This beautiful, heartwarming winter anime is also a McDonald’s Japan commercial【Video】

Three young women fight off the winter cold with the warmth of friendship and delicious Gurakoro (yes, that’s something McDonald’s sells in Japan).

One of the things that sets anime apart from animation produced elsewhere in the world is the craft with which its artists depict the seasons. Maybe it’s a product of Japan’s distinct seasonal weather patterns, or simply the industry’s dedication to pleasing its extra-demanding audiences, but when, for example, it’s winter in an anime, you can feel how cold the character’s world is.

Case in point: These lovingly rendered anime scenes of three friends enjoying a respite from a midwinter chill…which also happens to be a McDonald’s commercial.

Following three young women on a snowy evening, we first see them making their way through the city after work. With flurries falling, ice crystals glistening in the air, and their breath turning to clouds of steam with every exhale, this is clearly a very cold night.

▼ Providing voices for the three characters are former AKB48 idol megastar Atsuko Maeda and voice actresses Ayana Taketatsu ( Sword Art Online’s Leafa, Citrus’ Yuzu) and Aimi ( BanG Dream’s Kasumi, Symphogear’s Millaarc)

But it’s not long before the trio is warmed up by a combination of their pure-hearted friendship and some piping-hot McDonald’s sandwiches.

▼ Anime-world McDonald’s continues to look like a great place to spend time.

To go along with the Japanese animation, the sandwiches are also McDonald’s Japan originals. They’re collectively called the Gurakoro line, short for guratan korokke, or “gratin croquette.” A deep-fried disc of pasta in white sauce, with the top-of-the-line version spruced up a slice of cheese and ground beef in demi-glace sauce, the Gurakoro are winter-only options at McDonald’s, but they’re available now at branches across Japan, either a la carte or in combos (anime BFFs not included).

Source, images: YouTube/マクドナルド公式（McDonald’s）
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