Junichi Okada and Shiori Kubo (Nogizaka46) appear together in a passionate McDonald's new TV commercial! The cheerleading club advisor and students ask "what it means to support someone"

■ “I think the feeling that cheering is something that is exchanged between people really hits home.” (Kubo Shiori)

McDonald’s will be selling “Spicy Chicken McNuggets” and the “Compare Large and Jumbo Potato Nuggets,” which allow customers to enjoy two types of nuggets at a discount, for a limited time only at McDonald’s restaurants nationwide (excluding some stores) from June 5th.

Two new limited-edition sauces, “Triple Spicy Sauce” and “Sour Cream Onion Sauce,” will also be available to enhance the flavor of the “Spicy Chicken McNuggets.”

In conjunction with this, a new TV commercial for McDonald’s “Spicy Chicken McNuggets” starring Okada Junichi and Kubo Fumika, “Does support mean anything?” (15 seconds, 30 seconds) will be aired from June 4th.

In the new TV commercial, Junichi Okada, who is well known for his role in “Spicy Chicken McNuggets,” and Shiori Kubo of Nogizaka46 appear as the cheerleading club’s advisor and student. The commercial depicts the passionate advisor played by Okada giving passionate instruction to the Reiwa generation student played by Kubo on the “meaning of supporting someone.”

In addition, an X campaign will be implemented in conjunction with the worldview of the TV commercial, and various content will be released, including a TikTok video in collaboration with popular TikToker Sueyoshi 9taro.

■ Filming episodes
Kubo’s “Hurray!” gave a pep talk to the early morning filming location.
Under a clear blue sky, filming of the new CM began on the school rooftop. After discussing her acting, Kubo listened to the director’s words, “The story will be decided by Kubo’s character. Everything will be decided with one line!” with a serious look on her face, but she accepted it cheerfully and got ready in front of the camera. She struck a dignified pose wearing a school uniform, “Nage High Cheerleading Club” armband and white sash, and let out a heartfelt “Hurray!”, giving a “pep talk” to the early morning filming site.

“Mr. Okada” kindly watches over Kubo, who plays his student in their first co-starring role in a long time.
Following Kubo, who appeared in the cheerleading practice scene, Okada, who played the role of teacher, appeared on the set. Okada, who once starred with Kubo in a drama and played the role of father and son, saw Kubo shouting “Go! Go!” with a loud voice and said with a smile, “You’re still as good at acting as ever. But even so… you can shout so loudly? (laughs).” Kubo also smiled at the long-awaited reunion and greeted him, saying, “It’s the same as always (laughs),” before appearing in a scene with “Sensei Okada,” who brought him some “Spicy Chicken McNuggets” as a gift.

The cheerleading team members get excited and work together in unison, chatting casually with each other.
During the waiting time between filming, Kubo enjoyed chatting with the other three cheerleaders who were participating as “cheerleaders”. As filming progressed, the three showed perfect harmony in their performance, not only shouting at the top of their lungs like a cheerleader, but also tasting Spicy Chicken McNuggets. By the end of filming, the cheerleaders were performing energetically and in harmony with Kubo.

The sounds and actions were perfect! Okada showed off his expert-level eating skills.
Okada, who continues to appear in commercials as the “face” of Spicy Chicken McNuggets, also showed outstanding poise in the eating scenes. His pose holding the Spicy Chicken McNuggets and his action of biting into them while making a crisp “crunch!” sound were perfect, and the director praised Okada’s performance as “wonderful.” Okada is familiar with the cooking staff on set, and as he received the freshly fried Spicy Chicken McNuggets he spoke kindly to them, and after filming finished commented, “It’s so spicy it’s addictive.”

Okada supports Kubo’s enthusiasm
In an interview after the shoot, Okada and Kubo left an impression with their expressions of enjoying the conversation as if they were being released from the tension of the shoot. Kubo had been consulting Okada about various things regarding acting and work during breaks in the CM shoot, and Okada, as a senior actor who has played a variety of roles, also gave advice to liven up the atmosphere.

