Anime Nation: How Japan's pop culture is winning over India's youth

Key Takeaways

• From packed comic conventions to streaming platforms and social media fandoms, Japanese pop culture is rapidly shaping a new generation of Indian entertainment consumers.
• At the India Today Indo-Japan Conclave held in New Delhi on May 22, Jatin Varma, Founder of Comic Con India, and Baishakhi Das, Cosplay Artist and Content Creator, discussed how anime, manga and cosplay have evolved from niche interests into a mainstream youth phenomenon in India, reflecting Japan’s growing cultural footprint in the country.
• Read Full Story “Anime characters are not just cool characters.
• You spend 10 or 15 episodes building a connection with them,” Das said during the session ‘The Manga-Anime Rage’.
• The discussion explored the popularity of Japanese cultural exports, from anime franchises such as Naruto and Demon Slayer to the films of Makoto Shinkai and the work of Studio Ghibli, and examined why Indian audiences are increasingly connecting with them.