Japanese star Mackenyu ‘honored to be loved by Filipino fans’
MANILA, Philippines — Even just wearing a plain white shirt, black pants and sneakers, Japanese actor Mackenyu Arata still looked handsome when he appeared at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena stage for his first fan meet in the Philippines.
He went “casual and comfortable” during Monday’s event, which was dubbed Closer to You: Fun Fan Meet and presented by MediaKing Corp and Luxe Slim.
The crowd made a loud scream the moment he popped up on stage and greeted the fans with “hello” and “good evening.”
One of the heartthrobs in Netflix’s hit live-action show One Piece, who played the popular character Roronoa Zoro, revealed some pieces of information about himself, talked about his impression on his Filipino fans and learned Tagalog words during the one-hour fan meet.
Being a self-confessed introvert, Mackenyu admitted how hard it was for him to “completely engage for the first time” but seeing all his Filipino fans in person made him “happy.”
The event host, actress Denise Laurel, assured Mackenyu that she and the audience will make him “super comfortable” throughout the duration of the program that started with a question-and-answer segment.
The Rurouni Kenshin: The Final actor was asked about how many hours he usually spends on his phone being an anime fan and a gamer who likes Rainbow Six Siege and Apex Legends.
“I’m not really on my phone that much. (I spend) 30 minutes of the day or less,” he simply answered.
But when traveling, he carries two phones with him. “I usually carry two phones. You’ll see how much of a nerd I am. I’m using (one) for that to play One Piece Cards (game). I love games and I play online with my buddies. That’s why I need two phones. This is embarrassing,” he shared.
Mackenyu went on to show the stuff inside his hand bag. The things that he brought with him when he traveled to Manila were his earphones (because he also watched One Piece on a plane), keys in his house, passport, a P1,000 note and other personal stuff.
When queried about his secret to being fit, he said that he works out in the gym six days a week and goes on a diet whenever he prepares for a show.
“Going to the gym is probably the biggest relief. If I’m stressed about work or anything, I literally shout, I’m screaming, ‘Aaahhhh!’ I own a gym in Japan and so I could do that when no one is there. So don’t shout at the gym,” he said.
Mackenyu also loves being at home where he can relax. He doesn’t drive around Japan but he does in the States.
He likewise shared that he used to be a cat person but when he met his dog, he became a dog lover. “I fell in love (with my dog) but she snores like an old man. (Since I’m a light sleeper), I wake up, I call her and I’m like, ‘I hear you.’”
Someone from the crowd made a barking sound. Mackenyu reacted, “Bless you,” and the audience laughed.
Mackenyu had some hamburgers before going to the event and chicken adobo the day before that. He mentioned Palawan and Boracay as the places in the Philippines that he wants to visit.
Prior to coming here, Mackenyu already knew he had a big fan base in the country based on the figures on his Instagram.
“I feel the love. Thank you everyone. I’m having a great time and I hope everyone (does),” he said.
In the Filipino 101 with Mackenyu portion, the Knights of the Zodiac star was able to learn some Tagalog phrases such as “kilig,” “kamusta ka beshie,” “salamat sa inyo,” “ingat,” “maganda,” “kain tayo,” “masarap,” “gwapo ako,” and “mahal kita.”
Some lucky fans also had the opportunity to ask him questions. One of them was a boy, dressed up like Zoro, who asked if he could take a picture with his idol.
Mackenyu invited the boy to come up to the stage and shook hands with him before a photo was taken in what Denise described as an “unscripted” act.
The program continued with a video message from fans, event-goers singing him a Happy Birthday song (as he turned 27 last Nov. 16), and Mackenyu making a wish before blowing out the candle on the cake.
“I’m really kilig,” he commented and conveyed his message of gratitude to his supporters. “Thank you all so much for coming tonight. Thank you all for having me. And it was so much fun. And I’m definitely coming back again. See you guys when I come back.”
He ended the occasion with a hi-bye session with the fans.
Meanwhile, a more reserved Mackenyu faced the press members for an interview at the Manila Pop Culture Convention (ManiPopCon) 2023 held at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay on Nov. 18.
The actor remarked that he was “honored to be loved by Filipino fans.”
He told The STAR that the fans can expect “more action” and a “more good-looking Zoro probably” in the Season 2 of Netflix’s One Piece series.
Mackenyu wasn’t familiar with the three-sword style of Zoro at first, but he had weeks and months of “very valuable training” to execute the action stunts.
His favorite scene in One Piece was when Monkey D. Luffy came out of the barrel.
Asked about how he prepared for the action scenes, he replied, “I don’t know, it’s in my blood. It comes out naturally.” He is the son of the late Japanese actor and martial artist Sonny Chiba.
Born in Los Angeles, he believed that his Eastern and Western upbringing helped him in portraying “a better version of Zoro.”
Besides Mackenyu, American voice actress Mela Lee also attended the ManiPopCon. She shared how lending her voice to Jade in the video game Mortal Kombat 11 impacted her life.
“I had been in a really bad car accident in 2014,” she recalled.
“I fractured my back, several vertebrae. I was using a walker and a cane. I got cast as Jade and part of my recovery was looking at this beautiful warrior goddess on screen. And (I was) imagining my strength, fortitude and grace.
“And my mother was born in London so Jade is a little bit (like) my mother. It was easy to slip into the strength and the grace because it reminded me of someone that I love very much.”
Mela is also the voice behind Rin Tosaka in Fate/stay night series, Tikki in Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, and other anime, cartoons and videogames.
“I had 313 credits on IMDb and counting for voice (acting). (I am also part of) Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles on Netflix, I think I’m eight characters in that, and in the recent Final Fantasy (VII) Remake, I’m 44 additional voices,” she added.
Mela described her first Philippine experience as “magnificent.”
She further told this paper, “Everyone has been so nice, kind and funny. And I love spicy food. I love flavor and so I’m having quite the time. And my father was a musician, slightly famous, but his favorite time was touring in Asia and the Philippines.”
“He has a life-long love of mangoes and he made sure that when I came out here, I got as many mangoes every day as I could.”
- Latest
- Trending
