Indian online entertainment informative space saw a shift in 2015 when western media outlets dominated the web section. An Indian Startup gave voice to Indian Community. AnimeBlog, an initiative started by Otakukart, aimed and delivered up-to-date news from the land of rising sun Japan. Indian Anime fans have never seen a formal representation on a global scale. They always have been connected by their small forums and social media pages.
Otaku is a Japanese term for fans who have an interest in anime and manga-based content. Later this term was used in place of a more western counterpart, GEEK, to represent East-Asian and South-East-Asian interests. Representation of same was exquisitely done on western counterpart, but India never saw their own personal information source. Otakukart took shape over the years, keeping its readers up-to-date on all information from the Anime & Manga world. While Otakukart caters to information part to Indian fans, there was a massive gap for Indian fans in merch. They never had a go-to place to get Anime Merch that was authentic, Made in India, and of superior quality.
Following this success, Otakukart ventured into creating OtakuRage.com, which became an e-commerce arm of the company to focus on Anime & Gaming products. They served in the market for over seven years, selling through websites like TeePublic, TeeFury, Qwertee, RedBubble, and many more. With these upcoming projects and years of success, Otakukart is now aiming to aid the Indian Anime Community and Less Privileged Community in these challenging times under an initiative they name 'ANIME INDIA INITIATIVE (AII).' This drive incorporates seven essential pointers, and the organization intends to help in those seven areas.
As promised by Otakukart, the company plans to give FREE FOOD to the oppressed part of society as the current pandemic has left numerous lives harmed. They are in contact with NGOs, providing rice packs each month to families. The company intends to Plant TREES to make a gouge and battle against environmental change. As Otakukart itself lacks a workforce, they are donating part of their income each month to greenyatra.org and sankalptaru.org, which are non-profit organizations focused on helping nature by planting trees all over India.
The company also provides FREE CLOTHING to unprivileged parts of the community, as Otakurage has lots of t-shirts coming, printing & going to customers all over the country. Sometimes when the customer is not satisfied with the product due to size or other unforeseen issues, the product is returned. Otakukart's team then sanitizes and washes such t-shirts and donates the t-shirts to the people in extreme need via NGOs every two to three months. As a gesture of kindness, the company also donates plain T-shirts from their inventory during winters. The most significant milestone for Otakukart is they have made their operations go entirely Green. Otakurage and Otakukart operate on 100 percent GREEN ENERGY, produced by solar panels established in their workshop, located in Navsari, Gujarat.
For the Indian Anime Community, Otakukart promotes Otaku & Geek Artists on their platforms. The company runs several campaigns and competitions to promote young and talented artists from the Indian Anime community on their Website, Instagram, and Facebook Page. Alongside supporting and funding successful ideas from Otaku Community. Otakukart also aims to Bring MNC to India to grow the Otaku Culture in India. Otakukart aims to have future tie-ups with Big Anime Studios, which will help Indian-Viewers legally watch their favorite anime and the potential of having Anime Movies in Indian Theaters.
One might think all this is a huge ambition and too much movement for a self-funded company like Otakukart, which started in 2015. But no dreams are small, and no idea is impossible. They have achieved significant milestones this year. With their focus on serving the needful around them and making a dent in the global world for India, they will go beyond. We wish them All The Best.