■ Interviews with the performers
Q: How do you feel after finishing filming the new “Spicy Chicken McNuggets” TV commercial?
Okada:It’s been a while. (Kubo was) the daughter in the drama.
Kubo:Actually, it was my daughter (laughs), so I never thought I’d be able to work with Okada-san again.
Okada:How was it? Did you end up meeting him? Did you hate it?
Kubo:I don’t mind (lol)!
Okada:I did the “iron claw” (pro wrestling move) in a shoot before. I grabbed (Kubo’s) face… I told him, “Tell me if you don’t like it,” but I think he already hates me (laughs). Are you okay?
Kubo:I was happy because we could work together again. This time, our roles were “teacher and student.”
Okada:I thought, “Can I really yell out loud?” I was playing a role cheering on the team.
Kubo:The first thing we shot was “Hurray!” so I shouted a lot.
Q: This is Kubo’s first time appearing in a McDonald’s commercial. Do you have any memories related to McDonald’s?
Kubo:When I was taking cheerleading lessons, my parents would take me to McDonald’s after the competition. Because I loved it. If I did well in the competition, they would take me there and say, “You can eat whatever you want today.”… always. I think my parents are very happy that I was able to appear in the commercial. McDonald’s is a place that is filled with my youth, so I was happy too.
Okada:Did you know? The coffee is good too.
Kubo:Wow! Now that I’m an adult and can drink coffee, I’ll go for it.
Q: Two new sauces are being introduced this time. What are your impressions of the Spicy Chicken McNuggets and what are your favorite sauces, Okada and Kubo?
Kubo:Both were delicious, but I chose the “Sour Cream Onion Sauce.” The spiciness and creaminess matched perfectly, and it had a gentle sweetness that I could eat forever.
Okada:It’s cheating that it has black pepper in it (laughs). I don’t know if it’s refreshing or spicy… it’s addictive.
Kubo:It was mild and spicy at the same time…it was delicious.
Okada:I recommend the “Triple Spicy Sauce.” The original “Spicy Chicken McNuggets” are addictively spicy. If you want to add an extra punch to your spice, I recommend trying this. Red chili peppers, black pepper, and Sichuan peppercorns. It’s a triple attack, so it’s fragrant and rich. Please try my recommendation.
Q: There was a memorable line in the commercial: “Does cheering have any meaning?” As someone who is often cheered on by fans, how do you perceive the “meaning of cheering”?
Kubo:It was the first time I’d experienced being cheered on by people I admired, and when I was on stage and found a towel with my name on it, I thought, “If even one person is cheering for me, I’ll do my best for that person.” I really don’t think I would be who I am today without their support. I learned cheer dancing and have experience being on the cheering side, so of course I’m happy to be cheered on, but I also really enjoyed being the cheerer. Because seeing someone I admire doing their best made me want to do my best, too. I think cheering is about exchanging feelings with each other, which is very appealing.
Q: In the new TV commercial, the stimulating “Spicy Chicken McNuggets” will appear as a “support food.” Please tell us if you have any episodes from your student days when you felt that something was “stimulating.”
Kubo:When I was in junior high school, I was the captain of the badminton club. At my first tournament after becoming the captain, I hurt my shoulder the day before and couldn’t play, but thanks to the other members, we won a prize… It was a nerve-wracking experience to have to stand on the podium even though I wasn’t playing, and I’ll never forget it (laughs). But it was exciting.
Okada:When I was in high school, I was on the train going to school. A girl suddenly approached me and handed me a letter saying “This”… and I was like “What am I doing?” and walked away. She was a really pretty girl, and I remember it very well. She was like “Please contact me”… but I didn’t contact her. I was already working.
Q: One of the highlights of this commercial is the exchange about “oshi” (favorites). Can you tell us what you are currently “supporting” or hooked on?
Kubo:It’s always been baseball. I love watching sports, but I love baseball, so I watch baseball during the season. I watch every game. I record my favorite team’s games (laughs). I also have a lot of goods, like uniforms. I’ve even thrown the opening pitch.
Okada:I like rugby and martial arts, but right now I want to tell people how amazing wrestling is. I think the amazingness of that sport really needs to be conveyed. Those guys are amazing! They’re really amazing. Is there a sport like this!? I think it’s high on the “surprisingly many people watch it, but don’t realize how amazing it is” ranking. Wrestlers are amazing, they’re really amazing (laughs)!
Q: The new TV commercial depicts the “summer youth” of the cheerleading club led by Kubo, but please tell us about your “summer memories from your school days.”
Kubo:I’ve never been to a fireworks festival…I was the type who worked hard in club activities, so I would be practicing on my own on the day of the fireworks festival, and so I didn’t have any summer-like memories.
Okada:My summer memories from school days were performing live. I made my debut in the third year of junior high school.
Kubo:We talked about that on the set of the drama too (laughs).
Q: Please give a message to viewers who will watch the new TV commercial.
Okada:Since its first appearance in 2018, it has been known for its lingering deliciousness, with the spiciness of chili peppers and the savory flavors of garlic and onion.Kubo:“Spicy Chicken McNuggets” will be available again this year!
Okada:Based on the theme of support, there is “Being Supported” and “Spicy Chicken McNuggets” to support those who support.
Kubo:In addition, this year you can enjoy two limited edition flavors: “Sour Cream Onion Sauce” and “Triple Spicy Sauce.”
Okada:Starting Wednesday, June 5th, you can enjoy the taste of these two excitingly delicious sauces at McDonald’s restaurants nationwide.
Two persons:We hope you enjoy it!