How anime went from ‘cringey’ to mainstream in Singapore

Being an anime fan used to be uncool, according to Ms Sheila Tan, who has been a fan of the genre since she was nine.

- Wong Man Shun

But lately, the 25-year-old wedding planner, who goes by Koala Tea when cosplaying, has been noticing more and more people attending big anime conventions here, such as the annual Anime Festival Asia (AFA) Singapore.

AFA debuted in 2008 in Singapore, and the 2025 edition will be held at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre from Nov 28 to 30.

“The crowd is around 30 per cent bigger now compared with pre-pandemic levels,” she said. “There was a stigma where if you liked anime, you were seen as ‘cringe’. It definitely still exists, but there’s less of it now.

“Even my mum knows about Demon Slayer,” she added, referring to the hit anime franchise that has made waves globally.

Once considered by some to be a subculture of popular media, anime has recently stolen the limelight in mainstream entertainment.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba - Infinity Castle (2025), which is showing in Singapore cinemas, became the first Japanese anime film to pass US$600 million (S$772.4 million) at the worldwide box office as at Sept 29, according to Sony Pictures Entertainment, which distributed the movie internationally. Its tally now stands at over US$633 million, beating the US$513 million of the first movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Mugen Train (2020).

The historical fantasy is set in Japan and follows an adolescent boy’s search for a cure for his sister, who has turned into a demon.

In contrast, 2025’s superhero blockbusters like Marvel's The Fantastic Four: First Steps and DC’s Superman have grossed over US$521 million and US$615 million respectively worldwide.

POPULARITY SPIKE

Anime has been increasing in popularity over the last 10 to 15 years, with a spike after the Covid-19 pandemic, observers told The Straits Times.