philippines.
I’m 35 again, back in Spikes, head exploding with time trips, mind racing, zen and anime: two extremes. Two mindspaces at the opposite ends of the creative spectrum. And realizing there is no middle ground. There should never be a middle ground. There is no ‘moderate’ or ‘lukewarm’ or ‘medium’ or ‘gray area’. The best works are created with the best of both worlds, represented. You commit to the quiet, the traditional, the serene, and stay calm. But you also go all out, commit to the loud, the brash, the experimental, the no-holds-barred-hold-on-tight-never-let-go, and explode.
I’m 35, heading out of the session, into the busy exhibition halls of Spikes, and I get a call from one of our account directors back home. Says a big pitch presentation is a week away.
And I’m still 35, just now one week after, in a big board room, presenting our work, never holding anything back.
Quietly, I bring out my laser sword.
ABOUT REY TIEMPO
Rey Tiempo is Executive Creative Director at Dentsu Philippines. His secret identity can sometimes be spotted at night, prowling the Street Fighter arcades in Time Zone Greenbelt. Challengers welcome.
