WAM! Bengaluru showcases India’s anime, manga talent; state-level winners head to national finale
Bengaluru: The WAVES Anime and Manga Contest (WAM!) was held at VVN Degree College in Basavanagudi, Bengaluru, bringing together creators, cosplayers, and storytellers from across the country. The event, which served as the final state-level qualifier ahead of the national finale at WAVES 2025, featured participants from diverse age groups and cities including Raipur and Chennai.
Participants as young as nine years old took part in the contest, reflecting the growing interest among Indian youth in creating original anime, manga, and webtoon content. The event also drew working professionals and experienced creators, underlining the wide appeal of the medium.
The jury for the event included Veerendra Patil (Founder, Zebu Animation), Ajay Apparoop (Head of Special Projects, Studio Illuzion), Sushil Bhasin (Chairman and Managing Director, Bhasin Group), and Vishakh Vijayan (ToonSutra). The panel commended the participants for their imagination, technical skills, and storytelling, and observed a strong focus on Indian themes and original world-building.
WAM! Bengaluru also witnessed the launch of the Anime Bengaluru Club, a city-based community for anime and manga enthusiasts. Founder-President Sayantan Ghosh stated that the club would host regular activities such as meetups, anime watch parties, and manga reading circles.
The winners of the contest are as follows:
Manga (Student): Rohit Sharma
Manga (Professional): Mukunda K
Webtoon (Professional): Vishal Maravi
Anime (Professional): Ganesh
Cosplay:
Winner – Puneeth V
Runner-up – Prerana Bagrecha
Second runner-up – Sherone D’Souza
Voice Acting:
Winner – Poonam Tripathi
Runner-up – Sherone D’Souza
Winners at the state level received WACOM pen tablets, Faber-Castell art kits, official TRIO merchandise, cash prizes, and travel support for a five-night stay to participate in the WAM! national finale scheduled from 1 to 4 May 2025. The national winners will be eligible for an all-expense-paid trip to Anime Japan 2026 in Tokyo, where they will represent original Indian content on a global platform.
As part of additional support, winning anime pilots will be dubbed in Hindi, English, and Japanese by Gulmohar Media to facilitate wider distribution. Winning webtoons will be published by Toonsutra to connect with global readers.
Ankur Bhasin, Secretary of the Media and Entertainment Association of India (MEAI), said that WAM! Bengaluru was a showcase of raw talent and creative vision. He noted that Bengaluru continues to serve as a hub for emerging creators and expressed pride in offering them a national platform.
WAM! is India’s first national initiative to promote original intellectual properties in anime, manga, webtoons, and cosplay. It is organised by the Media and Entertainment Association of India and supported by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The contest is part of WAVES – World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit, India’s largest platform for the AVGC-XR industry.
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K'taka HC dismisses CT Ravi’s plea seeking quashing of case over remarks against Lakshmi Hebbalkar
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has rejected a petition filed by BJP leader and former minister C.T. Ravi seeking to quash a case registered against him over allegedly derogatory remarks made against Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar during an Assembly session.
The single-judge bench headed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna, while dismissing the petition, observed that if the alleged comments were indeed made, they would have impacted the dignity of a woman. The court clarified that such remarks do not enjoy immunity under the provisions of the Legislative Assembly.
The bench maintained that protection granted for statements made inside the House does not extend to language that is defamatory or derogatory in nature, especially when it concerns the respect and dignity of an individual.
With this ruling, the case against C.T. Ravi will proceed as per legal procedure.
