The new color of manners

Old message, new poster

We had "Do it at home," "Do it again," and, last year, the best slogan ever: "!?" (I'm pretending the long, dark year of soft-focus wittle baby animals never happened.) Now we have one of those examples of Japanese, common in slogans, that's so simple it's near impossible to translate: "Manner is heart." Manners are thoughtfulness? Hrm. The big heart frame and little heart that the man is leaving behind as he rushes mannerlessly between the closing doors suggests they were feeling literal with "heart" for "kokoro." This is how iffy words like "heartfully" start to sound right after a while. And then there's the katakana "smart" below. "As you start your new life*, give yourself extra time and go smart!" Again, not too satisfying. Especially because "smart" usually means, confusingly, to be slim. The scoldy part is straightforward: "Jumping on the train at the last minute is dangerous. It causes train delays."
This poster is alright overall, has kind of a benign retro-American feel**. Will these two be recurring characters? Will breaking the manners code always result in leaving a little heart behind? Will the color change every month, or is pink the new yellow? Stay tuned til next month!



*The "new life" thing is because people are graduating and starting new jobs.
**Someone who knows things could probably get more specific about the stylistic reference. Weigh on in if that's you!