Anime brand Sinigami Studios is collaborating with Kochi Overboard to show how Kerala rides the Japanese cultural wave.
Shinigami Studios’ anime meet-ups witness anime fans from all age groups and genders. (Supplied)
It was on an evening like any other that Sahil S and Gowrishankar toyed with the idea of expanding their love for anime into something bigger.
As anime devouts, they were familiar with others who shared their deep appreciation for the Japanese artform. But, there was no way of wearing this passion on the sleeve.
Now, as one of the founders of Shinigami Studios — one of South India’s first anime community brands — Sahil looks back at their journey as a gamble. It hit the jackpot for Kerala’s huge group of anime fans, he says.
“Shinigami Studios was the brainchild of a weird evening conversation with my friend Gowrishankar,” Sahil tells South First.
The main idea was to bring affordable merchandise for people who really wanted it. (Supplied)
Their immediate future was written in casual-talk when his friend and co-founder Gowrishankar asked “Why don’t we start an anime merch brand?”
Sahil, like many other anime fans, was enthralled by the medium’s visual style and enjoyed exhibiting his love for it. But South India, let alone his city Thiruvananthapuram, lacked an affordable source from where good quality anime merchandise could be collected.
“Our main idea was to bring affordable merchandise for people who really wanted it. To cut down costs, we do all our production in-house,” he shares. Sahil, who also works as a digital artist, customises most of their merchandise using his own designs.
Besides merchandise, having regular meet-ups of anime enthusiasts seemed like a prospective idea. (Supplied)
The three founders of Shinigami Studios — Sahil, Gowrishankar and Mohammad Swalih — however, did not want their collective to be confined to just a business idea.
“We wanted to give back to the anime community.” Sahil shares.
As an artist who used to conduct workshops, he had prior experience in organising and attending meet-ups and group events. “We realised that a community meet-up angle had substance,” he explains. Many of his ilk wanted the right space to express themselves.
Like many Indian children whose television sets were tuned to Jetix, Animax and Cartoon Network’s Toonami, Sahil too grew up watching Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z.
Indian television was no alien terrain for the Japanese animation artform. Its foray into the country dates back to the early 90s, he says.
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Although, at the time, the understanding of anime was restricted to the shows that played on children’s entertainment channels.
“It was only in 2016 when a friend compelled me to watch Naruto did I realise the complexity and scope of anime,” Sahil shares.
The storyline and the character development of more than just the protagonist revealed the narrative’s depth. Apart from the detailed world-building, what stood out for Sahil was the variety of characters in the story that different viewers could connect with.
As anime’s popularity grew, the medium began to reach more households and screens across the country.
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Amal Antony, a Japanese translator working in Kochi informs South First, “What has changed now is accessibility. For a long time, people had to resort to piracy to watch their favourite anime. It is now easily available to the public owing to streaming platforms.”
A bit of research revealed to Sahil that in 2022 there was almost 430% growth in anime as a trending topic in India.
“In many southern states, the shows were dubbed into the local language. This increased the number of people watching and sharing them,” he adds. Japanese shows have become more accessible to non-English speaking/reading audiences, he shares.
As for the content, Sahil reveals that viewers rarely feel a cultural difference.
“Most anime deal with universal themes and explore socio-political and psychological themes that are not restricted to Japan alone. An anime like One Piece, for example, deals with racial discrimination and geo-politics in a very subtle and discreet way,” he elaborates.
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Sahil and his friends recognised the tight grip of relevance and relatability with which anime held its fans, who were now able to see it for the advanced form of storytelling it was.
As members of this collective, the obvious next step in their journey was to elevate Shinigami Studios into a platform of community engagement.
“There is a rise in people getting into anime, in Kerala. But, most people are afraid to express their love towards it. It is considered childish and that’s why they fear,” Sahil shares.
But this didn’t stop Kerala’s anime lovers from coming together when Shinigami Studios organised Trivandrum’s first anime meet-up.
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With a response that exceeded their expectations, the team began dreaming bigger. “We promoted our merchandise at a flea market later and one of our reels promoting the next meet-up went viral,” Sahil notes.
This drew the attention of anime lovers across Kerala who began requesting them to organise meet-ups in different parts of the state.
“We’ve been a part of Kochi Overboard’s anime meet-ups and usually set up merch stalls at their venues. We’re now collaborating with them to organise the biggest anime meet-up the city has ever seen!” Sahil proudly shares.
Shinigami Studios’ anime meet-ups witness anime fans from all age groups and genders. “We have people from the age of 10 to 45,” Sahil reveals.
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“We’re very conscious about our gatherings being respectful and kind as we entertain people who come from different backgrounds. Everyone is welcome, whether you’re new to anime or not.” Sahil shares. “To maintain that respect, we carefully structure and monitor our events.”
Shinigami Studios’s anime meet-ups usually begin with a big meet and greet after which a quiz on anime trivia follows.
The event has stand-up comedy sessions, interactive discussions and music performances that are all anime-themed. The gathering also includes the screening of particular shows as well as auctions for special anime merchandise.
“Many attendees often cosplay as well! Sometimes, if their costume is that good, their entry is on the house! It’s quite amazing to see how much it means to so many people.” Sahil shares.
Although Sahil believes that Kerala still maintains an uninformed prejudice over anime, the state is slowly seeing people understand the maturity and beauty of the medium.
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“You can see this effect in the last 3-4 years. Jujutsu Kaisen, which was on Netflix, got a theatre release all over Kerala,” Amal Antony shares. “The demand is being noticed and we will continue to see even more anime movies in theatres,” he shares.
Shinigami Studios and Kochi Overboard’s upcoming anime meet-up on Saturday, 18 November, 2023 is already sold out. In fact, the organisers had to move the event to a larger venue.
Expecting over 150 people for what will be Kochi’s biggest anime meet, the organisers have now begun their next round of registrations.
If you’d like to attend Kochi’s biggest anime meet-up, register via the Instagram pages of @shinigamistudiosoffical and @kochiover_board
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