Anime fans in the Philippines, start preparing your wallets. Animate Manila is officially set to open in 2026, bringing one of Japan’s biggest anime retail names to One Ayala in Makati City.
For those who have only seen Animate through Japan trip vlogs, TikToks, or convention hauls, this is pretty huge. The store will carry anime and manga-related merchandise, which should make it a proper stop for fans hunting for official goods instead of relying only on online pre-orders, proxy shipping, or random reseller markups.
Animate is not some small pop-up brand either. It is one of Japan’s major retailers for anime, manga, light novels, and video game goods, with 126 stores across Japan. Outside Japan, Animate has also expanded into 17 overseas cities, including Los Angeles, London, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, Seoul, Hong Kong, and more.
The Manila branch also matters because it strengthens Animate’s Southeast Asian footprint. According to the announcement, the Philippines store will be the retailer’s third location in SEA, following Thailand and Malaysia. That detail is the one Malaysian fans should really clock.
Why? Because it shows how seriously big Japanese anime retailers are now looking at our region. SEA is no longer just “extra market” territory where fans wait months for leftover stock or pray their favourite series gets merch at a con booth. Between Malaysia, Thailand, and soon the Philippines, Animate is slowly building a proper regional presence.
For Malaysian fans, this is good news even if the store is opening in Manila, not KL. A stronger Animate network in SEA could mean better regional distribution, more awareness of local demand, and hopefully more chances for limited goods, collabs, and event-linked campaigns to reach this side of the world. If brands can see fans buying in Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, it becomes harder to ignore SEA when planning official merch drops.
The location choice is also smart. One Ayala sits in Makati City, a major commercial and transport hub in Metro Manila. That makes Animate Manila easier to reach for local fans, office crowds, students, and tourists who want a quick anime shopping stop without needing to plan a full convention day around it.
Of course, the big question now is what kind of merch selection Animate Manila will get. Fans will be watching closely for whether the store focuses on mainstream series, seasonal anime, manga, character goods, video game merch, or a mix of everything. If it follows the wider Animate formula, expect plenty of dangerous “just browsing bro” moments that somehow end with acrylic stands, keychains, books, and maybe one too many blind boxes.
No exact opening date beyond 2026 has been announced yet, so Filipino fans will need to wait for more details from Animate Manila’s official channels. But for now, the message is clear: SEA’s anime retail scene is levelling up, and Manila is getting a major new player.
Source: Anime Corner