Anime and manga fans know all about WcDonald’s. It’s the fictional counterpart to the world’s most famous fast food chain. That version has appeared in countless shows and movies. Now McDonald’s is making that fantasy iteration of its restaurant real. It’s partnering with some of anime’s biggest names to launch WcDonald’s experiences around the world. The collaboration will even involve a special sauce and art. But that’s just the start. McDonald’s has also announced this special event will also serve up an original WcDonald’s manga and a short anime series.
WcDonald’s Is Coming and so Are WcNuggets
Starting on February 26, hungry anime fans in 30 markets around the globe will get to eat at an actual WcDonald’s, as McDonald’s transforms its locations into its anime version. The celebration will include a new Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce to go with your Chicken “WcNuggets.” It’s made of ginger, garlic, soy and the heat f chili flakes.
McDonald’s has also teamed-up with Japanese manga illustrator Acky Bright for custom WcDonald’s art. For a limited time, “fans will receive manga-inspired packaging featuring WcDonald’s Crew characters, sketched by Acky himself.” Packaging will also come with a scannable code that will let you “access weekly digital manga drops that star a full cast of WcDonald’s Customers and Crew, including Hashirune, a WcDonald’s regular, Mr. Bev, the Crew jokester, WcDizer 3000, WcDonald’s very own mecha, and many more.”
McDonald’s Is Launching an Anime Series
The fast food chain is also launching its own four-part WcDonald’s anime series produced by animation house studio pierrot. For four Mondays, fans can tune into a new short, each accompanied by its own manga. They will follow the “flavorful world of WcDonald’s” for a “story about the WcDonald’s Sauce and WcNuggets unfold each week.”
You can find the shorts either on WcDonalds.com or via a code on your WcDonald’s bag. McDonald’s says each will honor four of anime’s most important subgenres: Action, Romance, Mecha, and Fantasy. They’ll include (in release order):
- The Race to WcDonald’s: A rivalry strong enough to withstand the test of time as our two heroes embark on an epic race to WcDonald’s.
- Love from Across the Booth: Our two protagonists discover the WcDonald’s Sauce and WcNuggets aren’t the only perfect pairing.
- WcNuggets Space Frontier 3000: A team of WcDonald’s pilots must protect the last WcNugget against an ominous force.
- The Wisdom of the Sauce: Three women are transported to a distant land to unravel the mystery surrounding the elusive sauce before it’s gone forever.
You Can Watch Episodes of the McDonald’s Anime Now
The first episode of McDonald’s anime series is now live. You can watch The Race to WcDonald’s, which honors action-oriented anime series, below. McDonald’s second anime short, Love From Across the Booth, which honors romance, has also released. The episodes are available both in English (a dub, if you will) and Japenese with English subtitles.
The Race to WcDonald‘s
The description of this anime short shares, “WcDonald’s Sauce has arrived, marking the moment everyone has eagerly anticipated. The announcement excites fans across the land, sparking an all-out, action-filled race between two strangers to be the first to experience this long-awaited delicacy. Find out who comes out on top in the race to WcDonald’s.”
Love From Across the Booth
The description of this anime short shares, “It’s Friday afternoon, and Kazuki finds himself at WcDonald’s waiting to try the new WcDonald’s Sauce. To his surprise, Shizuru, his crush from college, appears.When they decide to share a booth, only one question lingers in the air for both of them: “Is this……… a date???” Tension mounts as the weight of this question rests on the shoulders of these two potential love interests.”
WcDonald’s Is Launching an Immersive Experience
In addition to its site, more information about WcDonald’s–including the first official immersive experience that will take place in Los Angeles on March 9 and 10, is available here. And if that sauce is as good as it sounds it could be the tastiest anime experience anyone has ever had. At least it will be in the real world.
Originally published on February 23, 2024.