You don’t need to see Nic Cage wig out over Pachinko or Schwarzenegger ride an energy drink rocket to know Japanese commercials often reach Dadaist levels of delightful weirdness. All the same, this vintage promo for a Link to the Past–with its far-too-fleeting glimpse of a Legend of Zelda rap dance musical–stands out for covering several stripes of strange at once. Watch on.
What tickles you most? The Thriller-esque line dance of skeletons, witches, and other creatures? The enormous Ganon-boar puppet that literally blows up towards the end? Maybe the funky rap that pitches this new Zelda game and the Super Famicon (or “Super Nintendo,” as we know it) with equal aplomb? Perhaps some translated lyrics will boost your appreciation of the latter?
It’s coming, coming, The Legend of Zelda
It’s coming, coming, coming, coming, finally coming
This adventure is gorgeous!
Soon you too will be able to experience the realism
This one’s a tough one
Puzzle-solving action with amazing graphics
You’ll get caught up without getting confused
It’s for the Super Famicom, of course
Watch out! It’s here! Go, Link!
Catchy and informative, at once. “Nerdcore rap” goes back farther than we’d have thought, apparently.
It’s tempting to write this off as “so 90s,” but stage productions of anime, and anime-esque, adventure titles are still very much a thing in Japan. The oft-violent fight shonen, Hunter X Hunter, got one. Gurren Lagann got one, despite the seeming impracticality of staging mech suits in theater. Even Death Note got one (and with Broadway-ready material by talent whose credits included Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang and Whitney Houston songs, no less).
Still, an official, full-length Zelda musical has yet to materialize. Don’t fret, though. The boon of YouTube keeps giving. Check out this cute local theater production of Ocarina of Time for now.
Featured Image Credit: Nintendo