Now if only MRT railway construction was as dramatic and stunning as this ad portrays, there would be hundreds of appropriately qualified applicants lining up to run for SMRT’s chief executive.
Though this ad is by no means a commercial for the embattled public transport operator, it’s a winsomely animated look at what goes on behind the scenes in the construction of the upcoming Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL).
Directed by highly acclaimed anime director Makoto Shinkai, the commercial was actually created for Taisei Corporation — the Japanese company contracted to expand the Marina Bay MRT station into an interchange that’ll connect the current North-South and Circle Lines with the future Thomson Line. Taisei Corporation was previously involved in the construction of Circle Line’s Marymount, Caldecott, Botanic Gardens, and Farrer Road MRT stations, as well as the Downtown station on the Downtown Line.
But back to the commercial. The 30-second TV spot revolves around a Japanese engineer by the name of Ayano, who’s adjusting to life in Singapore while working on the TEL project. Sure, the iconic landscapes of Singapore may have received the anime treatment through A Place Further Than The Universe and Cowboy Bebop, but none have been as gorgeous and intricately detailed as this commercial.
But it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s familiar with the ad’s director, Makoto Shinkai. The man is responsible for Your Name, only the highest-grossing anime film of all time and a highly-praised piece of art — enough to garner the attention of director JJ Abrams, who wants to turn it into a live-action Hollywood flick.
It also shouldn’t be surprising that Singapore’s landmarks are depicted with surprising accuracy — Your Name is known for its brilliantly meticulous reproduction of real-life Tokyo cityscapes.
If only someone could get Makoto to produce a feature-length anime version of railway construction, we probably wouldn’t gripe so much about it. The first stage of the TEL is expected to be completed soon, with the Woodlands North, Woodlands, and Woodlands South MRT stations expected to open sometime this year.
