Arab News Japan

ABU DHABI: Middle East Film & Comic Con (MEFCC), the region’s biggest pop culture festival taking place from Feb. 9 to 11 2024, announced that they will be launching a Japanese Village for the first time, bringing a taste of Japan to Abu Dhabi.  

Held in a strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, MEFCC has been celebrating film, TV, anime, gaming, and manga for the last 12 years. Next year’s edition will take place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, and tickets are currently on sale.

The Japanese village will bring a variety of modern Japanese content as well as nostalgic content such as Grendizer, Captain Tsubasa, and Doraemon. 

The village will bring a taste of Japan to Abu Dhabi in its most authentic form, with traditional experiences from Yukata tryouts, Japanese tea ceremonies, origami, and calligraphy classes to various snacks and anime merchandise that come all the way from the Land of the Rising Sun. 

Additionally, MEFCC announced Temuera Morrison, who portrayed both Boba and Jango Fett in the Star Wars franchise, in its lineup for the 2024 edition. Morrison has also made appearances in DC movies, such as Tom Curry in Aquaman and Abin Sur in Green Lantern.

He is recognized as a cultural icon in New Zealand and will be the second celebrity guest to join the 2024 edition following Troy Baker, the American voice actor and musician best known for his role as Joel in The Last of Us.

Furthermore, Mark Brooks and Carlo Pagulayan have been confirmed in the lineup following the earlier announcement of Filipino artist Stephen Segovia.

Brooks is an American award-winning comic illustrator, painter, and designer who is known for his cover works for a variety of titles such as X-Men, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and Avengers. He is currently the cover artist for Immortal X-Men, which won Dragon Con’s Dragon Award for best comic book of 2022.

Pagulayan is known for drawing Elektra in Marvel Comics as well as his notable work on Planet Hulk. He also designed the look of Skaar, son of Hulk.