Smile Like You Mean It

Y'know, sometimes the Japanese totally get it right.

I've been critical of the poor English used in Japanese advertising, on signage and on clothing, to name but a few examples. So, I think it only fair play to present to you all and to the folks at ENGRISH.COM an example of some clever and witty use of English on a freebie toothbrush and toothpaste gathered from a Novotel.

In the PET (plastic) packaging, if you look at the photo above, you'll notice the red dot... the rising sun of Japan... against the field of white. It's the Japanese flag! Awesome!

As for the English... just in case it's not clear, it reads: "Ah, you look so good to me. With my eyes open wide I can see. Ah, it feels so good to me. And it's so good when you're here'. Cause I'm free."

It ain't The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge - but wow. Kami (God) help me, but I once had Coleridge's entire poem memorized - not for school, but because I read about it in a Donald Duck comic book and wanted to be cool. Click HERE and see the third entry in - it's the 25th verse, and no I didn't need to count it before writing it here.

Anyhow, with regards to the toothbrush packaging, there's a bit of futzing with that last sentence - the apostrophe should be on the other side of the period beside the capital "C" - and I would have used a comma instead of period before that last sentence, but not bad, eh? It's probably why I still have the package after nearly 20 years.

Somewhere why looks thou so? I'm brushing up on my English,
Andrew Joseph
PS: Today's title is by The Killers: have a LISTEN
PPS: A few year's ago, my wife bought me a collection of Coleridge's poems. Now that is awesome.