Aya Ueto and Dante Carver show Softbank Mobile’s new handsets.

'Uncle' Tarantino becomes newest member of Softbank's 'White Family'

Wednesday 11th November, 12:00 PM JST

TOKYO —

Softbank Mobile’s TV commercial family, the Shiratos, now have a new member. Director Quentin Tarantino will play an uncle to actress Aya Ueto in the wacky “White Family” that appears in the mobile phone provider’s TV commercials and posters.

Tarantino, 46, plays “Tara-chan,” Ueto’s Sakamoto Ryoma-loving uncle. The actress said of filming the commercial, which Tarantino did while he was in Japan last week to promote “Inglourious Basterds,” that “he ad-libbed his whole samurai persona and was so enthusiastic. His energy was really surprising.”

Ueto joked around about pestering her new-found uncle for a movie role. “He’s a really kind director… maybe I’ll ask him to make a Hollywood movie about the Shirato family.”

In the ads, Ueto and American actor Dante Carver are siblings, while Kanako Higuchi is the mother and a white dog is the father of the family.

Meanwhile, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son used the occasion to announce that Softbank Mobile will add to its lineup its first phone using Google Inc’s Android operating system in the spring. He added that the phone would feature an OLED screen.

Wire reports

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Latest 15 of 37 Total Comments Show All

LFRAgain at 07:23 AM JST - 12th November

"Foreigners think Japanese shows and CM's are really creative and funny but fail to realize that Japanese are actually trying to make serious shows and CM's"

Ummmmm... No.

The Softbank commercials are actually pretty creative and pretty funny. As they were intended to be. Adding Tarantino to the mix should make for an interesting twist.
chuckers at 09:21 AM JST - 12th November

Dante Culver pictured above

Dante Carver. The article has it misspelled as well in the 4th paragraph. Or, it did at the time of this writing.
GJDailleult at 09:43 AM JST - 12th November

Myself, I think Japanese commercials are often creative and funny, and Japanese shows are (obviously) not. And I know a Japanese TV producer who has the same opinion.
PepinGalarga at 10:09 AM JST - 12th November

Tarantino also directed? They didn't really specify. If he did, then i will be sure not to miss it. I hope it's something like Dusk to Dawn, but without the gore.
5SpeedRacer5 at 02:24 PM JST - 12th November

I guess everyone has a funny uncle.
almondjoy at 02:58 PM JST - 12th November

I like the softbank CM's but most of the other crap is just annoying and retarded.

GJDailleult:

and Japanese shows are (obviously) not.

You haven't seen Maid Detective!!?? Come on now, Maid plus Detective epic example of creative possibilites.

but seriously people.... POCKY CM'S make me wanna break things
LFRAgain at 07:17 PM JST - 12th November

Yeah, the Pocky commercials can be annoying. Personally, I have a special hatred reserved for those ridiculous Watering Kiss candy commercials with the young 20-something slobering all over herself while trying to talk tough with one of the aformentioned candies in her mouth.
dragonash81 at 09:57 PM JST - 12th November

I forgot tarantino is such a genius, hey maybe better than hitchcock?! don't people understand he has lifted everything,oh! and what was his new film?...a remake.It really annoys me that in Japan if america says something is cool then that's it japan media jumps on board in a weird shameful way. why can't they just stick using real talent like abe hiroshi.
eigonosensei at 01:11 AM JST - 13th November

"Why would you not use a picture of Tarantino in this article?"

Moderator: Because the commercial hasn't been finished yet.

The commercial doesn't need to be finished in order to show (any) photo of Tarantino.

Moderator: Well, then, since we already used a photo of him in the previous Entertainment story this morning (with Brad Pitt), we thought it would be better to use a different photo for this story.

How about cut out the lower half of Ueto and Dante's photo and then have Tarantino's big smiling mug below theirs? Then you would have all three.
dragonash81 at 06:45 AM JST - 13th November

I lived in Japan for 8 years when every I see these kind of guys in ads & think what the hell have they got to do with anything?maybe they should use me drinking boss coffee in my pants cross eyed for a cm.I know ads are terrible anyway but no need to double the pain.
gogogo at 03:08 PM JST - 13th November

LFRAgain: ummmmmm no, you obviously don't speak Japanese too well or have lived in Japan for any extended period of time.
LoveUSA at 09:13 PM JST - 13th November

Dante is very nice in the photo, what a style.
LFRAgain at 09:51 AM JST - 14th November

gogogo,

Hmmm... You must be right. My Japanese co-workers, Japanese students, and Japanese wife must all be simply wrong, and are mistakenly finding the Softbank White Family commercials to be amusing. I suppose the All Japan Radio and Television Commercial Federation was wrong, too, when it mistakenly found the commercials to be amusing enough to deserve the grand prize in last year's awards competition. Whew! Thanks for setting the record straight, gogogo.

(Now, how do we go about letting all these Japanese who seem to laugh out loud at these commercials to understand that their Japanese comprehension is just abysmal?)
seeker1 at 01:05 PM JST - 14th November

I think this series of commercials is great, but I wonder if Tarantino is Kai's brother, or his wife's brother. Should have used Brad Pitt as the black sheep cousin, the beard he's sporting now would be perfect.
LoveUSA at 10:20 PM JST - 14th November

Should have used Brad Pitt as the black sheep cousin, the beard he's sporting now would be perfect.

I prefer Dante than Brad Pitt cause Dante is more handsome and has a better dressing style.