Sharing their love for anime, Malayali enthusiasts meet up

Step aside K-Pop and K-dramas, anime and Japanese manga are now what interests Malayali youth. In fact, in Kochi, a group has been organising a monthly anime meet-up, which is announced on social media, since last year. Apart from board games, it gives the group a chance to bond over anime.

"At the meet, we conduct quizzes and such. Last time, we gave a Naruto (anime character) poster as a reward. Normally we have around 40 people. It depends on which anime we are focusing

on every week. For popular ones, more people turn up," said a founding member of the group, which comprises young adults aged between 20 and 28.

In Thiruvananthapuram, earlier this week an event called Otakon, adopting its name from the famous Otakon convention in the US, was organised as part of a college fest. Earlier in June, a meet was held in Thiruvananthapuram, organised by an anime-themed apparel brand and owing to popular demand, it will be held again in July.

Organiser of the event, Gautham Menon, whose anime journey started over a decade ago says, "We find recommendations online or among the very few friends who share similar interests. While some of the stores in the city do sell manga, it's not widely available and we mostly read it online."

A generation grew up watching anime

Most of the mainstream anime are available online. I was introduced to anime in May, 2016. I used to watch it passively. The storylines are almost always great and hooks us in. Most people who get into anime watch it for the story. They will only get exposed to the culture in its entirety later. For those who grew up watching the character grow, the culture is already part of their life.

Sahil S, entrepreneur

Idaten Jump, Manga and much more

My first anime was Idaten Jump when I was nine. It's during covid that more people our age group got exposed to anime. While some of the stores in the city do sell manga, it's not widely available and we mostly read it online. I am also a regular consumer of manhwa too but those are mostly online copies.

Gautham Menon, an anime enthusiast and organiser of Otakon in Thiruvananthapuram