The earliest memory of anime in Nigerian homes can be traced back to cable television and DVDs. Anime like Pokémon, Bakugan, Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece were some of the timely and popular Japanese creations that anime lovers grew up watching. These shows were known for their compelling storylines, relatable characters, and picturesque graphics. Though American cartoons also had the listed features, anime was more of an experimental option — an alternative to American productions that later turned into a culture and a community.
Even though cable television could be credited as the pioneer of incepting Japanese anime in the country, DVDs also played an important role in helping to create variety, since cable television was only offering a few selections. However, with the introduction of the internet, anime culture took a total pivotal shift. What started in the country as animated graphics on television screens, morphed and transformed into something bigger: it created a community.
The internet birthed the rise of a more sophisticated and wide variety of anime, available on streaming services like Netflix and YouTube. Anime lovers could also access their favorite Japanese comics (manga) on websites and certain apps. The internet also brought about the genesis of fan pages, targeted at archiving iconic scenes and characters from various anime.
Before accomplishing the feat above, anime fostered an interest in people who never thought it would become infectious and gain cultural relevance. For someone like Alexander, 22, his earliest memory of anime was Naruto, and over time he has been able to explore more by reading manga online.
But for Fridious, 24, his interest in anime started began more recently during the COVID lockdown —a time when he discovered tons of anime like Kimetsu No Yaiba (Demon Slayer), Seven Deadly Sins, Vinland Saga, and Attack of Titans through the help of an older brother. His newly found interest prompted him to document his experience in a personal essay, where he narrates his new relationship with anime. “I find anime characters more relatable,” he told me for Anime Herald. “They have deep life lessons compared to American cartoons, I just find American cartoons humorous even the ones that seem to have a sad storyline.”
Fridious is not the only one who shares this sentiment. Other Nigerian anime lovers share similar beliefs, though someone like Mohammed, 31, isn’t picking sides. “Anime and cartoons to me are two different things, me being more of a fan for animations as a whole gets a really good feel from both mediums. They are both amazing with the way they both tell their stories, to me they are both solid.”
Another self-described weeb, Ruby, 19, initially didn’t realize she had developed an interest in anime, because when she stumbled across it some years back, it was just a random discovery. However, by the year 2020, she had fully grasped and understood the significance of her random discovery, which further allowed her to explore some of the opportunities that being a weeb offers. One such opportunity came in the form of a business venture. Using social media platforms like Twitter, she was able to monetize her interest by selling anime merchandise (necklaces, anime-graphic printed t-shirts, and phone cases). The overall reception has been quite overwhelming for her, even though when she started in the early hours of 2020 (January), she learned that she wasn’t the only one who had ventured into selling merch.
While weebs like Ruby are contributing to the consumer side of Nigeria’s rising anime community, Babs, a twenty-something, is one of the young people running an anime fan account on Instagram, called Anime Crunch. Anime Crunch, which started in October 2018, doubles as a fan page and as a platform for organizing anime-related events in Lagos — the commercial capital of the country. “The main purpose of Anime Crunch was for events. Not as a fan page, but it kinda transitioned over time as we got more followers. There are lots of anime fans in Nigeria, and when people come to our events, they just want to feel geek out [sic]. We’ve had events with over 100 people in attendance. I remember how cheerful the atmosphere was at one of the events when we watched the Naruto and Sasuke Vs Momoshiki fight.”
The latest Anime Crunch event recently took place at a video arcade in the city. This year’s edition served as a meeting ground for anime community members and like-minded individuals to connect in a graphic and euphoric atmosphere.
Given the effects that the global pandemic left on the world, Babs revealed he was a bit skeptical at first on how the turnout would be, but the event boasted more attendees than he expected. For some anime lovers, the event has been a safe sanctuary to share their interest in anime without looking or sounding weird.
Emmanuel, 26, shares with me how excited he was ahead of Anime Crunch. The excitement, he said, was built up due to how the event was the only available place to connect with anime—especially since he’s always busy and tied up with work. He’d like to see more monetization of anime related content, and he’s hopefully looking forward to seeing the inception of an anime cinema in the country.
Amarachi, 20, the last weeb I caught up with, loves how accommodating the anime community in Nigeria is, detailing hopes to see more manga made into anime with a sublime production in the future.
Nigeria’s anime community is at its brightest stage yet. It is a gleeful culture that crawled into the country’s mainstream while still creating space for cultural appreciation in the country. Our anime lovers always want something bigger and more extensive, spurring it on.
