McDonald's Japan Web Drama Draws VIVANT Comparisons And =LOVE In-Jokes
A fast-food web ad that borrows Sunday Theater drama grammar and buries idol in-jokes in the script gets talked about as drama, which is the cheapest distribution a brand can buy.
Reporting from 1 source: Magmix.
McDonald's Japan has released Episode 1 of "Nikuju Theater CHICKEN," a web drama starring Hiroshi Abe and =LOVE's Maika Sasaki. Abe plays a senior employee who declares he will make chicken the flagship product; Sasaki's junior character, who had dismissed him as a dreamer, joins his development effort. The heavy narration and tight close-ups on Abe have drawn comments that it feels like the Sunday Theater drama VIVANT, while =LOVE fans are picking out references to the group and its song titles.
The setup is a corporate fight: at a McDonald's where beef is the mainstay, Abe's character declares chicken will become the flagship, and his junior, played by Sasaki, turns from skeptic to ally. Their eighth presentation wins approval for the "Zaku-zaku and Juicy Momo Chicken Burger," and Abe's character answers with "We're finally at zero."
That line, the narration, and the close-ups on Abe's stern face drew the VIVANT comparisons, along with comments about the Sunday Theater flavor of a dream pursued against internal opposition. =LOVE fans got their own layer: Abe says "Love =LOVE" on screen, and lines echo the group's song titles. The episode closes on "TO BE CONTINUED..."
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.