On January 13, McDonald’s Japan released a colorful music video on YouTube featuring two of the biggest J-pop mega-hits of the last year! The remix combines Ado’s Odo and asmi’s PAKU with the familiar sound of the French Fry buzzer. A rhythm game using this song will also be available on TikTok starting on January 30!

In March 2019, the McDonald’s French Fry buzzer became a popular theme on TikTok with over 150 million views.

This remix may not be what most people expected, but it’s incredibly catchy and might make you hungry at the same time. Check out the McDonald’s Fry Buzzer Remix at the link below!

The neon-drenched music video features 3D models of both Odo-chan and PAKU-chan along with the three French Fry Brothers hanging out at an incredibly colorful and futuristic McDonald’s restaurant.

Be sure to check out the rhythm game coming to TikTok for a limited time starting January 30!

TMS Entertainment has announced that it will produce the anime adaptation of the popular Shonen Jump manga series Undead Unluck in 2023!

The series follows Fuuko, a girl desperate for a passionate romance like the ones she sees in her favorite manga. Due to her Unluck ability, that seems impossible–but one day, she’s swept off her feet by Andy. As his unwilling test subject, she follows as Andy works to find a way to trigger a stroke of Unluck big enough to kill him for good. However, when the pair discovers a secret organization is hunting them, it puts Andy’s burial plans on hold. Now, the exciting supernatural comedy series is making its way to the small screen!

The first teaser visual has been unveiled, showing Andy, a man with an immortal body, and Fuuko, a girl who brings bad luck to those she touches. 

The anime will be produced by both David Production (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) and the TMS subsidiary UNLIMITED PRODUCE. 

Look forward to the Undead Unluck anime series next year!

©戸塚慶文／集英社・アンデッドアンラック製作委員会

On August 5, McDonald’s Japan will begin selling some summer-only sweets! The McShake Doraemon Ramune and Doraemon Choco Banana Pie items are based on a summer festival, and the packaging will feature adorable Doraemon imagery. 

These treats will bring back memories of summer festivals, with popular flavors like chocolate banana and ramune. Each sweet will be available in a total of six newly-designed packages, so you might need to buy a few until you get your favorite character!

McShake Doraemon Ramune

The McShake Doraemon Ramune features the nostalgic flavor of ramune and a creamy texture. Two types of ramune flavors were used to create a taste that will keep you coming back for more, and citrus flavors were added to create a refreshing flavor perfect for summer. This tasty treat is available in three versions–Doraemon, Nobita, and Gian.

Doraemon Chocolate Banana Pie

The Doraemon Chocolate Banana Pie consists of a crispy pie crust packed with banana filling and a rich chocolate sauce. Fans of Doraemon can grab this pie in three different sleeves–Dorami, Shizuka, and Suneo.

※Product images for illustration purposes only. Actual products may vary.

Happy Meal

Round 1: August 5 – August 11

Round 2: August 12 – August 18

In addition, Doraemon-related items will be packed with every Happy Meal starting August 5.

The popular anime series Jujutsu Kaisen is getting a collaboration with luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana! The first visual for the collab appeared on the back cover of the newest issue of Weekly Shonen Jump, on sale on April 18, 2022.

The visual was drawn by the same studio responsible for the anime series MAPPA and eight characters from the series will eventually be featured wearing Dolce & Gabbana–Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki, Maki Zenin, Toge Inumaki, Panda, Kento Nanami, and Satoru Gojo. All character visuals were unveiled on April 15 on Dolce & Gabbana’s social media and on the project’s special website. This first visual focuses on Yuji Itadori.

It’s extremely rare for a luxury brand ad to appear in Shonen Jump, but the manga series featured in the magazine have continued to cross boundaries in recent years, and fans have been very happy about this rather strange collaboration.

Along with appearing in Shonen Jump, the visual will also appear in the June issue of SPUR on sale on April 22, and the June issue of MEN’S NON-NO on sale on May 9.

Which character do you think looks the best in their fancy apparel?

