Hello! Project member Kumai-chan appeared in NTT Docomo’s new commercial, the “Poincot and Countdown” spot, and it’s got people talking. Thread posters traded reports that it topped 500,000 views within about 11 hours of release, though the exact number was disputed — some said 530,000, others 550,000. Talk soon turned to how the iPhone 18 Pro looks tiny in the hands of the 5’11” (180cm) Kumai-chan, which spiraled into comparisons with other Hello! Project members who’ve done commercials before, along with plenty of guesses about the thinking behind the casting.
Kasahara's just a Galaxy girl at the end of the day (she's known for Samsung Galaxy ads)
8AnonymousOct 9, 2026 21:50
Wait, is that really Kumai?
10AnonymousOct 9, 2026 21:51
550K views as of 11 hours ago
Guess it's running as a paid ad
11AnonymousOct 9, 2026 21:51
No lines for her, so she still couldn't top Jokagoryo's Mac commercial
12AnonymousOct 9, 2026 21:52
It's not 550K, it's 530K, oops
14AnonymousOct 9, 2026 21:53
Whoever cast her is way too much of an otaku
18AnonymousOct 9, 2026 21:54
That's a seriously major sponsor right there
20AnonymousOct 9, 2026 21:56
Doesn't it look way too big when Kumai-chan's the one holding it?!
21AnonymousOct 9, 2026 21:58
Never thought her height would come in handy like THIS
23AnonymousOct 9, 2026 21:59
Could Kumai-chan actually pull off being a Paris Fashion Week model?
26AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:02
Re: #23
She'd need to speak decent English for that, which makes it tough
Age-wise it's rough too
25AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:01
Kumai-chan's in the commercial but still can't afford an iPhone 18 Pro herself
28AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:05
What even is that, nyan~? (cutesy cat-speak)
29AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:06
It's less 'big' and more 'long'
30AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:06
Why can't Juice=Juice ever land a commercial?
32AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:07
Juice=Juice did a Mac ad too, you know
Same club then
33AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:08
Wonder if Kumai-chan actually knows the difference between 'eighteen' and 'eighty'
36AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:16
Kumai-chan's weirdly-huge-but-cute slot gets passed down to Homatan now
37AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:17
Nice catch
There's zero explanation for that in the ad itself
38AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:17
If they're even reading meaning into her height, that's way too otaku
40AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:18
Docomo's signal is garbage, but if Kumai-chan became the antenna herself we'd probably get full bars
42AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:25
Guess it's 'Pro' because Hello! 'Pro'ject?
46AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:27
Re: #42
If they actually said that in the pitch meeting and it got approved, that's hilarious 🤣
44AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:26
That one's probably berry-colored, I'd guess
51AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:30
Re: #44
Oh wow, you're right!!
48AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:28
Big really is best after all
Though the 18 Pro isn't even that big to begin with
49AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:29
She looks so cool, but underneath she's just a big softy bear (pun on 'Kuma' = bear in her name)
50AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:29
She just blew right past Airi in one shot
58AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:37
Re: #50
Airi's got three TV commercials airing right now
60AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:40
Re: #58
Airi in that personal government bond ad is so cute
63AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:42
Re: #58
She's doing great as a talent these days
Her dad must be proud too
59AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:39
They cast a tall person on purpose just to trick you into misjudging the size
62AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:42
An iPad mini would be the perfectly-sized device for Kumai-chan
64AnonymousOct 9, 2026 22:43
Oh, it's Kumai-chan
I thought the one standing in front was Sawagoro
Background and Key Points
The view-count figures floating around the thread — “530,000 views in 11 hours” versus “550,000 views” — didn’t even agree among the posters themselves, so it’s worth noting these are fan guesses, not an official number. In Hello! Project-related commercials, it’s standard fan practice to compare members’ past appearances and view counts, and this thread was no exception, with repeated comparisons to the commercial track records of members like Jokagoryo, Juri, and Airi. This isn’t really about ranking individuals so much as it’s fans reading into how commercial opportunities circulate within the group — a bit different from simple one-upmanship. The fact that she was cast with no lines also became a talking point, since it suggests the ad leaned on visual impact (her height and presence) over voice, fueling plenty of speculation about the casting’s intent. The jabs about Docomo’s weak reception are best read as the usual self-deprecating carrier humor rather than genuine criticism.
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