The Race is on to WCDONALD’S with Chapter 1 of the Manga!

WcDonald's THE MANGA Chapter 01
Illustrations and Art: Acky Bright
Published by McDonalds
https://www.wcdonalds.com

Never would I’ve thought WcDonald’s The Manga would even be a factor that is revealed by McDonald’s and selling their meals. But this sort of quick meals marketing campaign is uncommon in the United States. The final time I can recall McDonald’s doing one thing like this is with The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald manner again in 1998 to 2003 on VHS tapes you could possibly purchase at the restaurant (bear in mind VHS tapes? Oh God, I’m outdated!). 

Cut to 2024, and McDonald’s started a promotional marketing campaign as an hommage to the identify used for many years in manga and anime to refer to McDonald’s: WcDonald’s. They commissioned the Japanese Animation Studio Pierrot (Urusei Yatsura, Bleach, Naruto) to make 4 anime minisodes of roughly 30 seconds in size in addition to Japanese Illustrator Acky Bright to do the illustrations and artwork for the WcDonald’s Manga. 

As of February twenty sixth, the first chapter of the manga and the first minisode can be found on the WcDonald’s web site however can solely be accessed in the event you scan the QR code that comes with every limited-time WcDonald’s paper bag at collaborating McDonald’s eating places. However, in the event you don’t have the cash or time to go to McDonald’s, yow will discover printed copies of the WcDonald’s manga in choose shops throughout the U.S. 

The first chapter titled The Race to WcDonald’s begins with a brief in-story advert from WcDonald’s selling the new savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce (spicy!) to be used with the Chicken WcNuggets. The chapter then leads right into a race between our two characters: Miteru, a person sporting sun shades and the thickest and spikiest eyebrows I’ve ever seen, and Hashirune, a Champion Driver who I can see some artists on Twitter wishing for her to “step on them.”

The chapter has a pleasant sense of humor. It throws two characters in places that might not usually be between a park and an area WcDonald’s. In their desperation to purchase the scrumptious fried meals, they exhibit some very inhuman ranges of energy and energy from slicing by way of bushes, acrobatics, superspeed, and even super-saiyan-like powerups simply to get to WcDonald’s first. Of course, it calls upon tropes from anime and manga to pull it off, however I’m impressed by the panel-to-panel comedic timing elevated by Bright’s illustrations, which at present final solely 24 pages.

The artwork is superb. Bright’s work feels fluid regardless of the easy line artwork and is given depth by her use of grayscale tones and blacks to emphasize the clothes and hair, permitting the distinctive designs of the WcDonald’s characters to stand out panel to panel. The poses are additionally dynamic and full of power; you’ll be able to nearly really feel these characters transferring regardless of it being simply an illustration.

In tandem with the comedic timing, her artwork additionally shows a range of detailed to cartoonish facial expressions to show the ideas, reactions, and feelings of the characters to the reader. It’s simply superb work on her finish. The background artwork is easy and solely detailed when establishing particular places all through the chapter whereas not visually distracting from the characters. 

I’m pleasantly stunned to say I loved this. Had I not identified that this is all promotion for and paid for by McDonald’s, I might have taken this on the floor as a enjoyable, energetic parody of McDonald’s, placing varied anime and manga tropes to use to convey out the humor from a easy premise corresponding to a “race to get the new chicken WcNugget first.” I do look ahead to what the subsequent chapter shall be like. Will it straight comply with up the story from this primary chapter, or will or not it’s extra of an anthology story masking completely different settings and characters surrounding WcDonald’s/McDonald’s as a model? Find out subsequent week on WcDonald’s The Manga!! 

You can learn the first chapter of WcDonald’s the Manga on the WcDonald’s web site in the event you scan a QR code on paper WcDonald’s baggage. You may also watch the first minisode on the McDonald’s YouTube channel. Feel free to comply with McDonald’s on X/Twitter for extra information on the WcDonald’s marketing campaign and the WcDonald’s Universe. 

While you’re at it I additionally extremely suggest giving a comply with to the WcDonald’s Manga illustrator, Acky Bright, on X/Twitter as properly for her superb illustrations on show there!