Celebrating 10 Years of Anime Fandom

"Dreams betray many, hard work betrays none" - so it came as no surprise when the founders' vision for MazeCity were realised on December 25 as a consequence of all the cumulative effort leading up to this moment. The milestone took 10 years in the making.

Maze Day Festival - powered by Knock - is more than just a celebration of how long this community has withstood the test of time. What began as a small circle of likeminded individuals in a forum, has transformed into a community of over 82,000 members who harbour a passion for Japanese animation, art form and aesthetics.

When asked about the nature of his relationship with MazeCity, a head admin, Afnan Chowdhury, confided, "I can barely believe my eyes when I gaze upon the communal atmosphere today. MazeCity to me represents a budding flower which is now in full bloom ready for the entire world to see, basking in its spring glory. I feel like a father who has seen his son live up to his potential."

Namaira Tabassum, a cosplayer, had the following opinion. "My personal space was respected, and the cosplayers were treated with dignity. It makes me feel really happy when the people recognise the character that I'm playing and show sincere appreciation for my efforts," she said. The bands Kawaii Baka Deshu, Kryopera and White Paper Ink showed their immense satisfaction at the response of the crowd that they received after their performance.

Following the tradition of MazeCity events, individuals were given the opportunity to perform live karaoke in front of others so they could let go of their stage fright and sing to their hearts' content. Sherly, another head admin of the community, declared, "The response we got from the community for this event was heart-warming and overwhelming, it was an honour to serve my baked goods to the guests and the feedback we received was precious."

Individuals in the Game Zone fought for bragging rights in the competitive Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Tournament which was hosted by Radio Dhol, and MazeCity's own Kazi Arif Mahmud and Shahbaz Amin. 

Navigating through a maze of festivities such as, but not limited to, cosplay, gaming competitions, karaoke, art exhibition and competition, and a concert, the Mazecitizens were lost in emotion, and yet found a profound sense of belonging. The founders also thanked the staff, including Aurora Salmin, Ahmed Saquib Dipto, Monirul Islam, Tauhidul Islam, Tamim Taher, Mushfik Rahman and the rest, for organising the event in such an impressive scale and managing the whole event in a proficient manner.

All of this wouldn't have been possible if the six founders Mohammad Moinul Islam, Toufik Jamal, Akib Jonayeed, Mahmud Shuvra, Nur E Elahi Shonchoy, and Shahid Wasio hadn't seen that dream of gathering people of same passion under one roof. Finally, the head founder Mohammed Moinul Islam articulated at the end of the event by announcing, "If you think this is good, just wait for the better."