East takes centre stage

Four years ago, nearly 70,000 Indian otakus — people with “intense interest” in anime and manga — signed a petition to bring the famous Japanese film Dragon Ball Super Broly to Indian theatres. Their success wasn’t a fleeting triumph — more petitioners subsequently persuaded theaters to showcase other Japanese cinematic gems like Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer Anime) and Jujutsu Kaisen.

Last week, Amazon’s OTT service Prime Video moved to capitalise on this cultural zeitgeist by bringing Anime Times, an anime channel based in Japan, to its Indian customers. Prime members can enjoy popular titles such as SPY×FAMILY, Tokyo Revengers, Mob Psycho and so on for a stiff Rs 899. “Over the past few years, anime content has gained a significant fandom in India. We are expanding our anime offering with over hundreds of hours of programming,” says Vivek Srivastava, head, Prime Video Channels, Prime Video.

The platform is surely hoping that its pricing will not deter the Millenials and Gen Z, the primary consumers of anime and manga. Thanks to this cohort, sales of custom merchandise, hosting of cosplay events and consumption of Nihon no Kontentsu is also on the rise. The size of the anime market is estimated at `2,800 crore currently, and is set to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 12% between 2024 and 2028. While clothing constitutes about 70% of anime merchandise sales, some brands have also started selling anime figurines. The sale of anime merchandise has surged, with consumers willing to shell out up to Rs 2,000 for a single item of clothing. Brands like Celio have hopped on board with licensed collaborations with IPs such as Naruto.

That said, Prime Video faces formidable competition. Its rival Netflix boasts nearly 200 anime series, constantly expanding its catalogue. Similarly, global anime content platform Crunchyroll estimates India is the second-largest market for anime in the world. The company expects 60% of the global growth in the category over the next few years to come from India. Currently, there are over 700 anime titles available on Crunchyroll in India, which is close to 7,000 hours of content, making it the largest anime platform in India. To make anime accessible to Indian fans, Crunchyroll has introduced special subscriptions that start as low as Rs 79 per month. Akshat Sahu, director of marketing, APAC, Crunchyroll, says the platform has dubbed many of its offerings in regional languages such as Hindi, Tamil and Telugu to expand reach. The race to offer anime content has also expanded the viewership base on OTT.

According to latest industry estimates, over 118 million users in India watch anime content across linear and digital platforms, with 53 million estimated to be watching on official sources and 20 million paying for such programming. The impact of anime extends beyond the small screen. Anime movie Suzume, released by PVR earlier this year, raked in upwards of Rs 10 crore at the box office. The momentum continued with the Makoto Shinkai Film Festival, celebrating the director’s works, including the Oscar-nominated Your Name. “The Indian otakus have welcomed the distinctive storytelling method, colourful graphics, and cultural intricacies portrayed in anime,” says Kamal Gianchandani, CEO, PVR Inox Pictures.

Events like Comic Con, that debuted in India in 2011, have played a pivotal role in igniting the passion for anime. “Our event played a crucial role in the growth of the anime fanbase owing to our prowess in building fan communities,” says Jatin Varma, founder of Comic Con India.

The perception that anime is exclusively for children has changed, paving the way for Indian creators like Karmachakra by Studio Durga, to thrive. “There’s an opportunity in the lack of high-quality local anime targeted at Gen Z, Gen Alpha and Millenials,” points out Nisha Sampath, managing partner, Bright Angles Consulting.

Added Vashu Bhagnani, a veteran film and animation producer, “It’s like a colourful wave sweeping everyone off their feet. Plus, with the growing interest, we’ll see some awesome anime-inspired films too.

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