You’re likely familiar with “legally distinct” parodies of brand name products if you’ve been watching anime for any time length. The most recognizable of these is WcDonald’s. Simply flipping the M to a W gifted endless memes and humor for us. Capitalizing on this, McDonald’s has finally made anime real by giving us a full-blown WcDonald’s promotion. I had the chance to try the sauce. While I didn’t find it as good as their Szechuan sauce, it was a nice change of pace with some spice. Ironically, it was one of the few things I could taste as I battled COVID-19. Another J-List writer gives a much stronger endorsement and says, “Any fan of McNuggets should try it.” Alongside the sauce, the fast-food packaging saw a complete overhaul, with WcDonald’s logos and katakana. Bags have cute little manga panels starring their original characters.
But the most surprising bit has been the animated shorts produced by Studio Pierrot, known for Naruto, Bleach, and Tokyo Ghoul. Currently, three are available to watch and are short 30-second ads. Despite the brevity, they’re very high quality, with good animation and a few charming character designs. I’m a bit bummed they didn’t do a full-on collaboration with The Devil Is a Part-Timer, but I’ll take what I can get. This WcDonald’s isekai promo isn’t the first time fast food has tapped otaku culture with too much effort. Remember that official Colonel Sanders dating sim? All that said, I find it charming and a cute little love letter to otaku culture. The sauce is good, and it’s nice to see a mainstream Western company embrace otaku culture for once, even if it’s for a simple promotion like this.
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But what do you think? Are promotions like these fun, high-effort love letters, or does it just feel like a corporate cash grab? Have you tried the WcDonald’s sauce? If so, what do you think? Let us know below! Speaking of food, we still have some snack boxes left. If you want to try some authentic Japanese treats, this is the best way!
