Report: Animate opens first store in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26, 2025―Animate , Japan’s largest retailer of AGCN, officially opened its new overseas location, the “Animate Malaysia LaLaport BBCC”.

The new store is located in the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport BBCC (Bukit Bintang City Centre), a Japanese-managed Shopping Center in the central district of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital. A limited-time pop-up shop had been operating in the mall since November 2024, and due to its success, the decision was made to open this permanent store.

The permanent store offers a wide range of anime-related merchandise directly imported from Japan, as well as a large selection of books, including manga volumes and novels translated into English and Chinese. The store’s scale is comparable to Animate’s locations in major Japanese cities. The lineup includes popular Japanese works that have been adapted into anime, character goods from franchises like Chiikawa (a highly popular Japanese character/franchise), and content from games such as Project Sekai (a popular Japanese rhythm game).

Regarding product pricing, untranslated manga volumes are set at approximately 40 to 60 Ringgit (RM) per book (equivalent to about 1,500 to 2,250 yen), while volumes translated by North American or Taiwanese publishers are priced at 50 to 70 RM. As for merchandise, clear files for titles like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba are 19 RM (about 720 yen) each, indicating significantly higher prices than in Japan.

The company has also opened the first “animate Cafe” (the brand’s dedicated cafe) in Malaysia within the same mall. The cafe is scheduled to offer collaboration menus tied to featured works and sell limited-edition merchandise. Furthermore, the area previously occupied by the pop-up store will be reorganized as an “Only Shop,” which will operate as a limited-time specialty store carrying exclusive merchandise for specific titles.

Animate is accelerating its full-scale overseas expansion into markets where Japanese anime content is gaining traction. In the immediate past, the company has also temporarily opened pop-up style stores in the central areas of Paris and London.

Animate Kuala Lumpur

Opening Date: October 2025
Address: MFBBCC RETAIL MALL SDN BHD 2016010188969 (1189832-W) G-47 MITSUI SHOPPING PARK LALAPORT BUKIT BINTANG CITY CENTRE No.2 JALAN HANG TUAH,55100,KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
Operating Hours: 10:00 – 22:00