McDonald’s has released the first official promo for its upcoming collaboration with Pierrot, the anime studio behind Naruto, Bleach and Yu Yu Hakusho.
Featured on McDonald’s official X (formerly Twitter) page, the aforementioned ad highlights a limited-time mystery anime event scheduled to begin at participating restaurants starting on the 26th February Although the exact nature of the event remains unclear, the ad features a VS-style confrontation between two unnamed characters that gives it a distinct shounen feel. The video also teases the appearance of a “new world,” suggesting the possibility of more projects featuring these animated characters.
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McDonald’s and Official Anime collaborations go hand in hand
McDonald’s is no stranger to the world of anime, as the Japanese branch of the iconic fast food chain regularly uses the popular medium to advertise its products. In 2022, Tetsuo Hara, the main illustrator for the classic Fist of the North Star, created an animated advertisement for a limited-time menu item called “Samurai Mac.” Hara’s video features a muscular anime character climbing a rocky mountain in pursuit of a delicious sandwich. The following year, McDonald’s announced the “Night Mac” campaign, which included six different ads that evoked the peaceful, nostalgic feelings associated with the slice-of-life cartoon genre. These ads are tied together by a simple theme: “There’s nothing special about happy times.”
Pierrot has produced some of Japan’s most successful anime titles. In 2002, the studio adaptation of Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto manga debuted on Japanese television and quickly became a huge hit with viewers. The orange-clad ninja’s popularity only increased over time, leading to several additional film and television adaptations. After Naruto Shippuden ended, the franchise’s legacy continued through Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, which chronicled the journey of Naruto’s son. Boruto season 1 ended in March 2023 and fans are now eagerly waiting for updates on the anime’s next season, which will likely cover the events of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex .
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Two years after Naruto, Pierrot continued its success with another popular shounen title, Bleach. Adapted from the manga of the same name by Tite Kubo, Bleach follows the adventures of a 15-year-old high school student named Ichigo Kurosaki, who possesses the power of the God of Death known as Shinigami. On behalf of an organization called the Soul Society, he fights to protect humanity from the evil spirits that frequently enter the human world. The original Bleach anime series aired from October 2004 to March 2012. In 2022, Pierrot revived the series with the release of Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War, which chronicles the violent confrontation between the Soul Society and a The rebel faction was called “Wandenreich”. Season 3 is expected to premiere in spring 2024.
Source: X (formerly Twitter)