The final part of the anime and cosplay craze was brought to India by Mumbai Comic Con, making it an exciting weekend for anime geeks. Although Comic Con has been held in the country since 2011, the event has now grown into an experience that can rival those in the West.
Despite being popular in India for some time, it was only in the last two years that the anime industry has truly solidified its presence across the country. This is largely thanks to the efforts of Crunchyroll India, which has made significant strides in expanding its market in the country.
This fact is clearly demonstrated by the rise in anime airings, advance screenings, film premieres, merchandise availability, regional language versions, and promotional efforts. Furthermore, it should be noted that Indian actress and Crunchyroll Ambassador Rashmika Mandanna presented an anime award at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards in Tokyo, Japan.
Based on the events that occurred at Mumbai Comic Con, it is evident that the enthusiasm for anime and cosplay will continue to grow in the coming years.
Crunchyroll Presents the Ultimate Anime Experience at Mumbai Comic Con
Similarly to the previous year, the anime industry had a significant presence at Mumbai Comic Con. However, this year, the excitement for this presence reached unprecedented levels as Crunchyroll India made a groundbreaking effort to promote anime in India.
Crunchyroll collaborated with Aniplex to bring Demon Slayer voice actor Natsuki Hanae and the anime’s Aniplex producer Yuma Takahashi to India as part of the Demon Slayer World Tour. This special event featured the two guests on the main stage at Mumbai Comic Con, where fans had the opportunity to meet and greet them.
Both Natsuki Hanae and Yuma Takahashi expressed their gratitude for the overwhelming support they received from anime fans in India. Hanae mentioned that although he had not traveled extensively within the country, he was already falling in love with Mumbai. He also excitedly shared his experience of trying and enjoying Indian cuisine. Hanae even joked with fans, teasing that they might see the Hashiras dancing to the popular Indian song, “Naatu Naatu”from the movie RRR.
Yuma Takahashi took great pride in being a part of the historic day for anime in India. This was due to the fact that Natsuki Hanae, the first Japanese anime voice actor to attend an event in India, was also present. In addition, he actively promoted the anime and expressed his hopes of bringing more voice actors from the Demon Slayer anime to India in the future.
Despite the audience already loving the experience, Crunchyroll went above and beyond by organizing various contests that allowed fans to interact and compete with one another, testing their anime knowledge and giving them the chance to win exciting prizes. The event continued with DJ Kazu’s performances on both days, where he had anime fans dancing to the most popular anime songs at Crunchyroll’s experience booth.
Muse India also conducted giveaways and quizzes to support this, giving fans the opportunity to acquire promotional anime merchandise from popular series such as Demon Slayer, Dandadan, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.
Bandai Namco played a significant role in providing anime fans with immersive experiences, such as building Mobile Suit Gundams and trying their luck with Gashapon. Through Gashapon, fans had the chance to win merchandise from popular titles like Blue Lock, Oshi no Ko, Undead Unluck, One Piece, and more.
Moreover, the quantity of stores offering anime merchandise was exceedingly high this year. In contrast to past years where anime clothing was the main focus of merchandise, there was a noticeable rise in the number of stores selling figurines. Additionally, there was a significant presence of cosplayers dressed as anime characters, with fans portraying their beloved characters from a variety of popular series such as One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Bleach, Chainsaw Man, and many others.
What else took place at Mumbai Comic Con?
At the Mumbai Comic Con, multiple significant occurrences occurred. These included exclusive sessions featuring cartoonist and animator Guy Delisle and artist Jason Loo. Each session provided fans with the opportunity to gain insight into their creative processes and aspirations for the future, as well as reflections on their past experiences.
Aside from those, numerous comic book launches from Abhijeet Kini, Vimanika Comics, Indusverse, Corporat, and other publishers were also witnessed by fans. Tinkle also had multiple significant announcements to make.
Tinkle recently made an exciting announcement for Suppandi’s upcoming birthday celebration. They revealed that Zebu Animation will be creating an animated series featuring Suppandi, and also hinted at a future animated series for Wingstar. Additionally, the company announced their partnership with Indian actor Rana Daggubati’s Spirit Media to produce a graphic novel for Minnal Murali.
At Mumbai Comic Con, Art Guy Rob delighted fans with a trip down memory lane. Although he is gaining popularity on social media, he is most recognized for his show M.A.D. (Music, Art, and Dance). Fans eagerly engaged with him, expressing gratitude for inspiring their artistic pursuits and seeking advice and photos. In a heartwarming gesture, one fan even gave him a token of appreciation as a gift.
Furthermore, the event featured exciting performances by Geek Fruit and MC Altaf, delighting fans and getting them moving to their music. The Indian Championship of Cosplay—Mumbai Qualifier was the grand finale for both days, with cosplayers showcasing their impressive costumes of beloved fictional characters. Fans can eagerly anticipate a plethora of amazing events at next year’s event.
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