©週刊少年ジャンプ2022年20号／集英社　©芥⾒下々／集英社・呪術廻戦製作委員会

McDonald’s Japan locations with ‘McCafe by Barista’ areas will begin selling special spring treats for a limited time starting April 6, 2022. Customers will be able to grab the ‘Strawberry Uji Matcha Frappe’ and the ‘Uji Matcha Mont Blanc Tart.’

McCafe by Barista invites guests to enjoy high-quality frappes and smoothies. The Uji Matcha Frappe was added to the regular product lineup in June 2021, and features a mellow matcha flavor. The Strawberry variant is coming back for the first time in three years. The Mont Blanc Tart is a new addition, and is a perfect treat to enjoy with this popular frappe! 

Strawberry Uji Matcha Frappe: ¥490

The Strawberry Matcha Frappe mixes together the full-bodied flavor of matcha together with sweet and sour strawberries. It includes both a strawberry paste made from whole strawberries and a strawberry whipped cream at the bottom. The drink is topped with more strawberry whipped cream and a sprinkling of matcha powder. The refreshing taste of the strawberry sauce coupled with the whipped cream serves to elevate the great flavor of the Uji Matcha even more.

Uji Matcha Mont Blanc Tart: ¥390

The Uji Matcha Mont Blanc Tart is made with Uji Matcha batter, Uji Matcha whipped cream, white bean paste, and green tea cream. The refined sweetness is complemented by the mellow aroma and slight bitterness of Uji Matcha.

How would you like to enjoy these treats beneath the cherry trees?

McDonald’s Japan will start selling the new Sakura Mochi Pie starting March 23, 2022 for a limited time only.

The new pie is inspired by sakura mochi, a traditional wagashi sweet popular during spring. 

Sakura mochi is typically made from mochi rice cakes filled with a sweet red bean paste and wrapped in a pickled cherry blossom leaf. The McDonald’s pie is filled with azuki red bean paste and a chewy, sakura-flavored mochi that features bits of pickled sakura leaves.

The packaging will also feature spring designs and each pie costs just ¥150. They will be available until mid-April. 

Starting March 4, McDonald’s locations in Japan are selling two new Happy Meals inspired by Pokemon and Tabekko Dobutsu!

Each Pokemon set includes a Pokemon Mezastar tag, allowing kids to battle and catch Pokemon using tags. Five original tags featuring popular characters like Pikachu and Piplup will be available, as well as Legendary Pokemon like Palkia and Arceus! In addition to tags, kids will also be able to play games using Pokemon names on a special Shiritori sheet included with each meal. 

Tabekko Doubutsu is a classic Japanese snack, much like animal crackers in the west. This is the first time these characters are appearing at McDonald’s. The lineup includes five varieties of McDonald’s original coloring pages and stickers featuring familiar characters such as Lion, Bunny, and Elephant. Each sticker also includes the name of each animal in Japanese and English!

©2022 Pokémon. ©1995-2022 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.
Developed by T-ARTS and MARV

©ギンビス

McDonald’s locations across Japan are now offering Curious George and Sumikko Gurashi Happy Meals for a limited time!

The Curious George set features six different toys that can be assembled and controlled by turning the gears. This year’s theme is inspired by creativity, shape recognition, and teaching children how things work. When the colorful gears on the toy are turned, the force is transmitted to the swing, Ferris wheel, seesaw, and other items, causing George to swing and spin! The first set of toys include ‘George’s Seesaw,’ featuring George and the Man in the Yellow Hat, and ‘George’s Swing,’ featuring George happily swinging back and forth. The second set will include ‘George’s Ferris Wheel’ and ‘George’s Rocket Ride.’

The Sumikko Gurashi includes six kinds of puzzles decorated with illustrations of popular characters. The theme of these toys is color and shape recognition, imagination, and communication. The front side of each puzzle shows Sumikko and Minikko, and the backside displays an illustration of a story related to a particular Sumikko character. By putting the pieces together one by one, children develop their ability to recognize shapes and move their fingers with increased dexterity. The inside of the case that comes with the puzzle is decorated with stories about Sumikko and her friends. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Sumikko Gurashi, a new character called ‘Deshi’ will appear on the case as well, and by scanning the QR code on the back of the case, customers can play an original mini-game!

From January 8 until January 10, participating locations will also be giving away Curious George and Sumikko Gurashi stickers with the purchase of each set.

