Acura — Chiaki's Journey / MullenLowe U.S.

We created an original anime series that mirrored Acura’s story.

In the mid 80s, Acura erupted out of Japan with iconic cars like the Integra and NSX, putting the automotive world of performance-premium on notice. But by the mid 2000s, Acura had lost sight of what made them famous, and shifted their focus to family SUVs, simultaneously discontinuing the brands Type-S line of performance cars completely. 2022, it was time for a comeback. A return to Acura’s roots, and a return to the lineup for Type-S, with all-new products. Now nearly invisible in the market, we needed a vessel to tell the importance of that story that would stick, and we needed it to resonate with a Millennial and Gen Z audience who have likely never even heard of Acura, let alone considered them. Enter anime.

To start, we had to create an entire world from the ground up including a full cast of characters, unique locations, overall look, and of course the story to drive it all. Our hero and underdog, Chiaki: a young racecar driver fighting her way on to the track, represents Acura’s place in the market now.

Our wise mentor: Uncle Noboru, a racing legend who shows Chiaki the discipline it takes to win on the track and defeat the competition, represents Acura’s esteemed racing past.

And her nemesis, Erich: An arrogant and established driver with enough family wealth to buy his skill, represents the monolithic European competition.