Kiddie Show Sunday And A Trip To McDonald's

Well it's time for a Thursday Throwback. I remembered writing about feeling one's "kiddie show Sunday" spirit whenever one hears the words "Super Hero Time!". But there's one thing I just failed to notice was that McDonald's didn't only get involved with children's shows in its home country. According to the Kamen Rider Wiki -- Toei and TV Asahi signed a contract with McDonald's serving as one of their sponsors last 2007. This reminds me that TV-Nihon had subbed some of the McDonald's commercials that were done. This only came into my head when Sawa in Kamen Rider Build and Keiichiro in Lupinranger vs. Patranger did a similar gesture as McDonald's -- which also looks like a ballet pose if I'm not wrong.

This takes me back to a bit of the past. I remembered how Sundays meant it was kiddie show Sunday -- unless there were exams to study for and I had to skip them and it wasn't the digital age where I could watch them later. I remembered the time that IBC-13 used to repeatedly air the dub versions of Bioman, Shaider, Jiban Maskman, Turboranger, Kamen Rider Black (which really made me hate that station for that) -- and most of the time we never saw the ending. I could remember how ABC-5 (before TV-5 came) had a huge fest of cartoons and kiddie shows during Sunday afternoons. Pfft. Anyway, it was that time I didn't care too much about finales and there was that time that Sundays also meant going to McDonald's with the families. I may still prefer Jollibee's burgers to McBurger while McDonald's still gives some memories since I prefer McChicken over Chickenjoy.

Years later, I never thought I'd want to remember it all over again as new school shows enter into the scenes. 2007 was the beginning meaning it's been 11 years since TV Asahi and Toei had their contract with McDonald's in Japan. The American main office had been involved in sponsoring other kiddie shows in its home country so there's no reason not to sponsor it in Japan -- considering that McDonald's is a multinational corporation that localizes its products wherever it goes.

The new school Tokusatsu's McDonald's commercials may make one feel like a child again in some cases. Super Sentai has had some overhaul every now and then, trying new concepts to see what works and what doesn't, it may already have had developed its filming techniques -- but just seeing a commercial like this still reminds me of the time I watched a dubbed Toku show (which I don't want to rewatch, hehe) and go to McDonald's at certain Sundays of my childhood.

Times may have changed, I may now be enjoying digital technology, seeing digitally remastered old school stuff and enjoying new school stuff at the same time -- but it looks like I'll never forget the time I went to McDonald's and watched kiddie shows on a Sunday. The technology may have upgraded, concepts have been modified to fit with the times but that old school feel still remains in me one way or another while embracing modernization at the same time.