EP. 255: Inside ONE PIECE x MERCER LABS with Nasir Dean

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 [email protected]! 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! 

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