Having whatever you’re watching on YouTube interrupted by a 25-minute-long video ad can surely be nothing but annoying, right? But what if the ad was just a whole episode of one of this season’s most anticipated anime titles? Yostar’s latest marketing strategy for Blue Archive The Animation lets YouTube users randomly view the show’s entire first episode for free in the form of an ad (if their “skip ad” reflex doesn’t kick in too quickly).

Produced by Yostar and Studio Candybox, Blue Archive: The Animation adapts Nexon’s hit mobile tactical RPG Blue Archive. The anime premiered on April 7, and was met with a generally positive response, earning praise for its animation. Apart from airing on Japanese television, Blue Archive is streaming across multiple platforms in Asian regions. With the second episode out, the show’s outlandish YouTube marketing has successfully created buzz on social media as users stumble upon the “RNG free first episode.”

Youtubeの広告25分で何事かと思ってたら、急にブルアカアニメ始まってて草 pic.twitter.com/4eyOZDkH6r
— ターンタップ (@tarn_tap) April 13, 2024

Post translation: Just as I was thinking “what’s this 25-minute-long ad on YouTube,” Blue Archive started playing (laughs).

Reactions to Yostar’s ad have been almost entirely positive, with users commenting, “This is the first time I’ve regretted my YouTube Premium subscription,” and “I love when corporations show their unhinged side.”

Ironically, while one would think that the episode being an ad itself would mean that you can watch it without the interruption of ads, it seems that the ad actually contains smaller ads for the Blue Archive app. “They’re really just doing whatever they want to,” the poster comments.

On the subject of long YouTube ads, there’s currently an entire short film by Takashi Miike (based on a manga by Osamu Tezuka) that pops up as an ad on YouTube. It’s actually advertising the latest iPhone, but the ad doesn’t tell you that until around the 20 minute mark.