No, that’s not a digital effect you’re seeing in the picture above, just some good old fashioned Bunraku-style puppetry from Japan.

Recently I wrote about Kasou Taisho, a crazy-fun Japanese TV show where amateur groups of black-clad performers compete for prizes by staging skits and routines using Bunraku puppetry techniques. The show is extremely popular in Japan and I can’t help but think that it probably inspired this Pepsi ad featuring a Bunraku-style performance that would be right at home on Kasou Taishou. Watch it and see for yourself!