Launched on the weekend of New York Comic Con 2025, the One Piece x Mercer Labs immersive exhibition transported visitors into the world of the series through 11 rooms featuring a variety of digital and physical installations themed around the Wano arc. LumRanmaYasha sat down for two interviews with Nasir Dean, the Manager of Special Projects at Mercer Labs and driving force behind the immersive One Piece exhibition. We discussed Nasir’s history with One Piece and anime, his pathway to collaborating with Toei on the exhibition, curating the exhibition around the Wano arc, the themes of the different installations, what makes One Piece such a natural fit for an immersive experience, and how the installation encapsulates the series’s messages of freedom that’ve resonated and inspired people worldwide.

PODCAST BREAKDOWN:

00:00 - Manga Mavericks Books Promo

00:44 - Intro

06:42 - Nasir Dean Interview at the Mercer Labs, 10/12

38:07 - Nasir Dean Interview over Zoom, 10/29

1:09:21 - Wrap-Up

Enjoy the show, and follow us on Twitter at @manga_mavericks, on Bluesky at @mangamavericks.bsky.social, on Instagram at @mangamavericks_official, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts on Twitter at @VLordGTZ and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon or our Substack and receive some awesome rewards like our exclusive Bonus pods! Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and Apple Podcasts and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content! If there are any topics, series or mangaka you would like to see us talk about on the show, drop us a line in the comments below, or email us at mangamavericks@gmail.com! Thanks for listening!

LINKS:

• Visit the Mercer Labs!

• Check out our report on the ONE PIECE x MERCER LABS experience

• Order Manga Mavericks Books titles on our online store!

• Order Mutsumi Natsuo’s Butch Yuri manga Boyish² and My Date is a Total Ike Woman now on our online store!

• Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!⁠

• Subscribe to our Manga Mavericks + Newsletter on Substack!

• ⁠Support us on Patreon!⁠

• Wanna Leave Us a Tip? LumRanmaYasha also has a Ko-fi!

On this episode of Manga Mavericks, Colton, Lum and Sakaki continue to read through and discuss the back half of Kodansha's Young Magazine USA! Starting off with the baffling post apocalyptic, sci-fi epic, Protocol Ryugu from Daisaku Tsuru, and then bookended with another equally as baffling horror adventure with Into The Dark by Anri Morikuma! Get ready for even more scares than last time as we finish off the magazine and head to the polls to vote for which series will get to continue! Enjoy!

⁠Be sure to read and vote for your favorite series on Young Magazine USA's official website!

PODCAST BREAKDOWN:

00:00 - Intro

Young Magazine Discussion

13:47 - Protocol Ryugu

41:09 - The Graveyard Shift

57:50 - Pregnant

1:14:35 - Project Metallia

1:25:30 - Godmother

1:39:05 - Fasciation

1:51:54 - Into the Dark

2:07:06 - Final Thoughts

2:30:30 - Wrap-up

Enjoy the show, and follow us on Twitter at @manga_mavericks, on Bluesky at @mangamavericks.bsky.social, on Instagram at @mangamavericks_official, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon or our Substack and receive some awesome rewards like our exclusive Bonus pods! Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and Apple Podcasts and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content! If there are any topics, series or mangaka you would like to see us talk about on the show, drop us a line in the comments below, or email us at mangamavericks@gmail.com! Thanks for listening!

LINKS:

• Order Manga Mavericks Books titles on our online store⁠!
• Attend our Manga Mavericks Books panel at Twin Cities Con!
• Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!⁠
• Subscribe to our Manga Mavericks + Newsletter on Substack!
• Support us on Patreon!⁠
• Read the entirety of Young Magazine USA on platforms like Azuki, Bookwalker Global, or KManga!