Summary
If you have ever watched an anime with a fast food chain in the story, either as a focus point or just in the background, there’s a high chance that it had the name WcDonald’s. And no, that is not a typo! Most anime that need to throw in a fast food chain uses thissame popular parody, and it is well-known by anime fans who keep their eyes on the background and details of their favorite shows. WcDonald’s has always been just that - a parody of a real fast food chain in the anime world. That is, until now.
On February 22 at 12:32 am Japan time, the McDonald’s X, formerlyTwitter, account posted a very mysterious tweet. It read, “a new universe is coming. Level up with WcDonalds sauce and wcnuggets 2.26,” in all lowercase typeset just like this. What really got everyone even more excited than this strange message, though, was the image that was released along with the tweet. The image shows a collage of different anime-style characters around the WcDonald’s logo and the date February 26.
What Does the Weird McDonald’s Anime Tweet Mean?
So what exactly does this cryptic message mean? For a limited time only, starting on February 26, the previously anime-only fast food chain WcDonald’s will become a reality.
In 30 different markets around the world, WcDonald’s food and products are going to be available. There is even aWcDonald’s official websiteintroducing original characters that are going to be part of this special event, along with a timeline of what is going to happen, kicking off on February 26th. And it won’t just be anime, either, because WcDonald’s is going to be somewhere you may visit and even eat at as well!
What Makes this WcDonald’s Event Special?
The WcDonald’s event will be taking place in 30 countries around the world with the release of some special items. The mysterious original tweet has hinted at them, and now we know that there will be a savory chili sauce for the WcNuggets, described on the website as a “unique combination of ginger, garlic and soy with a slight heat from chili flakes.”
Additionally, the promotional art for the event and character designs have been made through the work of Japanese illustrator Acky Bright and anime studio Studio Pierrot (Bleach,Naruto,Akira). Four original anime episodes and four manga chapters set in the new WcDonald’s universe are also set to be released, one each week of the campaign, via the WcDonald’s website. They will be released every Monday starting from February 26th.
Finally, one immersive WcDonald’s location has been announced in Los Angeles on March 9 and 10 only.
…[a] multi-sensory restaurant that will offer an exciting fusion of entertainment and food….diners “will be transported into the WcDonald’s universe through 360 projection mapping and immersive tabletop projections inspired by the four WcDonald’s anime episodic shorts — all while enjoying a set menu of WcDonald’s items.
Why Can’t Anime Just Use the McDonald’s Name?
So why can’t anime just say that the characters are working at or visiting McDonald’s? The short answer is copyright infringement. Most anime do not want to pay a fee just to have the McDonald’s name in their show, especially when it is just appearing in the background or as a setting for something else that is happening. That is a large cost for an anime that is already expensive to make, and unnecessary when everyone has alwaysgotten away with the parody.
This all can be avoided with the simple inversion of the M into a W, and thus, WcDonald’s is born! Even the logo is similar to the original McDonald’s one, so everyone knows exactly what it is. And while some may argue that this is clearly just a way to scam McDonald’s andnot have to pay the copyright fees, well, while you may not be wrong about that, McDonald’s seems to have fully embraced the parody now considering they are behind the real-life WcDonald’s.
Whether you decide to get into the WcDonald’s craze or not is up to you. This could all be a big advertising ploy to try to entice anime fans to eat McDonald’s again amid global boycotts of the famous fast food chain. It could also be a way that the restaurant giant is trying to reach new customers, using anime’sgrowing popularity around the worldas a way to draw in new people. Whether you want to go to WcDonald’s or watch the original anime is entirely up to you, but if you do want to make it to the shop in California, reservations open on February 28th, 2024.
