Hey, everyone!

Here’s what’s going on in the world of anime today:

• The Boy and the Heron Film Wins the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. 

• McDonald's "WcDonald's Immersive Dining Experience" in L.A.

• Bandai Releases a New RX-78-2 Gundam Model Kit Made from Wood.

The Boy and the Heron Flies to Oscar Gold

Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Gibli have done it again! The Boy and the Heron walked away with Best Animated Feature Film in the 96th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday. The win is impressive, considering the film was competing against several big animation films last year, including Elemental, Nimona, Robot Dreams, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in the category. The film also made history as the first animated film rated PG-13 to win the honor. 

The nod also marks the second film from Miyazaki and his team to win the honor (Spirited Away took the top prize in 2003) and the fourth film to get a nomination by the academy (Howl's Moving Castle in 2006, and The Wind Rises in 2014). Studio Ghibli has two other films that were previously nominated, but Miyazaki was not involved. The filmmaker has had an incredible year. The Boy and the Heron also won the Animation of the Year award at the 47th annual Japan Academy Film and the Best Motion Picture - Animated award at the 81st Golden Globes Awards earlier this year. 

If you've never watched his iconic films, you should definitely check them out. They are exclusively available in the U.S. on the Max streaming app. 

McDonald’s All In for “WcDonald’s Dining Experience”

For years, the golden arches have been called "WcDonalds" in countless mangas, anime, and video games. The name first appeared in the manga and anime franchise "Cat's Eye" in 1981. Well, McDonald's is officially embracing its fictional doppelgänger. According to a press release from Tariq Hassan, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer for the company, "Anime is a huge part of today's culture, and we love that our fans have been inviting us into the conversation for years."  

The company is embracing a promotion focusing on four products:

• Limited edition manga-inspired packaging 

• Four original anime shorts by Acky Bright (currently available here) 

• A new savory chili dipping sauce (available with a purchase of McNuggets or purchasable a la carte) 

• An immersive dining experience last weekend in L.A. 

What did the experience consist of? Guests were treated to a transformed pop-up space using 360-degree projection mapping and immersive tabletop projections showcasing the campaign's anime characters and scenes inspired by the WcDonald's anime shorts. They also dined on a 10-piece "WcNuggets" (McDonald's Chicken McNuggets) meal, with a side of their famous fries and the new savory chili WcDonald's Sauce. 

The experience was well received, and the pictures make it look like the experience was a blast! 

Bandai Releases a New RX-78-2 Gundam Model Kit Made from Wood 

Model builders rejoice! In a stride towards sustainability, the latest ENTRY GRADE series model, the RX-78-2 Gundam by Bandai, breaks new ground with a unique specification - incorporating plastic mixed with wood powder. This approach enhances the model's aesthetic with a wood-like texture. But more importantly, it significantly reduces its environmental impact. 

The kit will be initially sold at the Hyper Plamo Fes 2024 event in Japan but will be released in the U.S. in the future. Additionally, labeled as an "Ecopla," the figure comes with the RX-78-2's classic gun, beam sword, and shield combo. 

Did You Know?

The longest-running anime is Sazae-san, with over 7,500 episodes running about 6 minutes each. The show first aired in October 1969 and is still going strong. 

The anime is about a mother named Sazae-san and her family. The slice-of-life series showcases the problems of everyday people, which is a little surprising that this is the genre for the longest-running anime. 

It also holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running animated T.V. series! 

An Otaku’s Commentary