As the gates of Hall 1, Nesco opened on the third day of the maiden edition of Anime India, anime lovers thronged the venue to soak in the energy of anime celebration and catch a glimpse of the eminent personalities like Tetsuro Araki, Rohan Joshi, Hideo Katsumata and so on. The Japanese culture focused confab attracted more than 29,000 anime fans over three days from 22 to 24 August.
The event was held in conjunction with the seventh edition of the Animation & More Summit and Ann Awards, which is an annual fixture attended by leaders from the Indian and international animation ecosystem.
On the Shoutengai Stage, the spotlight turned to Uma Musume in a deep-dive panel exploring the franchise’s meteoric rise and its unique cultural impact. The discussion titled Translating Keiba to Kino: A Uma Musume Panel explored its vibrant characters, heartfelt storytelling, the unexpected blend of horse racing and idol culture. They unpacked why these horse girls have galloped their way into the hearts of fans across the globe.
Up next, the flagship stage welcomed a room full of audience for the screening of Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution. This CGI remake of the iconic Pokémon movie delivered a powerful dose of nostalgia with a visually stunning modern twist, attracting many attendees to watch the show.
The day began witnessed a semi-final round of the anime quiz competition. Participants eventually competed for a spot in the grand finale.
At the same time, a lively panel featuring popular VTubers took place on the Shoutengai Stage. The VTubers spoke about their work. In another session, on the Panel Stage, fans dived into the question, Where does the Fate Series truly begin? The members of this panel spoke about the various Nasuverse works, and how it connects to the Fate series. This will include dipping the audience’s feet in the vast timeline of Fate, and how it all comes together.
The ultimate treat that the attendees of Anime India were waiting for was Meet and Greet with Tetsuro Araki, the brilliant director behind these two legendary anime series Death Note and Attack on Titan. During this session, the hosts engaged with Araki to talk about his mainstream work and creative journey. The gathering reflected the fandom and love for anime that is prevalant in India, adding a surreal touch to the moment where the eminent personality interacted patiently with everyone.
Comedian Rohan Joshi, one of the founding members of the creative agency All India Bakchod, graced the occasion with his presence. On the final day of the event, he actively engaged with the audience and enthusiastically immersed himself in the vibrant anime culture.
Other attractions for the day included fan panel on Anime Music and Why It Sounds So Awesome; chopstick and keychain painting workshops; advance premiere of Let This Grieving Soul Retire S2 EP01; cosplay competition finale; Aidol (singing competition) finale and much more.
Also, cosplayer, DJ, and renowned Japanese voice artist Tsunko lit up the stage with a high-energy live performance, captivating fans with her signature charm. Her vibrant beats drew a lively crowd of around 200 enthusiasts who cheered, hooted, and danced along to every electrifying tune.
The event was presented by Anime Times and Toyota, co-powered by Yotta. The gold partner circle features 88 Pictures, ARK, Maxon, Epic Games, and Unreal Engine, while silver partners included Redington, Autodesk, and Zebu Animation Studios. Datsi joined as the talent development partner and the associate partners were Fuji Film and Sony YAY!. PlayStation was the official gaming partner, with Powerkids Entertainment as the lanyards and badges partner.
Further enriching the summit, Shinchan: Spicy Kasukabe Dancers in India was on board as the delegate bag partner, Bright Outdoor Media as outdoor partner, and Jetro and MDEC as country partners. Industry partners included Captain Raaj, Huion, IICT, Toonz Media Group, Toonsutra and XP Pen. The festival partner is DigiCon6 Asia and the education partners are Atlas (ISDI), Arena FC College, Cosmos Creative Academy, Dr DY Patil School of Design, Frameboxx 2.0, ITM Skills University, Incube 8, KES College, MAAC, RJ College, Prime Focus Academy, Thakur College, MIT Art Design & Technology University, Mithibai College, Tron Education, Srajan College of Design, Veda Institute, Whistling Woods International and Zica.
To know about the other days, read:
Anime India Day 1: A cultural phenomenon that brought anime fandom alive in Mumbai
Anime India Day 2: Fans witness dazzling cosplay parade, film screenings, voice acting demos, Maid Café experience and more
