<p>Bengaluru: Bengaluru played host to the WAVES Anime and Manga Contest (WAM!) on April 15, at VVN Degree College, Basavanagudi.</p><p>WAM! (WAVES Anime & Manga Contest) is India’s first national initiative to promote original Indian IPs in anime, manga, webtoons, and cosplay. Organised by the Media and Entertainment Association of India (MEAI) and supported by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, WAM! is a part of WAVES – World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit, the country’s largest Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) industry platform. WAM! Bengaluru marked the final state-level qualifier before the National Finale at WAVES 2025.</p>.ChatGPT turns to manga in 'One Piece' author experiment.<p>The event saw participation from a diverse age group and wide reach— with participants as young as nine years old, and creators and cosplayers traveling from cities such as Raipur and Chennai to take part in the contest. </p><p>The contests were judged by a jury comprising Zebu Animation Founder Veerendra Patil; Studio Illuzion Head of Special Projects Ajay Apparoop; Bhasin Group Chairman and Managing Director; Sushil Bhasin, and ToonSutra Digital Performance Lead Vishakh Vijayan.</p><p>State-level winners were awarded WACOM pen tablets, faber-castell art goodies, official TRIO Merchandise, cash prizes and five-night stay and travel support to participate at WAM! Finale during WAVES (between May 1 to 4 2025). Winning anime pilots will be dubbed in Hindi, English, and Japanese by Gulmohar Media and winning webtoons will be digitally distributed by Toonsutra, connecting Indian storytellers with global readers.</p><p>Winners will now advance to the WAM! national finale, with the opportunity to win an all-expense paid trip to Anime Japan 2026 in Tokyo, representing India’s original content on a global anime stage.</p><p>WAM! Bengaluru also witnessed the official launch of the Anime Bengaluru Club— a community-driven collective for anime and manga lovers in the city. The club will organise regular meetups, anime watch parties, manga reading circles, and other community-building activities throughout the year. </p><p><strong>Winners</strong></p><p><strong>Manga</strong><br>Student: Rohit Sharma<br>Professional: Mukunda K<br>Webtoon: Vishal Maravi<br><br><strong>Anime</strong></p><p>Ganesh</p><p><strong>Cosplay</strong><br>Puneeth V<br>Runner-up: Prerana Bagrecha<br>Second runner-up: Sherone D'Souza </p><p><strong>Voice acting</strong><br>Winner: Poonam Tripathi<br>Runner-up: Sherone D'Souza </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Bengaluru played host to the WAVES Anime and Manga Contest (WAM!) on April 15, at VVN Degree College, Basavanagudi.</p><p>WAM! (WAVES Anime & Manga Contest) is India’s first national initiative to promote original Indian IPs in anime, manga, webtoons, and cosplay. Organised by the Media and Entertainment Association of India (MEAI) and supported by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, WAM! is a part of WAVES – World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit, the country’s largest Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) industry platform. WAM! Bengaluru marked the final state-level qualifier before the National Finale at WAVES 2025.</p>.ChatGPT turns to manga in 'One Piece' author experiment.<p>The event saw participation from a diverse age group and wide reach— with participants as young as nine years old, and creators and cosplayers traveling from cities such as Raipur and Chennai to take part in the contest. </p><p>The contests were judged by a jury comprising Zebu Animation Founder Veerendra Patil; Studio Illuzion Head of Special Projects Ajay Apparoop; Bhasin Group Chairman and Managing Director; Sushil Bhasin, and ToonSutra Digital Performance Lead Vishakh Vijayan.</p><p>State-level winners were awarded WACOM pen tablets, faber-castell art goodies, official TRIO Merchandise, cash prizes and five-night stay and travel support to participate at WAM! Finale during WAVES (between May 1 to 4 2025). Winning anime pilots will be dubbed in Hindi, English, and Japanese by Gulmohar Media and winning webtoons will be digitally distributed by Toonsutra, connecting Indian storytellers with global readers.</p><p>Winners will now advance to the WAM! national finale, with the opportunity to win an all-expense paid trip to Anime Japan 2026 in Tokyo, representing India’s original content on a global anime stage.</p><p>WAM! Bengaluru also witnessed the official launch of the Anime Bengaluru Club— a community-driven collective for anime and manga lovers in the city. The club will organise regular meetups, anime watch parties, manga reading circles, and other community-building activities throughout the year. </p><p><strong>Winners</strong></p><p><strong>Manga</strong><br>Student: Rohit Sharma<br>Professional: Mukunda K<br>Webtoon: Vishal Maravi<br><br><strong>Anime</strong></p><p>Ganesh</p><p><strong>Cosplay</strong><br>Puneeth V<br>Runner-up: Prerana Bagrecha<br>Second runner-up: Sherone D'Souza </p><p><strong>Voice acting</strong><br>Winner: Poonam Tripathi<br>Runner-up: Sherone D'Souza </p>
