1. OTAKU NEXT Brings out the ‘Otaku’ spirit of Town
Prasong Rupacha
Pirates, ghouls, ninjas and even plumbers, all gathered in our very own town as OTAKU
NEXT celebrated the release of their second Manga Magazine. Mangas are Japanese styled
cartoonish comics created in a specific form of animation. On September 5th they organized
an event which showcased a Cosplay contest. If you haven’t come across the word “cosplay”
it basically means costume play, cosplay is when you wear a costume to represent a
fictional character. OTAKU NEXT is the only organization all over Nepal who has organized
such events till date.
Despite having exposure to anime and manga for years OTAKU NEXT is the first and only
manga magazine in Nepal which was founded a year ago by Kavin Jung Shah, Shalini Rana
and Krishant Rana. Their goal of founding a manga magazine was to connect and bring
together the otakus of our nation and to create an environment for them to connect and
indulge in a thriving culture that already exists around the world but was absent in Nepal.
They also give chances and exposure to young artists who dream of creating their own
work.
Although cosplay hasn’t been in the mainstream spotlight for too long and many people
having no knowledge of it, a significant number of people showed up at the event in
costume which showed their passion for cosplaying and role playing. Hundreds of people
gathered at The Platform Inc. in Lazimpat where the event was held. Even though a couple
hundred seems very miniature compared to the population of Kathmandu, the event saw a
significant rise in attendees compared to the previous event they had organized on
December of last year. This shows that the Otaku community in our nation is growing.
OTAKU NEXT hopes that someday they will be able to create an Anime of their own and I
am pretty sure all the Nepalese Otakus wishes the same. The Otaku community on Nepal
even though humble in number is very inviting and friendly and with the rise in exposure
to contents such as Animes, Mangas and Cosplay through the rise of internet it is only a
matter of time for them to take over the entertainment business here in Nepal.