“One day I was just walking on the street wearing my Levi (a character from popular Japanese Anime Attack on Titan) t-shirt and a group of kids passed by and shouted — 'Levi! Love the colour!' and then we all just bonded over the show,” said 24-year-old Akshat Jain, who has been an anime fan since he was 18 years old, and has a varied collection of anime merchandise.

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Anime, the Japanese form of animation, is no longer an unfamiliar word, although it still holds a very underrated niche in the Indian entertainment industry. Shows like Naruto Shippuden, My Hero Academia, Haikyuu!! and movies like, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Your Name, have for long championed the genre, which is beginning to gain largescale traction in the country.

Globally the anime market size was valued at $24.8 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 14 percent over till 2030, as per a report by Grand View Research.

The West, meanwhile, is no stranger to the popularity of anime — global brands like Gucci, Nike and Dolce Gabbana have their own anime merchandise range.

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In India, however, while the sector is still restricted to new-age startups, the trend is beginning to catch on. This was seen with retail brand Celio India (the Indian chain of French menswear brand Celio) successfully launching clothing in collaboration with the popular anime Naruto. Following that success, the company also launched collections in collaboration with Pokémon and Attack on Titan.

So, with the anime merchandise sector market taking baby steps towards expansion in India, let’s understand what the buzz is all about.

So, what is the buzz about?

The genre is particularly enjoyed by the likes of Gen-Z and millennials.

Gen-Z were primarily introduced to the genre with Netflix and PVR Pictures bringing anime shows and movies to India, while millennials grew up watching anime, particularly from 2004 to 2017 when Animax India used to broadcast shows 24x7.

Also, fun fact — shows like Pokémon, Doraemon and Beyblade, which an entire generation enjoyed while growing up, are also anime.

A study published in April by JetSynthesys, a digital entertainment and technology company, found that 83 percent of Indians prefered anime to all other animated content options.

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The anime movie Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which was released on July 30 by PVR Pictures, ran to full houses in metro and non-metro cities, much to the delight of longtime fans.

Unbelievable! A Japanese film releasing in India with English subtitles, is going houseful in a rather small center (non metro), like Patna. I think, Patna doesn't even have enough Japanese restaurants, but tickets selling like hot Sushi. #JujutsuKaisen0 pic.twitter.com/EhDfxxrLdN

— Himesh (@HimeshMankad) June 29, 2022The Japanese film sold over 50,000 tickets in pre-sales on its opening day, earning Rs 1.8 crore on the first day and Rs 5.4 crore in the first week.

Kamal Gianchandani, chief strategy officer at PVR and CEO of PVR Pictures, in a tweet said that he was amazed that despite a delayed release, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is “leading the box office by a big margin" at PVR Cinemas.

Film business never ceases to amaze! @Jujutsu_Kaisen_ #JujutsuKaisen0 in its OV (with eng. sub) and inspite of a delayed release, is leading the box office by a big margin at @_PVRCinemas today