Recently, an anime-styled commercial for the Indonesian state-owned bank Bank Nasional Indonesia (BNI) by Indonesian animation studio Ploopy Animations went viral online. The commercial has been available on the studio’s Instagram account and YouTube since 10 November 2024, where it has garnered over a million views.
The commercial’s launch coincided with Comic Frontier 19, where Ploopy Animations exhibited with a circle booth where it screened the commercial to visitors. When KAORI Nusantara visited the booth, we also talked with studio representatives Alexander Abel and Reynard Misae, the CEO of Ploopy Animations, and was able to interview them for more details about the commercial itself. Here’s what they had to say!
Ploopy Animations: A Jakarta-Based Studio
Despite the commercial’s anime style, Ploopy Animations’ headquarters is actually located in Kebon Jeruk, Jakarta. To achieve an authentic anime feel, the studio hired three professional seiyuu (voice actors) from Japan for the dubbing.
A Commercial that Specifically Targets Anime Fans
When we asked why BNI wanted to create a commercial with anime-style animation, Alexander and Reynard revealed something interesting: BNI specifically wanted a commercial that could promote BNI Wondr m-banking app to anime fans. After brainstorming sessions with BNI, they developed 16 storyline concepts. All of the story concepts were inspired by popular comedy anime.
BNI wanted a commercial that could connect emotionally with anime fans. Because of this, Ploopy Animations chose to craft a storyline inspired by slice-of-life anime. They didn’t just want to pay homage to anime tropes. They also researched various anime comedic moments and jokes that would resonate with otaku audiences.
The Challenge of Directing Japanese Seiyuu
Ploopy Animations faced various challenges during the project. Although BNI gave them creative freedom, the studio had to ensure the commercial delivered the client’s message correctly.
Working with Japanese seiyuu was also particularly challenging. Since the studio hired three voice actors directly from Tokyo, the team had to spend hours directing them so they could perform perfectly. One major hurdle was coaching the seiyuu to pronounce the tagline “BNI Wondr” in the Indonesian language. The team spent four hours just to make sure the voice actors could pronounce the word correctly.
Not BNI’s First Animated Advert!
Interestingly, this wasn’t Ploopy Animations’ first collaboration with BNI. Earlier in January, the studio created another animated commercial for the BNI Mobile Banking app.
Although the previous ad leaned more towards “hard selling” and wasn’t fully anime-inspired, it garnered significant attention on social media among anime fans. Because of this positive response, BNI decided to create a more anime-centric project, giving Ploopy Animations greater creative liberty this time around.
Also read:
Interview with POCARI SWEAT – Bintang SMA TV CM Director Yoshitoshi Shinomiya
The Indonesian Anime Times
