Summary
Quick Links
McDonald’s in Japan isno stranger to anime and anime collaborations, and has done many in the past. With everything from anime-themed commercials, anime-inspired menus, anime toys, and more, it seems there is no limit to what McDonald’s will do to draw otaku in. After collaborating with some of the most popular and famous series out there, it comes as a huge surprise that the fast food restaurant is only just now collaborating with one of the biggest for the first time -Neon Genesis Evangelion(hereinEvangelion).
Now,McDonald’sis collaborating withEvangelionfor the first time ever. The collaboration includes exclusive transforming figures unlike anything anyone may have in theirEvangelioncollection, and a very special preview video. The announcement came via a preview on the McDonald’s official X (formerlyTwitter) page earlier this week, which was then confirmed by the company on Thursday.
McDonald’s xEvangelion
Two Recognizable Franchises Come Together
Evangelionfirst aired in 1995, and despite being nearly 30 years old, the series has not lost any of its momentum and popularity in Japan. It remainsone of the most recognizable classic animeof all time, and often influences bits of daily life in Japanese culture. From collaborative food and drinks, pop-up events, museums, merchandise, and more,Evangelionhas not lost its hold on Japanese pop culture.
Meanwhile, McDonald’s is an internationally recognizable brand. A similar menu exists at the fast food chain all around the world, and the same “golden arches” are synonymous with the brand’s name. Without even needing to say the actual name of the company, people can recognize it from the logo alone.Evangelionis similar, with even its iconic font being recognizable for many. That is why when McDonald’s simply posted an image of the kanji for “preview” and nothing else on their X page Tuesday, in the font ofEvangelion, many people already knew what to expect.
The big reveal for the collaboration came two days later on Thursday. McDonald’s not only revealed the collaboration withEvangelion, but also a special preview video. The video previews what to expect from the collaboration, and even brought back the original voice castcomprising their roles. In just over a day, the post earned nearly 125,000 likes, 40,000 reposts, and over 1000 comments.
What is in the McDonald’s xEvangelionCollaboration?
Anime Figures as You’ve Never Seen Them Before
The main focus of theEvangelioncollaboration at McDonald’s in Japan are three transforming figurines. After thirty years,Evangelionhas produced countless anime figures, and major fans are likely to have an impressive collection of their favorite characters. However, there is no chance they have any figures like these, which are truly unique. The three figures for sale in the McDonald’s Evangelion Value Set can be transformed from a Big Mac, a McFrench Fry, and a McShake into a Test Type, Production Model, and PrototypeEVAunits respectively.
Casey Baseel atSoraNews24writes about the Value Set,
Now, seeing McDonald’s and toys together, the natural mental leap is to Happy Meals. Evangelion is a franchise that hardly ever goes for the obvious narrative pattern, though, and instead the figures are being offered as what’s being called the McDonald’s Evangelion Value Set, which includes all three transforming Evas for 3,900 yen (US$26). Surprisingly, the set doesn’t appear to include any actual food, but since you have to go to a branch of the burger chain to pick it up, McDonald’s probably figures you’ll grab a bite to eat there too, since why would you be buying McDonald’a Eva figures if you weren’t at least OK with McDonald’s?
These Value Sets will only be sold via lottery, which makes sense considering the popularity ofEvangelion. Entering can only be done through theMcDonald’s Japanapp, but can be done now through January 10th. If you win the right to purchase one of these exclusive item sets, you will be notified on January 16th. The actual sets can be picked up at McDonald’s the week of January 20th.
If you are excited about this special collaboration, there is even more good news. This part of the event, with the transformable figures, is only the first stage. McDonald’s has announced that the next stage will, “convey the world ofEvangelionthrough deliciousness,” which we can only guess means that there are themed menu items coming just around the corner. Considering how quickly the first stage of the collaboration was announced, it likely won’t be long before we know just how the company intends to convertEvangelion’s dark worldinto a delicious one.
