Mumbai: When Dazai and Spiegel came to Kurla

Sneakers painted based on anime themes (right) Creator Yogesh makes customised T-shirts

The world of anime is slowly setting its roots in India, and it is here to stay. In a first-ever festival of its kind, Zee Café organised the Anime Fan Fest in Mumbai. As someone who has barely been exposed to this world in the last six months, there was a lot of jargon and character names to hear and register for this writer.

The two-day event that began on October 21 featured a plethora of attractions that kept the audience engaged. From anime quizzes to one-minute games, cosplay makeup tutorials, sneaker painting competitions, and masterclasses in skateboarding and origami-making, the event had something for everyone. Singer-sneakerhead Mihir Joshi hosted the event and also doubled up as a judge for the sneaker painting competition.

A Mumbaikar dressed as a character from One Piece

We caught up with Soham, 16, who was dressed up in a long grey overcoat much like his favourite character Osamu Dazai from Bungo Stray Dogs. Tathagath, 16, claimed he was trying to portray Spike Spiegel of Cowboy Bebop. "I came to check out the energy of the festival. I have been to comic cons before, which has been happening in Mumbai, but this is the first anime festival I've seen here," said Soham. "The vibe here is great," added Tathagath, as the duo headed to the sneaker painting competition.

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Pooja, 27, was accompanying her 17- and 15-year-old sisters Prachi and Satvika to explore their favourite characters from One Piece, Naruto, and Demon Slayer. "It's barely been a year since I got interested in anime," says Satvika, adding, "I am looking forward to seeing the cosplay competition." Since there is no entry fee, the first day saw a crowd of approximately 3,000 fans and is expected to double up on Sunday. The plethora of events included personalised T-shirt printing and caricature drawing.

What most attendees are eagerly waiting for is India's first cosplay band, Daisuki, to take the stage for a live performance. While the heat did play spoilsport and the crowd looked drenched in sweat, the excitement never dipped. So, if you are an anime fan, Market City Kurla is the place to be.