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Creative BBC Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Anime, arcades and J-pop: BBC hypes Tokyo 2020 Olympics with ‘Let’s Go There’ ad

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

June 30, 2021 | 2 min read

With Tokyo 2020 fast approaching, the BBC has released the trailer for its coverage of the delayed tournament, bringing viewers to a wholly Japanese land buzzing for the upcoming visit of the world’s best athletes.

BBC Creative launches its Tokyo 2020 Olympics trailer

The adventure takes us through street signs, shops, an arcade, a Gashapon parlor, a sport fanatic’s bedroom and a J-pop music video – and this one’s for Easter Egg hunters, filled to the brim with nod-worthy references.

Tim Jones, BBC Creative Director, says: “Every frame of the film is rich with detail, fully immersing our audiences in a Tokyo where the Olympics has already taken over.” With attendances to be at an all-time low, it appears the Beeb has gone to extra efforts to give audiences a taste of the host nation.

Jones continues: “An Olympics hosted in Tokyo was a real gift – a city rich in pop culture, hosting the world’s most eclectic sporting event. It gave us the opportunity to push our campaign both conceptually and in its execution. And we couldn’t be prouder to be (finally) sharing it.”

Japanese artist and designer Fantasista Utamaro helped the team weave together the artwork and animation with Factory Fifteen, the directorial collective made up of Kibwe Tavares, Jonathan Gales and Paul Nichols.

The epic track comes from anime composer Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell, Avalon and Hyakkin).

The ad premiered on Tuesday 29 June during England’s last 16 European Championship tie against Germany. It will sit across the BBC’s Olympics programming, with the titles version bringing viewers from a futuristic cityscape to the BBC’s brand new virtual reality studio, featuring a spectacular backdrop of the host city.

BBC: advert-body-1 by BBC Creative

By BBC

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Creative BBC Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

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