Chittagong Otaku Summit – The title gives chills to the anime fans of Chattogram as it is considered the traditional anime event of the port city. Starting in 2016, the Chittagong Otaku Summit has become an emotion for the anime fans of Chattogram. Be it a new anime fan or an old one, Chittagong Otaku Summit is a symbol of anime heaven among the anime fans of Chattogram.
So, what is an Otaku Summit? It is an event celebrating Japanese animation and Pop Culture. Chittagong Otaku Summit specifically features diverse cultural activities and demonstrations; interactive panel discussions with anime and video game industry guests; artistic, costume and trivia contests; console gaming; workshops; video screenings and more. It is an event suitable for people of all ages, and families are welcome to attend.
Chittagong Otaku Summit generally focuses on entertainment, community and cultural diversity in a fun, inclusive and accessible setting while keeping the vibe of the anime world intact. This event is one of the oldest and most prominent pop culture gatherings of Chattogram. The Chittagong Anime Bhokto organized marquee festival has been entertaining locals even before AnimeCon or Comicon came to the port city.
Where Anime & Pop Culture Fans Gather Under One Roof
An Otaku Summit is an event or gathering with a primary focus on anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture. Commonly, Otaku Summits in Bangladesh are one-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels or college campuses. They feature a wide variety of activities and panels, with a larger number of attendees participating in cosplay than most other types of fan conventions.
Otaku Summits are also used as a vehicle for industry, in which studios, distributors, and publishers represent their anime and pop culture related releases. Also, many vendors gather to promote and sell a variety of merchandise. Chittagong Otaku Summit is no different except for the fact that it is an event by and for the enthusiasts of Chattogram.
Chittagong Otaku Summit Organizers: Chittagong Anime Bhokto
Chittagong Anime Bhokto is the largest geek community in Chattogram and one of the most famous anime and pop culture communities in Bangladesh. The community works to upgrade and spread the geeky culture which includes anime, pop culture, cosplay etc. all over the city and links up the whole community concerning the same of other districts. It was founded in 2015 and is currently organized by Mahir Hasan Chowdhury, Aon Moy and Ali Ashraf Ahmed. The organization is widely known for gathering all the anime and pop culture fans in Chattagram and spreading the views and morals of the same all over the city.
So far, Chittagong Anime Bhokto is considered as the prime organizer of anime and pop culture related events in the city maintaining both success and discipline – Chittagong Otaku Summit being the marquee one. At present, the members of this community are representing themselves as not only the city’s geek-cultured people, but they have now spread to other districts especially in the capital Dhaka to represent the anime and pop culture community of Chattogram.
Chittagong Otaku Summit: Gear 6
As per tradition, Chittagong Otaku Summit: Gear 6 will have its own anime vibe throughout the event. A complimentary lunch meal will be provided to all the attendees. The only Anime merchandise stall of Chattogram ‘Boku no Shop” will be there at the event with their stall full of anime and pop culture merchandise. Unplugged music will entertain the guests as various singers will cover anime songs in the event.
Chittagong Otaku Summit’s own unique Anime Art Exhibition will be held as the anime artists of Chattogram will showcase their amazing artworks. Guests will have the chance to perform anime karaoke songs. An anime quiz contest and of course, cosplay will be there. The cosplay segment will be handled by the Bangladesh Association of Cosplayers (BAC) and Chittagong’s own cosplay community “Chittagong Cosplayers”.
Regarding the cosplay segment, we have talked with the rising star of Chittagong Cosplayers, Alan Harder about his thoughts regarding the upcoming summit. He replied, “This will be my first time attending the prestigious Chittagong Otaku Summit. I am very much excited to cosplay in the event.”
Date: 3rd February, 2024
Time: 12 pm to 5 pm
Venue: Friolento
Event Contents
1. Cosplay Show.
2. Anime Art Exhibition
3. Anime Art Contest
4. Anime Merchandise Stalls.
5. Anime Sharing
6. Prize-giving of Cosplay and Anime Art Contest.
7. Gaming Corner
8. Unplugged Anime Songs
9. Make your own Anime Art
Summary of the event: Day long program starts with a grand opening. Inauguration speech from the honorable guest.Photography exhibition. Cosplay of anime & pop culture characters. Art exhibition relating anime and pop culture. Anime and pop culture merchandise stalls. Karaoke performance by the guests.Stage Performance. Quiz contest participated by visitors. Prize-giving ceremony of the winners.
Partners of the event: Star Cineplex agreed to be the official event partner of the event. For the first time, it is collaborating with the Chittagong Otaku Summit to support the anime and pop culture community of Chattogram. They will be handing out 50 pieces of Buy 1 Get 1 movie coupons to the attendees of the Chittagong Otaku Summit and will distribute free movie coupons through a raffle draw.
The community partner of the event is the biggest anime event organizer of Bangladesh AnimeCon. We had the privilege to talk with the Co-founder of AnimeCon, Mr. Oly Shahriar about his thoughts on the event. He said, ‘It is of great pleasure to me that AnimeCon has been extended the opportunity to be the community partner of Chittagong Otaku Summit: Gear6!” The magazine partner of the event is none other than Deshi Geek.
Thoughts Of The Organizers
Deshi Geek coverage team conducted a short interview with the organizers of Chittagong Otaku Summit: Gear 6 Mr. Mahir Hasan Chowdhury, Mr. Ali Ashraf Ahmed and Mr. Aonmoy Das. We asked Mr. Mahir “Why do you think Chittagong Otaku Summit is still a fan-favorite event even after 8 years of organizing?” He replied, “I think it’s the vibe of the event. We never make fake promises to our guests. We keep a closed-door event with limited guests and try to give them a premium feel about an anime event which is kept permanently in one’s memory.”
Mr. Aonmoy was asked, “Do you think Chittagong Otaku Summit: Gear 6 will live up to the high expectations of the fans?” He said, “Of course! This time we have upgraded ourselves and are trying to make the event better than any other time. Lots of new content will be there at the event. The largest anime event organizer AnimeCon team is with us this time as an event partner. Star Cineplex also Shook hands with us to support the event and the anime fans.” “We got the support of the first pop magazine of Bangladesh, Deshi Geek as well. So yes, I am highly hopeful about our upcoming event and I can assure you, guests won’t be disappointed.”
We turned to another organizer Ali Ashraf Ahmed asking him, “Do you think the ticket price is a bit much for the students in this event?” He replied, “Yes, I do! 450 taka ticket price is quite high for a student to be honest. But since we will provide free lunch from a reputed restaurant in Chattogram, Friolento, we had to increase the ticket price this time. But I can assure the guests that every penny of the ticket will be worth it when they attend the event!”
