5. Konnichiwa: The Rising Craze of Anime in India | Pranay Agrawal

KONNICHIWA: THE RISING CRAZE OF ANIME IN INDIA

Anime is a sentiment flowing through the veins of weebs. An entertainment which only a "chosen few" relate to. Every single one of us of Gen-Z finds himself stuck at a position in life and subconsciously humming the theme song of our favourite anime. We cringe while doing it in public for sure, but that's our guilty pleasure. We feel like we can see it through; we are capable of dealing with what's coming in front of us. We grew up watching anime, and it is our nostalgic sentiment that we wish to let go of but cannot.

Some people ask why? It's just a bunch of pictures. Why invest your time there where you can enjoy metaverse? The idea lies in the themes and storyline, which is better than many high-grossing movies in our very own country. The thrill and storyline which creates suspense worth waiting for is the soul of anime. These animes are not just cartoons; they reflect all the social dilemmas many of us go through and cannot talk about. These animes are also the language in which an introvert tries to find answers to his daily struggles.

The encouragement through anime is something that does not require to be explained. Yuji Nishida, a Japanese volleyball player, loves Weekly Shonen and is heavily inspired by a Haikyuu character. The timings, the thought, and the capacity to judge the viewer's interest keep them glued for hours without getting bored, especially when there are no real-life characters. An Anime may be seen as something that goes on, yet the content never gets old. It is safe to say that anime acts as a gateway to bring humanity closer to each other. Today's Young India, where the average age is 28.4 years, is rapidly familiarising with foreign cultures. Few of us remember animes like Great Teacher Onizuka, where a young former gangster tries to mend his ways ends up teaching a delinquent class. The comic timing is impeccable, yet they perfectly deliver the thought they want. Some of us remember modern animes like Dragon Ball Z, My Hero Academia, or One Punch Man. We subconsciously say Japanese phrases we hear while watching these animes. We have even spent a few years pretending to be the cool emo guy in our teens because that was the fashion at that time.

And what better emo inspiration than Japanese anime itself. Anime also provides a window for the interested to understand the artistic culture of "The land of the Rising Sun. " And it's not just us; it's everyone. The majority of Netflix subscribers in India between 18-25 have one anime in either their watch list or seen list. During the lockdown period, the demand for anime on OTT platforms multiplied as people were at home and used to binge-watch their favourite animes. We can see the global anime market will be around 23.6 billion Dollars in 2023.

There occurs social interaction among people because of these animes. Today's youth never miss an opportunity to mention any reference to their favourite anime. They have gossiped about it and that too for long hours. It's not because they don't have anything to talk about; it's because, being social animals, humans crave social interaction. Animes connect to us personally, and people with similar tastes in anime are individuals who perfectly resonate with us. Each character tends to develop a separate social entity in our mind, not just the whole anime. The whole idea of Animes is to teach us moral values. Anime, being originated in Japan, where the moral compass and social respect is highly valued, develops the morale welfare mentality of human. They teach us the proper way of life visually. They cater to emotional needs while simultaneously stimulating our moral compass to determine what is right. They mend, develop and change the attitude of people who have given up on life. They teach us that there is a second chance as long as we are alive, and everyone deserves it.