Minasan, kon’nichiwa. Ogenkidesuka? This is a popular greeting in Japan and among Anime fans that translates to Hello everyone, how are you?
The Anime community is one of the largest growing communities in Nigeria and that definitely includes our great Kaduna.
According to dailydot.com, anime in its most basic form, anime refers to animation. Interestingly enough, the name itself isn’t an abbreviation of the English word animation. Instead, it’s how you say “animated cartoon” (written アニメ) in Japanese. To a Japanese viewer, anime is any cartoon, whether it’s made in Japan or not. Outside of Japan, however, the term anime has come to mean “animation made in Japan,” or more broadly, any animated show or movie that uses signature aspects of Japanese-style animation, like vibrant colors, dramatic panning, and characteristic facial expressions.
Anime, however, is not just a form of animation. It is a lifestyle.
it has become a trend!
Anime has become a worldwide trend with about 2-3 billion people watching it. According to google trends more people have searched for anime compared to Hollywood.
Anime films are also grossing millions of dollars such as Demon Slayer grossing over 100 million dollars in its first 10 days in the box office in japan alone.
‘That is insane!!!’
As a way to bring people together to share in the love for anime, there are conventions held just for anime around the world. The most popular conventions are held in Japan and the USA.
Anime and kaduna
Kaduna is not left out in this frenzy as the anime community in kaduna grows bigger by the day, with more people watching it and looking for like minds to share in their love for it, led to first ever Anime Convention in Africa which took place right here in kaduna.
The Anime convention dubbed “Anime Con” took place on the 6th of December 2019 in Barnawa with a controlled crowd of over 70 people which surpasses the turn out of the first anime convention in San Francisco in 1990.
Otakus, as they call themselves, came in costumes and customized merchandise to share more anime, network, and watch an anime film together.
Before this point smaller meetups and hangouts were held by groups of dedicated anime fans, and this brought about the birth of the anime community in Kaduna. They call the community “Anime Naija”.
You can visit their social media @AnimeNaija on all platforms