Another fascinating job emerging from the anime boom is anime model sculpting. Artists and craftsmen create detailed figures of beloved anime characters that are coveted by collectors and fans. This craft requires extreme skill and an eye for detail, transforming ordinary materials into stunning replicas.
Anime figures and collectibles are available everywhere nowadays from social media platforms to standalone websites. Take for example Jazil Homavazir, he is an award-winning animator and anime artist who launched India’s first web manga on his website after creating artworks from popular anime like Dragon Ball, Naruto and One Piece. He won the Comic-Con Award for the best webcomic series and the Delhi CD Award for an experimental short film.
There have been many such success stories in India. We spoke to Ashley Survarna, a graphic designer from Maharashtra, who quit his job two years ago to become a freelance graphic designer. He told us that his love for painting and illustration eventually led him to pursue a career in graphic design. Although he mostly works with gouache and acrylic media, he has noticed an increased demand for work from anime fans.
He said, “Anime’s popularity in the art world is growing. At first it was limited to Dragonball and Naruto characters, but now I see a whole range of art emerging from mainstream and non-mainstream shows like Jujutsu Kaisen and Fullmetal Alchemist. As a long-time fan of the anime genre, I’m just happy that being able to draw anime characters or use some anime-based references in my artworks quickly finds an audience that understands and appreciates it. I often get requests for commissioned artwork based on popular anime.”
He believes that the best part of the anime boom in this country is how deeply it has penetrated the local entertainment channels. Today, when a major anime movie is released, he can enjoy it in a nearby cinema hall, surrounded by a surprisingly large number of fans. He adds, “It’s not at all uncommon for me to see young men and women wearing Naruto or Jujutsu Kaisen T-shirts at the mall or on college campuses. Anime culture is going to become even more popular over the next decade.”
He said artists working on commission can earn anywhere between N25,000 and N100,000 per month if they have a good number of clients. “Artists who are active on platforms like Fiverr and have international clients are earning over $2,000 per month working from India. Most clients who want anime artwork are usually anime fans who want artwork for personal use or as gifts.”
Suvarna charges Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 for each commission depending on the effort required with a turnaround time of 48 hours and claims that his peers also charge around the same. After browsing hundreds of listings by Indian artists on Fiverr, we found that the average price of a digital piece of anime art ranges between Rs 1,500 to Rs 8,000 depending on the project, with the average being close to Rs 2,000 with a turnaround time of 2-3 days.
Manga sellers are also capitalizing on the popularity of anime in India. The popularity of anime has naturally led to a rise in demand for manga, comics, and graphic novels that often inspire anime series. Manga sellers and artists are finding an eager new audience for their work. Local bookstores and online platforms have seen a surge in manga sales, creating a lucrative marketplace for both sellers and creators. It is difficult to gauge what the manga market looks like in India due to the commonness of manga in the country.
According to Grand View Research, the official manga market in India is projected to grow to $13.7 billion by 2023, while the global market size is estimated to be $13.7 billion in 2023. This boom is driven by the growing interest in Japanese culture, driven by the spread of anime music and the availability of various anime titles on several OTT platforms in India. These numbers are similar to other countries in Asia-Pacific, based on the report, which means that India’s manga craze is as high as other countries in the region.
The report states that in 2023, the Asia Pacific region will continue to dominate the manga market, with the highest revenue share at 86.0%. The strong growth of the manga industry in Japan, which is popular among both domestic and international consumers, has significantly contributed to the expansion of the regional market.
