Kathmandu [Nepal], September 17 (ANI): Thousands of people flocked to the site of Otaku Jatra, a Nepali anime and cosplay festival, on Saturday. The festival Otaku Jatra was held for the second time in less than a year.
Participants took selfies. They did not want to miss their favourite anime characters dressed as humans in annually celebrated the one-day "Costume Play", cosplay fest of "Otaku Jatra".
"I have been watching anime since I was in grade 8 and now am in the second year of my graduation. So it can be said that I started watching it while I still was a kid. It's fun to watch and a means to pass time but it now has become like a habit of watching anime. It just brings joy in my life," Rishika Maharjan, a participant of the Otaku Jatra told ANI about her relation with anime.
Computer-generated animation originating from Japan, Anime and Hentie has continued to influence youngsters which now has become an integral part of their life.
Most of the youngsters, especially the millennials and generation Z are fond of the animated characters which drove them to the event despite the rainfall since morning.
The Japanese version of the animation- Anime is generally perceived as a cartoon which has multiple genres of romance, sci-fi, horror and many others.
Drawing distinct differences between the normal cartoons which has been playing over channels, anime mostly focuses on real-life issues or human emotion. While being closer to humans, some of its contents are more violent and sexually explicit.
Connecting stories from one episode to the other like in the series, the stories of anime progress while the cartoons are made with an intention to make people laugh.
The first anime ever released on TV- Astro Boy was released in Japan around 1963. Since then many American and European countries came forward with anime which has become a blockbuster.
Generation Z (generation reaching adulthood in the second decade of the 21st century) has started accepting and adapting anime as a source to learn real-life skills, hardships, friendship, courage and determination to pursue the dream, time management and teamwork. This distinct feature has driven the youths towards anime.
"Anime is quite popular among youngsters because there is variation in behaviour and imaginations amongst them (young generation). Anime has been able to take their animation to a far and wider length, when they are alone they can entertain themselves by watching anime and some might be introverted which makes them hard to make friends. Through anime they might get to make friends as they talk about it might bring them closer," Sneha Gurung, another participant of Otaku Jatra claimed.
A portmanteau of "Costume Play", cosplay is an activity and performance art where participants wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent mostly a fictional character seen in anime.
People dressed as characters often interact to create a subculture and also perform role-playing tasks in venues apart from the stage. Anime, cartoons, comic books, Mangas, TV series and video games are the main source for cosplays.
It is believed that the tradition of cosplay came out of the practice of fan costuming at science fiction conventions in New York in the early 20th century. The word cosplay is said to have been coined in Japan on mid 20th century.
Cosplay events are common features of fan conventions, and today there are many dedicated conventions and competitions, as well as social networks, websites, and other forms of media centred on cosplay activities. Cosplay is very popular among all genders, and it is not unusual to see crossplay, also referred to as gender-bending. (ANI)
Source: WORLD