Today, in News I Didn’t Expect To Ever Write, I bring to you Souji Souai LOVE, a free game by chemical and cosmetics giant Kao Corporation that stars idols, only the idols are cleaning products. As in… their heads are bottles of detergent and other products. Japan once again proves its marketing game is centuries ahead of the rest of the world’s.
The shocking news came to our attention via Automaton. The site details the game is a 20-minute visual novel-style sim that has players embody a “rookie producer” tasked with making sure the group Shining4’s debut performance isn’t a failure. In traditional VN fashion, you must get to know each team member better and help them with menial tasks, such as… cleaning toilets (using their heads, I guess).
“It’s exactly like one of my wacky animes,” you might be thinking, and yeah, you’re totally right. Souji Souai LOVE doesn’t feature little girls transforming into cars after drinking gas, but it’s odd enough from the get-go, and its catchy central song goes the extra mile to sell us on Kao’s pitch:
Watch on YouTube
Needless to say, a decent amount of money, time, and talent went into this marketing stunt, and Japanese social media users are shocked the company even got singer and voice actor Yoshiki Nakajima (The Idolmaster: SideM) and J-pop artist Kent Ito, among others, to voice these characters. “The four idols are Kyukyutto (dish soap), Bath Magiclin (bathtub cleaner), Toilet Magiclin (toilet bowl cleaner), and Quickle Wiper Three-dimensional Wet Sheets (for cleaning floors), all based on real-life products,” Automaton’s report revealed.
The game can be played through Kao’s official homepage and works on PC and mobile. It may not be for everyone, but considering how much time the average Internet user spends every day doomscrolling on social media, this seems like a better use of a fraction of one’s daily phone time.







