The catalyst for the change, almost everyone agrees, has been Japan's raging love affair with Korean culture that took everyone here by surprise two years ago.
The phenomenon was spearheaded by a drama series called "Winter Sonata," a tragic love story featuring Bae Yong Joon, a South Korean actor affectionately referred to as Yon-sama in Japan. With his baby face and great teeth, Yon-sama, 33, flutters the hearts of Japanese women in their 30s and older, who tell market researchers he rekindles the romantic urges they felt in their youth.
Yup, this guy is the best thing since sliced bread in Japan now and he is the kind of person that advertisers want to sell things. The article goes on to say:
It's a demographic that makes marketers swoon, too. Yon-sama is now the biggest foreign star in Japan. Bigger than Brad. Bigger than Leo. Dozens of Japanese companies are desperate to attach their brand to Yon-sama, or at least to find the next great Korean star.
"Five years ago, two years ago even, I could never have imagined this happening," said Tomoko Kamiguchi of Dentsu Casting & Entertainment, which negotiates with talent agencies to get stars for its clients' ads.
So is seems that American stars aren't such a big deal anymore in Japan. They have wan Koreans to fawn over nowadays. I mean this guy isn't the most manly looking guy on block but
he moves the product in Japan. I wonder if the reason for this guy popularity is his non-threatening and metrosexual look? This could be the reason why Richard Gere is still making money in Japan. He seems anything but manly nowadays. He's more of a peaceful Buddahman. Even that Nick Cage ad mentioned in this article was 4 years ago before this Yon-sama burst (well crept preciously) onto the scene.
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