Danica Davidson
September 4, 2024 
McDonald’s Japan is really into making its own anime ads! The latest example is for its tsukimi (translated as “moon-viewing”) menu, including the tsukimi burger. This is a seasonal offering in Japan, kind of like how in America pumpkin-flavored things are seasonal at many places in autumn.
McDonald’s Japan tweeted this ad with the note, “Please watch until the end.”
最後まで見てください。#永遠につづく月見
※タップしてご覧ください pic.twitter.com/uoIdWvQ4jX
— マクドナルド (@McDonaldsJapan) September 3, 2024
The video is full of nods to Japanese culture, as well as nods to McDonald’s food (like their Kinako Mochi and Anko Tsukimi Pies). Examples of Japanese culture, besides the obvious moon parts, include the use of rabbits, because of old stories that bunnies live on the moon. The art was done by Fumi Futamori.
The ad keeps changing its scenery, with a shadowed hand zooming in again and again to new scenes. Playing in the background is song “Mikazuki” (translated as “Crescent Moon”) performed by Ayaka. There is also a nod to the old legend of Princess Kaguya, whom you can see in a stalk of bamboo.
McDonald’s Japan recently came out with some Kiki’s Delivery Service ads. Like Princess Kaguya, Kiki’s Delivery Service is from an older story (though nowhere near as old), and both have been adapted into movies by Studio Ghibli. Still, these McDonald’s ads are separate from Studio Ghibli, though they probably intrigue a lot of Ghibli fans.
GKIDS gave this description for The Tale of Princess Kaguya:
The Tale of Princess Kaguya Synopsis
From Studio Ghibli, the studio that brought you the Academy Award®-winning Spirited Away, comes a powerful and soaring epic that redefines animated storytelling and marks a triumphant highpoint within an extraordinary filmmaking career for director and studio co-founder Isao Takahata.
Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her – but ultimately, she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime. Featuring the voice talents of James Caan, John Cho, Darren Criss, Lucy Liu, James Marsden, and Chloë Grace Moretz, director Isao Takahata’s final film was nominated for an Academy Award® and hailed as a masterpiece by critics.
Source: SoraNews24
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
