Japanese actor Mackenyu Arata will be headlining the Manila Pop Culture Convention this coming November at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay.

"Hi, Mackenyu here. To all my Filipino fans out there, I'm happy to share that I'll be appearing in ManiPopCon in Manila on November 17th to 19th. See you guys there," Arata said in a video greeting.
Famed for his role as Roronoa Zoro in Netflix's One Piece Live Action, Arata will be one of the international guests of ManiPopCon as announced by producer Marco Aventajado last Tuesday. He will join a panel and hold a meet-and-greet session with fans.

Arata has also appeared in the other hit series such as Tokyo Ghoul S, Rurouni Kenshin: The Final and Knights of Zodiac.

Usagi Yojimbo creator Stan Sakai will also be at the convention to talk about his journey and plans for the upcoming 40th anniversary of Usagi Yojimbo.

The event will feature five different immersive areas: the ManiPopCon MainStage; Laro: The Philippine Games Convention; Concourse de Geek; Artist Alley; and Cinema Classics.

Geeks are invited to join Laro: The Philippine Games Convention for a fantastic lineup of Dungeons and Dragons games, tabletop game demos, tournaments and a VR Arena for Magic: The Gathering and Flesh and Blood tournaments. These are hosted by Neutral Grounds.

Geeks can shop at the Concourse de Geek for pop culture merchandise, from collectible figures to board games, vinyl records, magazines and all things geeky.

The ManiPopCon Artist Alley, co-presented with Komiket, showcases Filipino art toy creators and comic artists such as Tarantadong Kalbo and Pol Medina Jr. Stan Sakai will have a booth as well.

Lastly, in collaboration with ABS-CBN Sagip Pelikula, ManiPopCon is bringing to the forefront the remastered classic Ibong Adarna, the only pre-war movie available on print to date, as well as Giliw Ko, Init ng Apoy, Captain Barbell, Tisoy, Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara and Omeng Satanasia.

"ManiPopCon is not just another convention; it's the only one in the Philippines that brings together different geekdoms under one banner. Whether you're into movies, TV shows, cartoons, esports or tabletop games, we've got it all covered. We're here to make your geekiest dreams come true," said Aventajado.