Based on the manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, the team behind Death Note and Bakuman, the Platinum End anime series has amassed a huge fanbase since premiering in October. A special stage event was held during Jump Festa on December 18, 2021.

The 40-minute stage performance was led by Miyu Irino (Mirai Kakehashi), Yui Ogura (Nasse), M.A.O. (Saki Hanakago), Natsuki Hanae (Revell), and Kaito Ishikawa (Kanade Uryu). Each of the actors and actresses share their favorite scenes and were asked some tough questions by the original authors of the series. 

More of the cast’s question and answer segment will be released on the official Twitter page for the series, along with Tsugumi Ohba’s outlook on life and her most recent movie recommendations!

During the program, it was announced that Kuhaku Gokko would perform the second ending theme, Last Straw. The unit debuted in 2019, and is comprised of vocalist Setsuko and composers Harihara Tsubasa and koyori. 

Comment from Vocalist Setsuko

“Will the candidates who were meant to die survive, and where will they end up? This is a heavy story, and as it moves towards its conclusion things get even more difficult to fathom. We wrote the song while remembering that this will be the final track fans of the series hear, so we wanted to capture those emotions. In writing the lyrics, I didn’t want to make them too blunt or defined, so each person will have their own interpretation.” 

Platinum End is getting more and more exciting as it hurdles towards the end, so be sure to tune in!

©︎大場つぐみ・小畑健／集英社・プラチナエンド製作委員会

Premiering in Shonen Jump+ in January 2019, Mato Seihei no Slave (Slave of the Magic Capital’s Elite Troops) has been a certified hit, selling over 1 million copies. Cast information for the upcoming anime series was just announced at Jump Festa 2022!

The ongoing Mato Seihei no Slave manga series is set in a world where a demonic gate has unleashed monsters called Shuki. A special peach tree can grant special powers to those in need, but only if they are women. A boy named Yuki Wakura meets Uzen Kyoka, a girl who has gained the power of the peach, and the captain of the 7th Anti-Demon squad.

Mato Seihei no Slave Teaser Video

Three new voice cast members have been announced for the 7th Anti-Demon Squad. Yume Miyamoto will play Himari Azuma, Mari Hino will portray Shushu Suruga, and Hina Tachibana will play Nei Okawamura.

It was previously announced that Yuya Hirose (Takuya Yamamoto in Tokyo Revengers) would play Yuki Wakura, while Akari Kito (Nezuko in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) would play Kyoya Uzen. More information is coming soon!

Ⓒタカヒロ・竹村洋平／集英社・魔防隊広報部

McDonald’s Japan locations with McCafe by Barista installations will begin selling the Cookies & Cream Frappe for a limited time starting December 8, 2021. The McCafe by Barista corner employs full-time baristas serving ‘authentic cafe coffee.’ 

McCafe by Barista invites guests to enjoy high-quality frappuccinos and smoothies and these locations are offering three unique Frappes this winter. Following the Strawberry Creme Brulee Frappe and normal Creme Brulee Frappe released in late November, the Cookies & Cream Frappe will release soon, filled with rich vanilla sweetness!

Cookies & Cream Frappe Medium: ¥470 / Large: ¥540 (Tax Included) 

The drink is a rich blend of creamy vanilla made from Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans, blended with crunchy Oreo cookie bits and topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. What’s not to love?

Each winter, McDonald’s Japan releases the wildly popular Gratin Croquet Burger, or Gurakoro for short. Starting December 1, this year’s iteration of the popular sandwich will be available at shops nationwide. This time, it’s the Angus Beef Bolognese Gurakoro, blending a creamy croquette with ripe tomatoes and stewed coarse-ground Angus beef Bolognese. 

The Gurakoro burger is made with a creamy white sauce blended with shrimp and macaroni, combined with cabbage and a special spicy croquette sauce. Basically, it tastes a lot like macaroni and cheese on a bun! Crispy on the outside and velvety on the inside, it’s a dish that’s perfect to warm you up after a long day in the winter cold. The new TV commercial for the Gurakoro features actress Mikako Tabe, and the theme is ‘let’s warm up the year.’ 

How would you like to give one of these a try?